Paper assignment: article review

2.	Assignment options:
	Option 1: Analysis of recent news article
	a.	Find an appropriate newspaper or magazine article published since the beginning of the current term that can be used to illustrate some of the key concepts we've been studying this semester. You might search for a specific article in the library's online Lexis-Nexis database provides. Good sources for news articles include the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Economist, the Wall Street Journal, and Business Week, but you may choose your article from other sources. Sorry, but Blog postings are not eligible sources.
	b.	Provide a detailed explanation (3 to 4 pages) of how various statements in the article can be analyzed using the tools of Economics 250.
	Note: I am particularly interested in having you demonstrate that you can use and apply some of the key concepts and principles of Economics 250 as you read the news, so your analysis should go well beyond what you can show with just the tools of Economics 101 and include a lot more depth than a paper by someone who has not taken Economics 250.

Option 2: Professional journal article summary (and how it relates to material in the course)

Find an article from one of the following professional journals which applies some of the microeconomics tools we have been studying:

American Economic Review (excluding May issue)	Quarterly Journal of Economics
Economic Inquiry	Review of Economics and Statistics
Journal of Political Economy	Southern Economic Journal

The library's online EconLit database allows you to search for articles that might interest you.

Write a short summary of the article (3 to 4 pages). Your summary should include:

(1)

a statement of the purpose of the article,

(2)

a brief but careful summary of the argument (analysis) of the article,

(3)

the major conclusion(s), and

(4)

an explicit explanation of how the article uses the tools of Economics 250

Note: For part (4), I am interested in having you demonstrate that you can now understand journal articles that make use of some basic concepts from microeconomics. You probably won't be able to understand all of your chosen article (for example, many may use advanced math or econometrics), but you must select an article that does relate to the material in intermediate microeconomic theory to some degree.

3.	General comments:
	a.	Your paper should be typewritten and double-spaced with the usual margins and should include a full and proper citation of the article you have chosen.
	b.	You must submit your paper as both (1) a hard copy and (2) as an email attachment.
	c.	I need access to the article you use as well. You can either (1) turn in a photocopy or (2) include a hyperlink in your email attachment.
	d.	Audience: You should direct your paper to a peer audience, that is to individuals who are are learning intermediate microeconomic theory. (The analysis in the paper should be accessible to any Economics 250 student.)
	e.	Evaluation criteria:
		(1)	the clarity and accuracy of your analysis;
		(2)	the specificity and relevance of the material you include from the article you choose; and
		(2)	the written quality of your paper, including focus, organization, paragraph and sentence structure, tone, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.

1.	Purpose: There are three distinct goals of this assignment:
	a.	to increase your ability to apply the fundamental concepts of microeconomics,
	b.	to provide you with an alternative opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the course material, and
	c.	to continue to improve your writing skills.