Syllabus
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Instructor:                  Dr. Jason Porter          

Contact Info:              129 ALB
                                    (208) 885-7153
                                    jporter@uidaho.edu (please use ‘Acct 561’ as the subject of your messages)

Office Hours:             M/W:   1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.;
                                    Friday: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Like you, I will be gone some Fridays!)

            CRN                            Meeting Time                           Location
            17878                          2:00 - 3:15 TR                         ALB 112

Course Objectives:

This is a thinking course about accounting and its theoretical foundation.  We will be studying accounting itself rather than how to do accounting.  During the course we will cover traditional subjects such as the nature of accounting, the role of accounting in the economy, the process of creating GAAP in the U.S., the history of accounting, and the international differences in accounting, reporting and standard setting.  In addition, we will discuss academic research in accounting and its usefulness.  Overall, the goal of the course is to encourage you to think about the fundamental principles and aspects of accounting and the impact of our profession on the world.

To help us meet our course goal, I have several objectives for our class.

In addition to these overall objectives, I have broken down the course into a list of topic-specific objectives (see the list below).  These topic objectives should serve to give you a step by step look at the course, as well as a study guide for the exam in the course and for the comprehensive exam question from this course.

Course Materials:

Financial Accounting Theory (4^th edition), by William R. Scott, Prentice-Hall, 2006

Other readings through the course website and the library’s e-reserve

Class Structure:

Class sessions will be structured as close to an academic seminar as I can manage.  A seminar is a group of advanced students, each doing original research, and all exchanging results through reports and discussions.  As we introduce new topics, I will provide some lecture about the new material.  However, we will stop often to discuss key ideas.  As the semester progresses, I will do less lecturing as you begin to make presentations and bring prepared questions for discussion.  By the end of the class, I hope to be simply guiding our discussions.

Please note, you are expected to do the assigned reading, participate in class discussion (yes, I will cold call, so be prepared!), and work any example problems for each day of class.  You are responsible for all of the material cover in class as well as the material in the reading, even when we don’t specifically cover that material in class.  You are strongly encouraged to ask questions as we go.

Course Web Site:

Our course webpage is www.cbe.uidaho.edu/Acct561 and you will be responsible for all of the announcements and other information on the webpage.  Since the webpage is the easiest way to access our assignments and papers, I hope that you will check it often.

Course Requirements:

Your grade in the course will be based on the following criteria:

As the instructor, I reserve the right to grade as I see fit.  If you feel you have been graded unfairly, you are free to come and speak with me.  Superfluous challenges, however, will result in the loss of 5 points.  Superfluous challenges include citing the book when I tell you I will be testing on our class discussions and vice versa or wanting a grade change for a scholarship or grant.  I also reserve the right to add bonus points in the rare occasion that someone goes above and beyond the course requirements (These points will be given rarely, if ever, so please don’t count on getting them).

A Warning:

For many of you, this will be your first semester in graduate school.  In undergraduate courses, you are expected to prepare 2-3 hours outside of class for each hour in class.  The time and effort required for graduate courses are at least double that.  To put it another way, I expect you to work hard, and so do your other graduate professors.  I understand that some topics will be difficult and you may not feel comfortable with them, and I understand that some days you will be more prepared that others.  However, I do not understand and will not sympathize if you come to class unprepared (i.e. reading the assigned materials and attempting the homework).  You must come prepared for each class, even if you cannot always give this class top priority.

Attendance and Participation:

Seminars are designed to be group discussions, and that’s where the true learning in the class will occur.  Because of the importance of your participation, you must attend each class session.  I will, of course, excuse you for university excused absences, but only if you let me know in advance that you will not be there on a given day.

To determine your participation and attendance grade, I will use a seating chart (although you will be allowed to decide where you wish to sit).  On the chart, I will mark whether you were on time and stayed through the whole class.  In addition, I will assign you a Good (15 pts), Decent (10 pts), or Poor (5 pts) for each class session based on how I feel you participated during the session.  Good participation includes good questions that fit with our discussion, answering my questions and those of your colleagues, joining in group work, attempting in-class projects and activities, and making appropriate comments about the material.  Please do not speak just to speak.  That will result in a negative mark.  If you have prepared for class, you should have no trouble. 

Note: If you are late, you cannot receive a ‘Good’ for the day.  Also, if you miss the class for an excused absence, that day will not be factored in to your participation grade.  If you miss class for an unexcused absence, you will receive a ‘0’ for the day.  Interviews are not university excused absences, however, I will give you a ‘Decent’ on any day that you are at an interview if you provide documentation and turn in a written summary of the readings for that day.  You are welcome to view your participation grade at any time during the semester.

Presentations:

You will make several presentations during the semester.  Most of the presentations will be with a group, however, each member of the class will make at least one presentation on their own.  How many presentations you make and how many are in each group will depend on the number of students in our class.  Group presentations will be made by groups I set up. 

NOTE:  Each presentation must include a 1 page handout.  They must be in Times New Roman 12 pt (or equivalent) font and have normal 1” margins.  Do NOT make them longer than 1 page!  These handouts will be useful material for you when studying for your comp question for this class.  Believe me, you are going to want SHORT handouts.

Accounting and Standard Setting in a foreign country. (50 points) This presentation will be made by groups of 2-4 students.  By Sept 14^th you will need to email me the COUNTRY you have chosen to examine.  Choice of country will be ‘first come, first serve’, so don’t dawdle in making your decision.  No duplicates will be allowed, so make sure you have a back-up choice.  NOTE: We will be studying Germany and the IASB together, so you won’t be able to choose them.  You should start collecting information about your chosen country as soon as possible.  Your presentation should be a discussion of the differences between U.S. GAAP and other accounting (or auditing) practices and the GAAP and accounting practices of your chosen country.  You must include a handout for the class summarizing your key points.  

Research Article.  (50 points) Before we begin these presentations, I will ‘model’ how such a presentation should be done.  I will also give you an example handout for the paper I present.  Depending on the size of the class, this presentation may be either a group or individual presentation.  The entire class will read the paper and bring questions to ask you during your presentation, so make sure you know your article!  You will have 15 to present your article and 10 minutes to answer questions.  You must include a handout for the class summarizing your key points.

Other Article Presentations.  (50 points each) These assignments are related to articles and other documents that only you and your group (if a group is assigned) have read.  You will be responsible for communicating the key points of the article to the class.  The goal is to give them enough of a summary that they will not have to reread the article prior to our exam or comps.  You must include a handout for the class summarizing your key points.

Each presentation will be limited to 10-15 minutes.  You will need to send me an electronic copy of your slides and handout immediately prior to beginning the presentation so that I have a copy for my records.  I will grade your presentation slides, your handout, and your presentation based on how well you summarize the main points of the article.  I will try to provide you with feedback on your first presentation so that you get a feel for my rubric and some ideas for how you can improve.

Exam:

Only one exam will be given during the semester.  You will be expected to apply the concepts and theories we have discussed to new and unfamiliar settings.  The exam might contain some mathematical problems, but it will be mostly essay questions.  My goal is for this exam to be a ‘trial run’ for your comprehensive exam.  Because of that, you will have several questions and very little time, so you will need to come prepared to write fast!  We will discuss the exam in more detail when we get closer to the date of the test.  NOTE:  Take it from one who knows: the more you study now, the easier it will be when comps roll around!

Homework:

For most of the articles we read during the semester, you will need to write a one-page article highlight that captures the key points of the article.  I will provide you with a form that you should fill out, at least initially.  After you’ve had some experience, you are welcome to continue to use my form or create your own.  My goal with these highlights is to create some quick and easy references for you to use when studying for comps, so take your time and do a good job.  These assignments will be due on the day the paper is discussed in class.  More details will be given in a separate handout.

In addition, I will occasionally assign you a problem or short writing assignment to help you prepare for our next class.  These assignments, and the article highlights, will each be worth 15 points.

Writing Assignments:

In addition to the homework just discussed, you will complete several writing assignments that will be due throughout the semester.

Critical Thinking Assignment. (75 points)  Select a company and analyze its current ratio.  Write an essay that evaluates the ratio for the most recent year.  Computations will be the smallest part of your grade on this essay.  I’m looking for the quality of your thought process.  This is an individual process, so do NOT discuss your answer or your approach to the paper with your colleagues.  This project will be due on August 31^st.  More details will be given in a separate handout.

Position Paper on the Nature of Accounting.  (75 points)  Is accounting a science or an art?  Take a position and marshal as many strong arguments as you can to support your position.  Your grade will be based on the extent to which you have been able to evaluate and synthesize our discussion and the assigned readings on this topic.  This project will be due on September 14^th.  More details will be given in a separate handout.

GAAP Critique.  (75 points)  Choose an area of existing GAAP that you can critique on theoretical grounds.  You are to write a letter to FASB, GASB, or IASB (depending on your topic) explaining your concern with the current standards (or lack of standards) and how you recommend the rules be changed.  This project will be due on November 2^nd.  More details will be given in a separate handout.

Research Project:

Design a research study that you feel would improve our knowledge of any aspect of accounting.  By the end of the semester (when the project is due), you will have seen numerous examples of research and read numerous suggestions for future research.  You may assume that “money is no object” in designing this study, but your proposed research design should be practical.  In other words, the necessary data has to be something that you could reasonably expect to collect.  You will need to review similar papers to make sure that what you propose is something that adds new knowledge.  In other words, merely replicating a study we read for class or that you read as background is not sufficient.  You do not need to complete a full literature review.  Instead, I expect you to go back about 2-3 years on your topic.  This project can potentially be used as the basis for satisfying the “thesis option” for you MAcct.  You will work with a partner or small group (depending on the size of the class) on this project.

At the end of the semester, you will present your proposed project to the class.  We will do these presentations during the final exam period.  You will have 10 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes to answer questions.  You must include a handout summarizing your key points.  More details about the research proposal will be included in a separate handout. 

The final project will be due at the beginning of the final exam period on December 10^th from 12:30-2:30pm.  I will be involved in the development of your paper as described in the detailed instructions file.  Failure to meet the “in-progress” and follow-up deadlines will reduce your grade on the project.  Note that “last minute” changes in your topic are not allowed.

Dropping the Course:

To drop this course, you must follow the official withdrawal procedures.  Failure to attend classes and/or take exam(s) does not constitute a drop.  A student who stops attending class and fails to officially drop will receive whatever grade they have earned (probably an ‘F’).  The final drop date for this term is March 30^th.  Anyone who drops by that day will be given a ‘W’.

Academic Dishonesty:

I have absolutely no tolerance for cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty.  DO NOT CHEAT.  Accountants are supposed to be the watchdogs of the corporate world, and you are training to be accountants.  Thus, I will be neither lenient nor understanding in the case of cheating.  If you decide to cheat in this class, I will apply the extreme disciplinary penalties in the University of Idaho ’s academic dishonesty policy, including failing this course and possible dismissal from the MAcct program!  

You are responsible for knowing and following the University’s policy on academic honesty. All academic work submitted in this course must be your own unless you have received my permission in writing to collaborate and have properly acknowledged receiving assistance.   You must also properly acknowledge any outside works (papers, texts, online sources, etc.) that you use in preparing your projects.  As specific guidance for this course, you should consider the writing of all exams, projects, and quizzes to be an individual effort unless otherwise specified in the instructions.  If you are unclear in any way about this policy, either in general or in its specific application to your work in this course, see me immediately.

 As the instructor, it is my responsibility to uphold the University’s academic honesty policy and report any belief of dishonesty to the Dean of Students.  In order to fulfill this responsibility, I may ask you to do things such as remove your hat or turn it around, turn in a calculator, place your bags or other personal items at the front of the classroom, and/or leave an extra seat between yourself and the nearest student.  On rare occasions, I may also ask you to change seats during a quiz or exam.  NONE OF THESE REQUESTS ARE ACCUSATIONS OF DISHONESTY.  They are simply precautions, so please comply quickly without taking offense.

 Special Needs:

If you need academic accommodations for a disability, you should make an appointment to talk with me as soon as possible.  You should also contact the Coordinator for Disability Support Services for additional help with notetakers, interpreters, etc.

If you require special accommodations for testing, I must get confirmation from Disability Support Services.  Once that is done, we will make all of the necessary arrangements.  I will also need a reminder one week (i.e., 7 days) before each exam for which you wish to have special accommodations.

Absences for University Approved Extracurricular Activities:

Students participating in an officially sanctioned University extracurricular activity will be given the opportunity to make other arrangements for any items missed as a result of their participation.  It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with me for making up the work prior to any scheduled examination or quiz.  Normally, the student will need to submit any assignment or take any examination or quiz prior to the scheduled absence.

Emergencies