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Tufts University: George Norman - Economics - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
The professor showed some concern for students' progress and understanding--one concept was so confusing that during the following class, he retaught the entire concept. He did not try at all to hide his hate for macroeconomics. He was very funny, and experimental "clickers" both helped to reinforce the mathematical concepts and made the class more interesting.
Workload:
The four or five problem sets can be tricky but doable if you do them in groups. The reading is very easy and kind of interesting--some chapters are only ten pages long.
professor rating:  | course rating: | major: English | |
review a class you took with George Norman - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: George Norman - Economics - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
If you want to enjoy learning economics, take this class. He is an excellent orator; his presentations are clear and easy to understand. He sounds like Sean Connery (he's Scottish) but bears no physical resemblance. Very well-dressed, though.
Workload:
Slow and steady wins the race as far as work pace is concerned. Not so much memorization, but you need to comfortable with concepts and simple math. You either understand it or you don't, not tricky. Go to office hours and talk to TA's because there will moments when you get stuck. Do not try to cram because this course is cumulative. Reading the text enhances your understanding (the book has up-to-date examples and can be an enjoyable read). Normal workload. Psets help you ace tests. Exams quite reasonable if you study.
professor rating:  | course rating: | major: Economics | |
review a class you took with George Norman - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: George Norman - Economics - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
***If I could give this Professor and this course a 6 rating instead of a 5, I would.***
Professor Norman is terrific and I really enjoyed this class. The issues that he touches upon are interesting and well-presented, and he is a very funny, easygoing, smart guy with lots of great stories. Some stories are related to his relevant work as an economic consultant and others are simply for fun, but he is always engaging in each case. He constantly talks about current issues, engages discussion and lectures very well, explaining things very clearly with his great PowerPoint lectures.
Anyone who is considering a career in consulting or in investment banking should most definitely take this course. I think that it is very relevant whatever business you may work in, or start yourself, but it is especially great for these two areas because it is very much like an MBA course - it uses a business school text that is actually very good. The course talks about strategic positioning, commitment theory, diversification, pricing rivalry and the vertical chain, among other things.
Workload:
The worlkload for the class during the regular school semester is fairly taxing, with a lot of writing. But I enjoyed the class so much that I was never upset with the amount of work that's required. There is a 5 page take-home midterm, a 12-15 page individual research paper, a 5 page take-home final essay, and a 30-40 page industry analysis that is completed in groups of about 5. The midterm and final rely heavily on economic theory and therefore aren't that easy to write last minute, which is, unfortunately, how I approach most of my assignments.
professor rating: | course rating: | major: Economics | |
review a class you took with George Norman - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: George Norman - Economics - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
Professor Norman is perhaps one of the best teachers I have encountered at Tufts. His lectures follow power point slides which are clear and concise and are typically posted on Blackboard well before the class in which they are used. He closely follows the textbook as well, so between the slides and the book it is completely unambiguous what he will be looking for you to understand come test time.
As for the tests, they are straightforward, with class averages usually in the low 80s. They consist of a handful of multiple choice, around five or so, a few problems to be worked out and occasionally a short essay or two. Attending recitation helps - he generally gives the TAs practice tests to go over in the session right before a test that very closely resemble the questions and format that will appear.
You do not need to be an Economics major to enjoy this class. Professor Norman has a clear desire to provide his students with a conceptual understanding of economics as opposed to covering as many chapters in the book as possible. He is more than willing to take time to answer questions, even in the middle of lectures. Frequently communicates with the class over e-mail, even going as far to provide hints at problem set questions that seem to be confusing many students.
Expect to cover micro - "small scale" topics including supply and demand, monopolies, and price discrimination - in greater detail than macro - "big picture" things like inflation, job growth, and fiscal policy.
Workload:
Workload is really up to the student. Professor Norman requires very little, only assigning four or five problem sets throughout the entire semester. The power point slides are clear enough that it is possible to go by them alone if you are pressed for time otherwise, but the textbook can be rather helpful since nine times out of ten the chapters contain exactly the same material as the slides only in more depth.
The biggest challenge in this class for most people will be the hurdles involved with wrapping your mind around the very basics and learning to think like an economist. Thankfully, Professor Norman is very helpful in this regard and as mentioned earlier is more than willing to assist and answer any questions you may have. The textbook is also very useful, but if you can understand what is going on without it you probably will not have to open it all semester long.
professor rating: | course rating: | major: Chemistry | |
review a class you took with George Norman - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: George Norman - Economics - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
Professor Norman is a wonderful, wonderful lecturer. He makes econ so interesting and he has a good sense of humor, which always helps with big intro courses like EC5. His lectures are easy to understand and he does a great job of explaining the material. Econ was never a faovrite subject of mine, but I love this class. Highly recommended!
Workload:
Readings from the text, but his powerpoint slides cover the important things you need to know from the text. If you study both the slides and the reading, you'll do fine in this class.
review a class you took with George Norman - help your classmates make informed decisions!
Tufts University: George Norman - Economics - Professor ratings, reviews and much more | JumboAccess
Review:
Professor Norman is an excellent lecturer, and manages to make somewhat dry course material interesting by inserting witty anecdotes and applying current economic and business news into his lectures. He posts all his lectures on Blackboard ahead of time so it isn't difficult to catch up if you miss a few lectures. He is always eager to field questions, although he does get lost on tangents. He is readily available outside of class and very enthusiastic and helpful.
Workload:
The courseload during the summer session is two 5 page short papers in which you choose to answer one of four questions, and one sixteen page research paper that is very flexible. Since you have many options for essay topics, you can easily avoid writing on any part of the course you don't understand, and focus on the lectures that are interesting.
professor rating: | course rating: | major: Economics | |
review a class you took with George Norman - help your classmates make informed decisions! |
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