Assignments and Grading
Grading
10 Online Quizzes (20%): 2% each, lowest 2 quizzes are replaced with your highest 2 quizzes
3 Problem sets (30%): 15% on your highest-scoring, 10% on your second-highest-scoring, 5% on your lowest-scoring
3 Prelims (40%): 15% on your two highest-scoring prelims, 10% on your lowest-scoring prelim
1 Final Project (10%) 5% paper, 2% presentation, 3% team evaluation
Final course letter grades: A (93%–100%), A- (90%–92%), B+ (87%–89%), B (83%–86%), B- (80%–82%), C+ (77%–79%), C (73%–76%), C- (70%–72%), D+ (67%–69%), D (63%–66%), D- (60%-62%), F (below 60%)
Online Quizzes
You will have 10 online quizzes, one per week where we don’t have a prelim. You may not consult with me or the TAs about the problems except for clarifying questions.
When are they due?
- They are due on these Thursdays at 11:59PM: Jan 26, Feb 2, Feb 9, Feb 23, Mar 2, Mar 9, Mar 16, Mar 30, Apr 13, Apr 20.
- No late quiz submissions will be accepted.
Who can I work with?
- You are expected to work alone.
How do I submit them?
- They will be available on Canvas from 12:00AM-11:59PM, you can choose when to complete the quiz during the day.
Problem sets
You will have 3 problem sets, 1 due before each prelim. You may consult with me or the TAs during office hours. Students taking the class at the 5000 level may have extra problems in some problem sets.
When are they due?
- Problem set due dates: Feb 6, Mar 13, Apr 28.
- Problem sets are due on 11:59PM on the listed due date. You have unlimited submissions before the deadline.
- No late problem sets will be accepted.
Who can I work with?
- You may work in teams of up to 3 on problem sets.
How do I submit them?
- On Canvas, submit one problem set per team with all group members names on it.
- If you are doing the problem set on pen and paper you must scan and convert it into a pdf using something like Adobe Scan. Pictures will not be accepted and will receive a zero.
- It is your responsibility to submit the correct file. Unreadable or corrupted files will not be accepted. Your final submission prior to the deadline is what will be graded.
Prelims
When are the prelims?
- Prelim dates: Feb 15, Mar 22, May 8.
- The prelims are in class during our regular class time.
What do the prelims cover?
- All material prior to the prelim date. They will focus on new content since the previous prelim, but you are still responsible for knowing all prior course material.
- The prelims will have questions based on the slides and readings assigned.
What can I bring to the prelim?
- Pen or pencil, and simple calculator.
- No electronics or notes.
Final project
Essay
For your final project you will write a 5 page essay on an environmental policy or an environmental financial instrument. Up to three teams of students can work on the same topic. Detailed instructions will be circulated later in class. The high-level idea is that you will:
- Describe the background of the policy/instrument, its objective, and how it achieves it.
- Analyze its effectiveness in the real world.
- Propose how to improve it and convincingly describe why your proposal is an improvement.
Students taking the class at the 5000 level will write a more in-depth, 8 page essay.
Presentation
Teams will present their work in a submitted zoom video. See the instructions in the assignment.
When are the papers due?
- Tentative paper due date: May 16 11:59PM.
- No late papers will be accepted.
When are the presentations?
- Presentations will be during the last three days of class. Presentation days will be randomly assigned and we will have teams presenting the same topic all on the same day.
- You must show up for your presentation.
Who can I work with?
- You may work in teams of up to 3 on the final project.
How do I submit them?
- On Canvas, submit one paper per group (as a pdf) with all group members names on it.
What is the team evaluation?
Each person’s contribution will be anonymously graded by the rest of the team.