University of Pittsburgh
                                                              Fall 2023

                                 ECON 0280 - Introduction to Money and Banking

Text:
Hubbard, G., A.P. O'Brien,  Money, Banking and the Financial Systems, 2^nd Edition, Pearson, 2014.

Course Prerequisites:
ECON 0110 - Macroeconomics   or      ECON 0800 - Introduction to Economics

Academic Integrity
Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh
Policy on Academic Integrity, from the February 1974 Senate Committee on Tenure and Academic
Freedom reported to the Senate Council, will be required to participate in the procedural process as
initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz or exam will be imposed.

Disability Resources
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to
contact both your instructor and the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union,
412-648-7890/412-624-3346 (Fax), as early as possible in the term. Disability Resources and Services will
verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.  For more information,
visit www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/drsabout.

Course Objective
To provide students with an introduction to the interest rates (what are they, how are they determined, etc.), 
the role of the money in the economy (by looking at its definition, creation, uses and impact on the economy) 
and other financial assets, the financial system, the operation and regulation of financial markets and institutions, 
as well as theory and practice of monetary policy.

Studying Strategies 
I would highly recommend you to work in study groups.  Go through the reading before lecture.  If lecture does
not clear your questions from reading the book, ask me.  Make the help sheet for the chapter before doing the
homework.  Update the help sheet if it is not sufficient to do the homework problems.  Combine updated help
sheets for different chapters into help sheet for the exam.

Grading
Homeworks: 9 handwritten assignments, due at the beginning of class, worth 5% of grade
Your effort, rather than whether the solution is correct, will be graded.  Try to solve the problems, but do not
spend too much time on them if you have difficulties.  Solutions are on the class web site.  If you cannot
figure out how to do the problems, given the solutions, please see me.

Quizzes: 8 best of 9, 20 multiple choice questions before the break of the indicated class, worth 10% of grade

Exams: the worst of 4 non-cumulative worth 12%, each of other three 17%, cumulative final 22%
All exams will have multiple choice questions only covering conceptual and computational problems. You may
bring one 8.5x11 help sheet for each exam.  You can put whatever you want on both pages of the help sheet.
Makeup exams will be provided only due to an unforeseen event. I have to be informed no later than 24 hours
after the exam. Documented confirmation will be required. No phones or other communication devices are allowed
during any test, and will result in automatic failure for the test.

No extra credit is available. Grading will not be based on the curve. Your cumulative percentages grade will be
divided by the highest cumulative percentage grade in the class, and then translated into letter grades as follows:

100   -97 = A+      89.9-87 = B+      79.9-75 = C+      64.9-60 = D+     49.9-0 = F
                  96.9-93 = A        86.9-83 = B         74.9-70 = C        59.9-55 = D
                  92.9-90 = A-       82.9-80 = B-       69.9-65 = C-       54.9-50 = D-

Course Outline