Towards a dialogical undergraduate introductory economics course

Abstract

We argue that present-day introductory economics courses do not prepare students for the actual economic reality that they encounter in their everyday lives. This is because the content of present-day Intro Econ courses has little connection to the multi-dimensional, multi-faceted nature of economic reality, and is instead monological in its approach, privileging a very particular approach to conceptualising and solving economic problems. We propose, instead, a dialogical Intro to Econ course that adopts a pluralist orientation and, in particular, emphasises dialogue between ontologies, perspectives, and methodologies, so that students will achieve a more integrated understanding of economic problems and develop critical thinking skills that are unavailable to them within the rubric of present-day introductory economics courses.