ARE 201

Introduction to Agricultural and Resource Economics

Course Information

Course

M / W / F
1:55–2:45 PM
0321 Riddick Hall

Instructor

Zihan Zhang
zzhan223@ncsu.edu
Nelson 4119

Office Hours

Wednesday
10:00–11:00 AM
or by appointment

Weekly course format: Mondays and Wednesdays are regular class meetings. Fridays are Review Sessions for practice and review, with In-Class Work to complete; on scheduled exam dates, the Friday meeting is the Unit Exam.

What to call me: Please feel free to call me Zihan—there’s no need to call me “Professor Zhang.” I’m a PhD student, not a professor (yet!).

Grading Policy

Weight	Component	Key rule
10%	In-Class Work	Three lowest scores dropped
15%	Quizzes	Two attempts; average score recorded
50%	Three Unit Exams	Lowest exam score dropped
25%	Cumulative Final	Cannot be dropped

Exam setup: Unit exams are in person and on paper. Bring a basic calculator. Unit exams allow one handwritten 4×6 note card; the final allows two.

Extra Credit Opportunities

+5

Exam 1 points

+5

Exam 2 points

+5

Exam 3 points

1

Complete all PlayPosit/H5P activities linked to that exam.

2

Finish them before the exam begins.

3

Score at least 70% on every activity. Unlimited attempts are allowed.

4

All-or-nothing: missing one item means no extra credit for that exam.

Final exam: no extra credit is available.

Grading Scale

A+

97–100

A

93–<97

A−

90–<93

B+

87–<90

B

83–<87

B−

80–<83

C+

77–<80

C

73–<77

C−

70–<73

D+

67–<70

D

63–<67

D−

60–<63

F

0–<60

Rounding: final course averages round to the nearest whole number (e.g., 89.45 → 90; 89.44 → 89).

Late Assignments

Email the instructor as soon as possible if you need an extension or make-up.

24h

Two quiz extensions

You may request a 24-hour extension on up to two Moodle quizzes without penalty. Request it within 24 hours of the original due date.

−20

Other late Moodle work

Submitted within 5 calendar days: 20-point penalty. More than 5 days late: not accepted.

3×

In-class work

Cannot normally be made up. The three dropped scores are intended to cover occasional absences.

E

Missed unit exam

Normally becomes the dropped exam score. Additional make-up exams require an approved/verified absence or prior arrangement.

What We Will Learn

1. Economic Thinking

Scarcity, opportunity cost, trade-offs, specialization, and gains from trade.

2. Markets & Prices

Supply and demand, price controls, consumer/producer surplus, and elasticity.

3. Consumers & Firms

Consumer choice, production and costs, perfect competition, and imperfect competition.

4. Policy & the Global Economy

Externalities, public goods, international trade, and real-world agricultural/resource applications.

The goal is to use economic models to explain, graph, calculate, and evaluate real-world decisions and policy trade-offs.

How the Course Works

In class

Instruction, practice, real-world applications, and graded work. Attendance matters because in-class work must be completed in person.

On Moodle

Videos, readings, quizzes, practice activities, announcements, grades, and assignment instructions.

What you need

The textbook is free and available online. Bring your own basic calculator and prepare your own 4×6 index cards for exam notes.

Best strategy

Keep up weekly, practice graphs and calculations, come ready to work, and ask questions early.

Sep 18

Exam 1

Oct 23

Exam 2

Nov 20

Exam 3

Dec 7

Final · 12:00–2:30 PM