Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 1 of 11
Department of Economics
ECON 3598: Economics Writing Seminar
Course syllabus
Section Semester Meeting Time Location
46205-701 Spring 2024 W 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Zoom: https://temple.zoom.us/j/96356384443
Bulletin Course Description
ECON 3598. Economics Writing Seminar. 3 Credit Hours.
This course fulfills the advanced writing requirement for economics majors in the College of
Liberal Arts and the Fox School of Business and Management. Students are expected to
demonstrate through a series of writing assignments that they can use the economic
techniques learned in previous courses to analyze current economic policy issues.
Class Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Classes: Senior 90 to 119 Credits,
Senior/Fifth Year 120+ Credits.
Course Attributes: WI
Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.
Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of C- in (ECON 3501 or ECON 3701) and (ECON 3502 or
ECON 3702)
Instructional Method
This course will be taught synchronously on Zoom: https://temple.zoom.us/j/96356384443
Initial registration is required. All sessions must be attended in full.
Learning Goals
1. Define a workable topic for research
2. Find sources related to the topic
3. Write a literature review
4. Perform statistical analyses
5. Draw conclusions from quantitative results
6. Make a research presentation
7. Write empirical economics research paper
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 2 of 11
Course Overview
This is the Economics capstone course for Temple undergraduates. It is required for all
Economics and Mathematical Economics majors regardless of their school or college. It is
strongly recommended for students with other majors who plan to work or go to graduate
school in an economics-related area. The purpose of the course is to teach you how to plan,
carry out, present, and write up a>To ensure your success in the course, (i) you must have taken a statistics course in which you
learned about multiple regression and (ii) you must have the self-discipline to complete an
independent Economics research project on your own.
This class focuses on doing economics rather than reading about it. You will assemble the
materials needed for your project as it progresses. Over the semester, you will acquire a great
deal of knowledge about your chosen topic, you will also develop a set of general skills that are
important in the job market: thinking creatively, assembling a data set, performing statistical
analyses, drawing conclusions from quantitative results, making presentations, writing clearly,
and attending to details.
The class will meet online at its assigned time for most, but not all, of its regularly scheduled
days. Dates when it will not meet are indicated in the course schedule below. I will notify in a
timely fashion of any change in the schedule. Class time will be devoted to teaching (my
responsibility) and acquiring (yours) the skills needed to carry out a successful research project.
Specific activities will include lectures (usually on statistical, theoretical, or methodological
subjects), class exercises, discussion, presentations, and feedback on your work.
This course’s success depends on the intelligence, creativity, and effort that you bring to your
projects while you are working on your own. For this reason, our interaction outside of class is
more important than in most other courses. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to
send me an e-mail at any time. I can meet with you during my office hours or by appointment.
I will post class materials on Canvas.
Unlike most of the courses you have taken at Temple, this one asks you to produce a major
piece of high-quality original work that is yours and yours alone. You should take pride in your
work and make every effort to take advantage of this opportunity. You will not regret it.
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 3 of 11
Textbook (Required)
• Greenlaw, S. A., 2006, Doing Economics: A guide to Understanding and Carrying out
Economic Research, Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA
The following reference books are recommended
• Strunk, W., White, E., 1999, The elements of style, Pearson (any edition)
• Wyrick, T., 1994, The Economist’s Handbook: A Research and Writing Guide, West
Publishing Company (any edition)
• Perrin, R., 2004, Handbook for College Research, Houghton Mifflin College Division (any
edition)
All books are available on reserve at Charles Library.
Assessment
Original research is hard, often frustrating work. Some projects, no matter how well-conceived
and well-executed, yield unsatisfactory results. You will therefore not be graded on whether
your project “succeeds” but rather on the quality of the research as shown in your writing and
presentations. To perform at a high level you must put in substantial effort: begin your research
early, work steadily through the semester, and leave enough time at the end of the term to
write up your results in a careful and professional manner.
Your grade in this course depends on your performance in multiple areas. It is possible to write
a very good final paper but do poorly in the class if you ignore other aspects of the course. The
weight of each area is as follows:
Interim coursework 40%
Research Presentation 15%
Discussant 5%
Class Participation 5%
Final Paper 35%
Total 100%
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 4 of 11
Assessment Description
1. Interim coursework 40%
Eight interim progress assignments (5% each):
i. project proposal Due: Tuesday, Jan 30, 3 p.m.
ii. annotated bibliography Due: Tuesday, Feb 6, 3 p.m.
iii. revised proposal Due: Tuesday, Feb 13, 3 p.m.
drafts of the following sections submitted individually during Weeks 5-9
iv. literature review Due: Tuesday, Feb 20, 3 p.m.
v. data Due: Tuesday, Feb 27, 3 p.m.
vi. econometric model Due: Tuesday, Mar 12, 3 p.m.
vii. results Due: Tuesday, Mar 19, 3 p.m.
viii. first draft Due: Tuesday, Mar 26, 3 p.m.
The goal of the interim assignments is for students to make steady progress on their
research, get timely feedback, continuously engage in fruitful research discussion with the
instructor and their peers, and make comments that might improve the research being
performed by their peers. Continuous revisions of written work based on received feedback
throughout the semester are expected and required for successful completion of the course.
2. Research Presentation 15%
A 15 minutes professional PowerPoint presentation of your research paper. Given during
Weeks 12-14. Presentation dates will be assigned by the instructor during Week 11.
Comments from the instructor, your discussant, and peers are meant to help improve the
quality of your final paper.
3. Discussant 5%
A 5 minutes professional PowerPoint presentation discussing one paper. Given during
Weeks 12-14. You will be assigned as a discussant for one of the presentations. As a
discussant you will review your assigned paper, prepare a helpful critique, and make a short
presentation based on your critique.
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 5 of 11
4. Class Participation 5%
I will make notes regarding class participation during the term; students will be assigned to
provide feedback on the interim assignment to their classmates. Students will complete
group work assignments during class. The goal is for students to make comments that might
improve the research being performed by their peers, and learn-by-doing basic research
methods.
Attendance is also a part of class participation. Attendance is mandatory for all class
meetings and for the entire duration of the meetings. You should be physically and mentally
present in class with your camera on and clearly showing your engaged face. Your final
grade in the course will be penalized by the percentage of classes missed.
5. Final Paper 35%
A polished professional research paper Due: Wednesday, Apr 24, 5:30 p.m.
Physical description: title page, main text of 12-20 pages including tables and reference
page(s). Double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins. Additional unrestricted pages for
appendix, full database attachment, full replication code attachment, complete computer
output attachment.
Important Notes
1. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students caught in plagiarism will fail the course. This
penalty applies to plagiarism on all written work submitted throughout the semester.
2. You may not submit papers written for other courses.
3. I encourage students to use the Temple University Writing Center for help with writing
and editing their papers.
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 6 of 11
Class-Meetings Outline (subject to change at the instructor’s discretion)
Week Date Topic
Week 1 Jan 17 W Introduction to research – Part 1 of 2:
How to do an empirical economics research project
Students find data and topics – optional zoom per your request
Week 2 Jan 24 W Introduction to research – Part 2 of 2:
Library Resources – delivered by Fred Rowland, Librarian
Format of an empirical paper
How to read an academic paper
Students find data and topics – optional zoom per your request
Due: Project Proposal, Jan 30th, 3 p.m.
Week 3 Jan 31 W Individual zoom with students: topic approval and examining data
Due: Annotated Bibliography, Feb 6th, 3 p.m.
Week 4 Feb 7 W Individual zoom with students: topic approval and examining data
Due: Revised Proposal, Feb 13th, 3 p.m.
Week 5 Feb 14 W Literature Review
Due: Literature Review, Feb 20th, 3 p.m.
Week 6 Feb 21 W Working with data
Due: Data, Feb 27th, 3 p.m.
Week 7 Feb 28 W Review of econometrics – Part 1 of 2
Building an econometric model
Due: Econometric Model, Mar 12th, 3 p.m.
Week 8 Mar 6 W Spring Break
Week 9 Mar 13 W Review of Econometrics – Part 2 or 2
Understanding statistical results
Due: Results, Mar 19th, 3 p.m.
Week 10 Mar 20 W Putting a research paper together
Due: First Draft, Mar 26th, 3 p.m.
Week 11 Mar 27 W Making a research presentation
Due: Presentation, Discussion, Apr 2nd, 3 p.m.
Week 12 Apr 3 W Student research presentations
Week 13 Apr 10 W Student research presentations
Week 14 Apr 17 W Student research presentations
Concluding thoughts
Week 15 Apr 24 W No Class (optional or required appointments)
Due: Final paper, Apr 24th, 5:30 p.m.
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 7 of 11
Temple Writing Center
Temple’s Student Success Center (SSC) offers tutoring for writing at the Writing Center.
https://studentsuccess.temple.edu/programs/writing/tutoring
Writing Center tutors can help you understand and get started on your assignments, and they
can also provide you with engaged, kind, and critical feedback on drafts of your work. The
tutors are graduate and undergraduate students who are successful writers and experienced
readers; all tutors have completed training in effective methods of coaching writers. Tutoring is
free of charge and available by same-day session or prescheduled appointment.
Course Communications
To facilitate communication, the university requires you to have an e-mail account ending in
@temple.edu which should be used to communicate with me. Alternatively, you may email
through the email feature in Canvas.
My e-mail is [email protected]. When sending me an e-mail, please use the
following subject line "Econ 3598 [First Name Last Name]". This will allow me to
quickly identify which class you belong to.
During the semester, I will communicate with you through Canvas Announcements, and Canvas
Inbox. As a rule of thumb, you should turn on your notifications on Canvas so that you receive
communication in a timely fashion. Additionally, it is prudent to log into Canvas at least once a
day to make sure you are updated with work that has been assigned. Please communicate with
me in class, via e-mail or through Zoom office hours.
Academic Honesty
According to the University Student Code of Conduct, students must not commit, attempt to
commit, aid, encourage, facilitate, or solicit the commission of academic dishonesty and
impropriety including plagiarism, academic cheating, and selling lecture notes or other
information provided by an instructor without the instructor’s authorization. Violations may
result in failing the assignment and/or failing the course, and/or other sanctions as enumerated
in the University Code of Conduct.
Here is the full text from the university’s “Student Responsibilities” statement
https://bulletin.temple.edu/undergraduate/about-temple-university/student-responsibilities/
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 8 of 11
The Temple University community believes strongly in academic honesty and integrity. Essential
to intellectual growth and the university's core educational mission is the development of
independent thought and respect for the thoughts of others. Academic honesty fosters this
independence and respect. Academic dishonesty undermines the university's mission and
purpose and devalues the work of all members of the Temple community. Every member of the
university community is responsible for upholding the highest standards of academic honesty at
all times. Students, as members of the community, are responsible for adhering to the principles
of academic honesty and integrity.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the
published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also
includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged
in the selling or distribution of term papers or other academic materials. Normally, all work
done for courses—papers, examinations, homework exercises, laboratory reports, oral
presentations—is expected to be the individual effort of the student presenting the work. Any
assistance must be reported to the instructor. If the work has entailed consulting other
resources—journals, books, or other media—these resources must be cited in a manner
appropriate to the course. It is the instructor's responsibility to indicate the appropriate manner
of citation. Everything used from other sources—suggestions for organization of ideas, ideas
themselves, or actual language—must be cited. Failure to cite borrowed material constitutes
plagiarism. Undocumented use of materials from the World Wide Web is plagiarism.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to: (1) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes,
tests, or examinations; (2) use of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing
papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; (3) the
acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of
the university faculty or staff; (4) engaging in any behavior specifically prohibited by a faculty
member in the course syllabus, assignment, or class discussion; (5) or otherwise engaging in
behavior that gives the student an unfair academic advantage including, but not limited to,
fabrication of data or sources, resubmitting work already submitted for another academic
requirement without prior authorization, or other similar behavior.
Refer to the Student Conduct Code (policy # 03.70.12) for more specific definitions of cheating
and plagiarism.
The penalty for academic dishonesty can vary from receiving a reprimand and a failing grade for
a particular assignment, to a failing grade in the course, to suspension or expulsion from the
university. The penalty varies with the nature of the offense, the individual instructor, the
department, the school or college, and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 9 of 11
Students who believe that they have been unfairly accused may appeal through the school or
college's academic grievance procedure. For more information see Grievances.
Course Technology Requirements
• Headphones
• Webcam
• Recommended Internet Speed: 8mbps download & 5mbps upload. You can test your
connection at https://www.speedtest.net
• Please note: Hard-wired connections are more consistent than Wi-Fi for Zoom sessions.
This course requires the use of Canvas, including access to materials and assignment
submission. Some videos posted via Canvas will require the use of speakers. The instructor may
utilize web-conferencing tools to deliver synchronous material. In order to participate in
synchronous sessions, you should have a computer, a webcam, headphones, and a
microphone.
This course requires the use of Microsoft Office (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint). To access these
materials, please login to TUportal and look for the Microsoft Download link under
TUapplications within the My Portal tab. All students are required to comply with Temple
University’s Computer and Network Security Policy.
Limited resources are available for students who do not have the technology they need for
class. Students with educational technology needs, including no computer or camera or
insufficient Wifi-access, should submit a Student Technology Assistance Application located in
TUPortal and linked from the Dean of Students Support and Resources webpage The university
will endeavor to meet needs, such as with a long-term loan of a laptop or Mifi device, a
refurbished computer, or subsidized internet access.
Internet Essentials from Comcast provides the option to purchase a computer for $150 and
high-speed internet service for $9.95 a month, plus tax. The Emergency Broadband Benefit
(EBB) is available to purchase Xfinity, Verizon, T-Mobile, and other internet services. Qualified
households can receive a temporary monthly credit of up to $50/month toward their Internet
service and leased Internet equipment until the program's funding runs out. On-campus
computer labs have resumed normal operations and are available for student use.
Note that some software is available for free download on the ITS Academic Support page
Other specialty software may be available for remote access through ITS.
Prof. Olga Timoshenko
Office: 219 Gladfelter Hall
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: M 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Zoom
T 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in person
Page 10 of 11
Incomplete
A student will be eligible for a grade of “Incomplete” only if the student: 1) has completed at
least 51% of the work at a passing level, 2) is unable to complete the work for a serious reason
beyond their control, and 3) files a signed agreement with the instructor outlining the work to
be completed and the time frame in which that work will be completed. The student is
responsible for initiating this process and all incomplete forms must be sent to the Associate
Dean for Academic Affairs prior to the start of study days in that semester. Please refer to the
following for further details: Temple University’s Incomplete Policy. (Policy #02.10.13).
Withdrawal from the Course
If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, it is the student’s responsibility to meet the
deadline for the last day to withdraw from the current semester. See Temple University's
