Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Recitations: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session

Prerequisites

14.01 Principles of Microeconomics

and either

6.041 Probabilistic Systems Analysis and Applied Probability

or

14.30 Introduction to Statistical Methods in Economics

A Note from the Instructor

Every undergraduate course I teach, there's something about it I really like.  I think this one is going to be that e-commerce has been my primary area of research for the last several years.  We also have a small class, so I hope that means we will have lively discussions, and that no one feels initmidated. During the first class each student introduces themselves by providing their:

• Name
• Major
• Something to remember them by
• Favorite TV show or board / card game

Requirements

14.27 Policies

• Collaborating on problems sets is allowed but intended to help students clarify class material, ideas, and technical issues, not produce group solutions. If you do work with others, please include their names on the front page of your problem set. Note that even if you identify your collaborators, handing in identical solutions will likely be considered a violation of this policy.
• Handwritten solutions are fine, as long as they are legible and neat. Please remember: If we can't read it, we can't grade it.
• In fairness to students who complete assignments on time, students failing to hand in assignments on time will receive no credit (unless I specify a schedule of late penalties for a particular assignment).
• Taking both exams is a requirement of the course. Receiving a zero on an exam will result in a failing grade for the course.
• To be considered valid, an excuse must be proffered prior to the exam that is to be missed, if at all possible, the excuse must be in writing, and it must be verifiable. These criteria are necessary, not sufficient, however. We reserve the right to deem an excuse meeting the above criteria invalid. Note: Wait until after the final exam schedule is released before making holiday travel plans.
• An oral make-up exam will be given in the event of a valid excuse.
• All requests for regrades must be submitted in writing within one week of the exam being handed back.
• Cheating or academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated and will result in swift punitive action. This includes but is not restricted to passing off another student's work as your own, copying information from other students' exams, communicating with other students during exams, failing to follow the rules of the exams regarding notes, calculators, etc., altering an exam for the purpose of a regrade, and producing fraudulent written excuses. Any student found to have cheated or behaved unethically or dishonestly will be given a zero on the assignment or exam involved and referred to the appropriate disciplinary committees within MIT for further action.
• Students are allowed to use computers during lectures, but only with the understanding that they be used for class-related purposes, such as taking notes.