Fall 2026
Principles of Microeconomics
Instructor: Kolton Eberlan
Email: keberlan@lamarpa.edu
Office Hours: Please email me to set up a zoom meeting if we need to meet.
Analysis of the behavior of individual economic agents, including consumer behavior and demand, producer behavior and supply, price and output decisions by firms under various market structures, factor markets, market failures, and international trade.
Principles of Microeconomics- 5th Edition- Dirk Mateer ISBN: 978-1-324-11527-4. This is an online book. You do not need to purchase an access code. Once you log into the course, you will be able to access the book. There will be a link that says E book connection. You click on that, and you are automatically connected to the E-book.
Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.
YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE ACCESS TO A WEBCAM IN ORDER TO TAKE THE EXAMS ONLINE.
All of your exams will be take online. You will be taking them using the proctoring feature- Respondus Lockdown Browser. You will need a working webcam. You will need to provide proof of id. You will need to make sure that there are no notes/study aids in the vicinity of your test taking. If you do not follow these policies, you will earn a zero on the exam.
Here are a few tips just in case your are having issues setting everything up
1. Buy a webcam, if yours is not working
2. Borrow a friend's device
3. Go to the testing center on campus- here is the link https://www.lamarpa.edu/studentservices/academic-services/testing-center/index.html
4. Contact the IT desk at Lamar Port Arthur campus to see if they can issue you a rental laptop. Here is the link https://www.lamarpa.edu/about/college-operations/informationtechnology/laptop-loan-program.html there is no guarantee you will be able to get one. But, it does not hurt to inquire https://www.lamarpa.edu/about/college-operations/informationtechnology/laptop-loan-program.html Any tech tips Download the Blackboard and Outlook apps to their phone and stay logged into their LSCPA accounts in order to receive proper notifications of assignments and announcements. IT Support E-mail: HelpDesk@lamarpa.edu Phone (409) 984-6150 Hours of Operation Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Get Support or Request Service Online using TeamDyanmix
If it is a Blackboard question: Phone: 936-496-5379 Email: bbhelp@lamarpa.edu
ENGL-0302 College Reading Skills and ENGL-0327 Integrated Reading and Writing">ENGL-0302 College Reading Skills and ENGL-0327 Integrated Reading and Writing
| Course Learning Outcome 1 | Core Objec tive | Associated Course Activities/Assignments/Projects |
| Explain the role of scarcity, specialization, opportunity cost and cost/benefit analysis in economic decision-making | Critical Thinki ng | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Identify the determinants of supply and demand; demonstrate the impact of shifts in both market supply and demand curves on equilibrium price and output. | Empiri cal and Quanti tative Skills | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Summarize the law of diminishing marginal utility; describe the process of utility maximization. | Critical Thinki ng | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Calculate supply and demand elasticities, identify the determinants of price elasticity of demand and supply, and demonstrate the relationship between elasticity and total revenue. | Empiri cal and Quanti tative Skills | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Describe the production function and the Law of Diminishing Marginal Productivity; calculate and graph short-run and long-run costs of production. | Empiri cal and Quanti tative Skills | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Identify the four market structures by characteristics; calculate and graph the profit maximizing price and quantity in the output markets by use of marginal analysis. | Empiri cal and Quanti tative Skills | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Determine the profit maximizing price and quantity of resources in factor markets under perfect and imperfect competition by use of marginal analysis. | Empiri cal and Quanti tative Skills | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Describe governmental efforts to address market failure such as monopoly power, externalities, and public goods. | Critical Thinki ng | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
| Identify the benefits of free trade using the concept of comparative advantage. | Critical Thinki ng | Students will complete appropriate learning activities and assessments that reinforce the concepts and skills associated with this learning outcome. Specific activities may vary based on course content, instructional needs, and student learning objectives. |
Communication Skills | Demonstrate effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral and/or visual communication. | |
Content Knowledge | Recall facts, explain principles and theories, apply factual knowledge, principles and theories to solve problems in a specific discipline. | |
Critical Thinking Skills | Use creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. | |
Empirical and Quantitative Skills | Apply the manipulation and/or analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions. | |
Personal Responsibility Skills | Integrate choices, actions and consequences in ethical decision-making. | |
Social Responsibility Skills | Express intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities. | |
Teamwork Skills | Show the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal. | |
Demand and Supply- discussion of how markets work and why prices change
Price Controls- discussion of why the government intervenes in the marketplace and explore the minimum wage and price controls
Elasticity- Evaluate pricing decisions made by firms and how it affects their profits and revenue
Consumer Choices- Explore why consumers make decisions that are both rational and irrational
Production, Costs, and Industry Structure- Understand how production costs are affected by resource use and analyze why economists calculate profit in a different way than is done in accounting.
Perfect Competition - Explore how firms make decisions when they don't have a lot of control over the prices they can charge for their product
Monopoly- Evaluate the benefits and costs of having firms maintain control over selling their product
Monopolistic Competition and Oligopoly - Evaluate the effectiveness of using advertising to sell a product. Explore how firms will compete when they have to strategize on a consistent basis
Monopoly and Antitrust Policy -Evaluate the government's decision to ensure that firms are behaving in a competitive manner
Environmental Protection and Negative Externalities-Explore how firms make decisions that can negatively impact people who were not involved in the buying or producing of the product
Positive Externalities and Public Goods-Explore how decisions are made by the government with regards to what services they should provide.
Week 1: Chapter 1 Quiz
Writing Assignment #1
Week 2: Chapter 2 Quiz
Discussion Board #1
Week 3: Chapter 3 Quiz
Week 4: Chapter 4 Quiz
Chapter 5 Quiz
Week 5: Exam 1
Chapter 6 Quiz
Week 6: Chapter 7 Quiz
Chapter 8 Quiz
Week 7: Chapter 9 Quiz
Week 8: Exam2
Chapter 10 Quiz
Week 9: Chapter 11 Quiz
Chapter 12 Quiz
Week 10: Chapter 13 Quiz
Discussion Board #2
Week 11: Chapter 14 Quiz
Chapter 15 Quiz
Week 12: Exam 3
Chapter 16 Quiz
Week 13: Chapter 17 Quiz
Writing Assignment #2
Week 14: Chapter 18 Quiz
Week 15: Exam 4
Discussion Board #3
Assignments will close December 9th.
| Category | Number | Points Each | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 18 | 20 | 360 |
| Exams | 4 | 100 | 400 |
| Discussion Boards | 3 | 30 | 90 |
| Writing Assignments | 2 | 75 | 150 |
| Total | 27 | — | 1,000 |
| Letter Grade | Percentage | Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100% | 900–1,000 |
| B | 80–89% | 800–899 |
| C | 70–79% | 700–799 |
| D | 60–69% | 600–699 |
| F | Below 60% | 0–599 |
Quizzes: Students will take 18 Quizzes that will be worth 20 points each. They will be worth a total of 360 points out of the 1000 available.
Writing Assignments: These creative writing assignments will require the student to present material in a formal manner. Description of these writing assignments will be found in Blackboard. Students will have 2 of these and they will be worth 75 points each. They will be worth a total of 150 points out of the 1000 available.
Exams: Students will take 4 timed exams. These exams will require students to download the lock down browser. Each exam will cover the readings and assignments for a segment of the course—the fourth exam is not cumulative. If you are allowed to use your notes on the exam, I will let you know ahead of time. They will be worth 100 points each. They will be worth a total of 400 points out of the 1000 available.
Discussions: This is a critical thinking component of the course. The discussions are set up to reinforce the concepts and to promote critical thinking. Students will participate in 3 Discussions. They are worth 30 points each. They will be worth a total of 90 points out of the 1000 available.
Assignments must be completed online by 11:59 PM on the due date listed in Blackboard
Make-up Work Policy
Given that lives can get really busy, and things pop up- I am issuing 2 extension passes. That means you can turn in the assignment/exam the day after and not get a zero. You will need to email me ahead of the deadline and inform me you are wanting to use it. If you inform me after the original deadline, you cannot use it. If your inability to contact me is due a personal or medical emergency, please not that it is at my discretion to let you use the extension passes. You will receive extra credit for passes you have left at the end of the semester .
It is the responsibility of the student to properly plan and ensure that they give themselves enough time to complete their work. Ifyou wait until the last 48 hours to complete your work, you assume all the risk of an emergency or technical issue that mightcome up. I have opened all the work early for you to plan in advance and waiting until the last minute that allows for an excusewill not be accepted.
DO NOT send me an email about wanting to complete your work late- all students are graded on the same late policy to be bothfair and consistent. Why would it be fair to provide an extension when all other students were not allowed one? If you do sendme an email, I will assume you did not read or understand the course policies for all students. You are responsible for completing your work around your other time commitments.
When you cultivate these habits, it can provide excellent training for your professional life. You have chosen to enroll in this course. The expectation is that you will work diligently to get your work done.
Plan your activities carefully.
Be mentally flexible.
Start your homework early and develop solid work.
Avoid procrastination and drama.
Learn from your mistakes.
Hold yourself accountable.
All Email Communication must come from an @lamarpa.edu email address from the student enrolled in this course.
I am unable to respond to any emails from outside parties. I will respond to emails through official avenues only, this includes office phone, lamarpa.edu email and Bookings messages and meeting requests. DO NOT add or message ME on ANY social media platform. DO NOT call or text me on a personal line, this information is not readily available to the public. Emails Must contain the students name, class section, and a detailed description of their question written in complete sentences. Please include screenshots when appropriate.
Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Room 119, in the Ruby Fuller Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.