Undergraduate Economics Curriculum Research Articles

Teaching Methods in Undergraduate Intermediate Theory, Statistics and Econometrics, and Other Upper-Division Economics Courses: Results From a Sixth National Quinquennial Survey

This article is an extension of a recent article published in The American Economist (Asarta et al., 2021) and presents the second report of basic findings from the 2020 online administration of the sixth national quinquennial survey on teaching and assessment methods in economics. Consistent with the results from the first report, we find that “chalk and talk” remains the staple method of instruction across the entire undergraduate economics curriculum. Lessons, activities, and references that address diversity, inclusion, or gender issues are almost never used in intermediate theory, statistics and econometrics, and other upper-division field courses. There has been notable growth in the use of cooperative learning/small-group assignments, as well as in instructor-led and “student(s) with student(s)” discussions over the past 25 years. Overall, however, there have been minimal changes in teaching methods over time. JEL Classifications: A20, A22

Establishing a comprehensive census of undergraduate economics curricula: Foundational and special requirements for major programs in the U.S.

This study is the first of a series of studies, collectively embodying a multiphase mixed methods design. The overall objective of these studies is to explore and address a variety of issues and features of the discipline of economics, particularly as they relate to and represent past present and future factors of globalization, education, citizenship, and society. This is done by collecting and analyzing data on numerous aspects of the undergraduate economics curriculum, economics as a discipline, and economics as applied in the real world. The overall purpose of these studies is to inform ongoing debates concerning the future of the discipline of economics and how it is taught, by examining and creating paradigms and methods that may be of aide. Additionally these studies collectively aim to outline, and in small ways develop, potential technological and organizational solutions for detailed longitudinal curriculum tracking. The frameworks employed and developed in these studies may eventually be scaled and adapted for all sorts of curricula. Ideally, the completion of this study’s overall objective yields practical insights and tools that empower faculty and departments, in economics and eventually in general, to better understand and design their own curriculum. This immediate study fills gaps in and updates data on the curriculum of undergraduate economics majors in U.S. institutions, while also establishing a baseline data set for future studies to build on. A qualitative census methodology is adapted and employed to explore how various institutional and program factors relate to certain types of major program requirements. Descriptive statistics are used for analysis, primarily to allow for comparisons to previous studies. In sum, the purpose of the data collected and analyzed in this census is to give a glimpse into the current state of the undergraduate economics curriculum in the U.S., and to inform the qualitative, quantitative, and transformative studies that are to follow in this multiphase series.

UNDERGRADUATE ECONOMICS CURRICULUM AND EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Graduates with employability skills are considered as assets by employers because they are dynamic and adapt easily to today’s work environment. Thus, higher education globally is under pressure to produce graduates who are employable and able to continue learning and remain employed. This study examined the extent to which the undergraduate economics curriculum in South Africa equips economics graduates with employability skills. This was achieved through a qualitative approach using a content analysis design. Data analysed from advertisements extracted from the Sunday Times for four consecutive years and data from six undergraduate economics study guides indicated that there was a disjuncture between undergraduate economics skills and those required by the industry. The analysed study guides only cover about 29.4 % of the needed skills in the labour market. It is imperative for higher education institutions to produce employable graduates because evidence demonstrates that employers today do not hire employees solely based on academic qualifications. Recommendations are that there should be an alignment between employability skills required in the labour market and those offered by the academic institutions. Curricula and pedagogy should also be adjusted to enhance graduate skills outcomes. Keywords: employability skills, undergraduate curriculum, content analysis

Integrating Applied Field Work into the Undergraduate Economics Curriculum

:This article documents the development and implementation of an undergraduate research methods course incorporating field work. Conducted in collaboration between the UW-Eau Claire Department of Economics and local elected officials and county staff in Buffalo County, Wisconsin undergraduate students were assigned the task of developing and presenting initiating a county-wide economic redevelopment strategy during the Spring term 2018. Course specific learning goals included: Hard skills development (software usage, data acquisition and analysis, benchmarking, and survey design) and soft skills development (presentation of sensitive economic information to lay audiences and teamwork). Initial results suggest that field-based coursework improves student learning, student interest in economics, improve local economic performance, and may help to bridge the “Town versus Gown” divide.

Recharting the history of economic thought: approaches to and student experiences of the introduction of pluralist teaching in an undergraduate economics curriculum

Recharting the history of economic thought: approaches to and student experiences of the introduction of pluralist teaching in an undergraduate economics curriculum

Recharting the history of economic thought: approaches to and student experiences of the introduction of pluralist teaching in an undergraduate economics curriculum

The student movement calling for the introduction of pluralist and heterodox economics teaching in higher education presents a unique set of challenges for those who want to incorporate different economic approaches into their teaching. This paper outlines an innovative redesign of a course on the History of Economic Thought, which acted as a vehicle for exposing students to different theoretical traditions and engaging them in critical reflections on mainstream economics. It also presents findings from a research project conducted with economics students at the University of Northampton that aimed to understand their experiences of the redesign. We reflect on the pedagogical challenges highlighted by students and the implications this has for (re)designing the economics curriculum. Our findings challenge arguments commonly deployed against the introduction of pluralist teaching. These include the notions that there is no appetite for this in the broader student population, that students would fail to engage with such an approach, that they fear a negative impact on their employability and that alternative economic approaches should only be introduced at an advanced level.

Econocast.net: Pencasts to supplement the undergraduate economics curriculum

URL: http://www.econocast.netWe developed Pencast video lessons to complement six undergraduate economics courses that form the core curriculum for undergraduate economics, including introductory m...

Establishing a Comprehensive Census of Undergraduate Economics Curricula: Foundational and Special Requirements for Major Programs in the U.S.

This study is the first of a series of studies, collectively embodying a multiphase mixed methods design. The overall objective of these studies is to explore and address a variety of issues and features of the discipline of economics, particularly as they relate to and represent past present and future factors of globalization, education, citizenship, and society. This is done by collecting and analyzing data on numerous aspects of the undergraduate economics curriculum, economics as a discipline, and economics as applied in the real world. The overall purpose of these studies is to inform ongoing debates concerning the future of the discipline of economics and how it is taught, by examining and creating paradigms and methods that may be of aide. Additionally these studies collectively aim to outline, and in small ways develop, potential technological and organizational solutions for detailed longitudinal curriculum tracking. The frameworks employed and developed in these studies may eventually be scaled and adapted for all sorts of curricula. Ideally, the completion of this study’s overall objective yields practical insights and tools that empower faculty and departments, in economics and eventually in general, to better understand and design their own curriculum. This immediate study fills gaps in and updates data on the curriculum of undergraduate economics majors in U.S. institutions, while also establishing a baseline data set for future studies to build on. A qualitative census methodology is adapted and employed to explore how various institutional and program factors relate to certain types of major program requirements. Descriptive statistics are used for analysis, primarily to allow for comparisons to previous studies. In sum, the purpose of the data collected and analyzed in this census is to give a glimpse into the current state of the undergraduate economics curriculum in the U.S., and to inform the qualitative, quantitative, and transformative studies that are to follow in this multiphase series.

Rethinking Economics

Over the last five years, the field of economics has undergone a reconsideration of its role in society. With the exception of a select few (Rajan, 2005), most economists were blindsided by the housing crash in 2007 and subsequent financial meltdown. This has prompted both a rethinking of econoimc thought on the institutional and legislative curriculum, and the undergraduate economics curriculum, which has been led by Wendy Carlin at University College London and Diane Coyle of Enlightenment Economics. Additionally, students have begun to take important roles in the debate. In April, the student-run Post-Crash Economics Society (PCES) at the University of Manchester published a report titled Economics, Education and Unlearning, which provided a critique of economics education in the UK and at Manchester in particular. However, as the report points out, “the problems ... are certainly not limited to Manchester and are in fact international in scale”. While the report has its commendable strides, it falls short on two crucial aspects: the suggestion that economics cannot be a scientific discipline and the driving recommendation of the report for a move towards “pluralism” in the discipline. This essay will focus on these two issues and argue that they are fundamentally misguided.

Enhancing pluralism in the undergraduate economics curriculum by incorporating a political economy approach

Enhancing pluralism in the undergraduate economics curriculum by incorporating a political economy approach

Enhancing pluralism in the undergraduate economics curriculum by incorporating a political economy approach

Incorporating a political economy approach not only adds another viewpoint to traditional economics, it offers the opportunity to engage in critical thinking about alternative methodologies, and to debate about economic hypotheses and conclusions. Such an approach can potentially make the material more lasting for students by making economics more relevant. Weaving the material into an overall political economy curriculum not only adds an additional layer of learning, but provides scaffolding for higher learning. We provide a rationale as well as many suggestions for courses. Incorporating pluralistic curricula with political economy instead of inserting the ideas into a single course allows economics departments to improve student learning so that it becomes truly meaningful to the student.

Comparative economics systems in the undergraduate curriculum: An update

ABSTRACTIn this study, the authors report on the status of comparative economics systems in the U.S. undergraduate economics curriculum. The treatment of comparative economics systems topics in introductory courses is examined through a survey of standard textbooks. To evaluate comparative economics systems at the advanced undergraduate level, they rely on survey data, searches of course catalogs, and an evaluation of available textbooks. They find course offerings in comparative economics systems have declined noticeably in the past ten years, with departments shifting to courses that study the economics of specific regions or countries.

Does pluralism matter? Examining students' experiences of undergraduate economics curriculum in relation to the mission of the university

Critiques of the mainstream economics curriculum raise two keys concerns: 1) the limited opportunities for students to engage with and expand their critical thinking skills and democratic values; 2) the possibility that students will develop a narrow understanding of economics which could limit innovation in the area of economic theory, methodology and policy. Using an in-depth interviews methodology, the paper explores aspects of these critiques through the experiences of undergraduate students in an economics program in an urban university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The exclusion of alternative economics theories does not prevent students from developing critical thinking skills. However, findings show that students exposed to various theoretical perspectives were able to better communicate about differences and theoretical limitations. A pluralistic approach to the curriculum, which includes a critical examination of various economic theories, methodologies, their historical origins, and interdisciplinary linkages, can provide opportunities to enhance students learning and outcomes.

Does pluralism matter? Examining students' experiences of undergraduate economics curriculum in relation to the mission of the university

Does pluralism matter? Examining students' experiences of undergraduate economics curriculum in relation to the mission of the university

The Music Industry as a Vehicle for Economic Analysis

Issues arising in the music industry in response to the availability of digital music files provide an opportunity for exposing undergraduate students to economic analyses rarely covered in the undergraduate economics curriculum. Three of these analyses are covered here: the optimal copyright term, the effect of piracy or illegal file sharing, and the economics of multisided markets. These analyses also apply to the book publishing, newspaper, and motion picture industries to varying degrees. While the mathematical and graphical treatments shown here are likely too advanced for the typical principles course, they are suitable for upper-level undergraduate courses such as Intermediate Economic Theory, Business and Government, Public Policy, Managerial Economics, Music/Media/Entertainment Economics, or others at the discretion of the instructor.

Lecturers’ perspectives on how introductory economic courses address sustainability

Purpose– The purpose of this article is to explore sustainability commitments’ potential implications for the curriculum of introductory economics courses. Universities have signed the Talloires Declaration, committing themselves to promoting students’ environmental literacy and ecological citizenship, thereby creating pressure to integrate sustainability across the curriculum.Design/methodology/approach– A case study approach involving qualitative research methods and the three largest public universities in British Columbia, Canada, was used. As one component of a larger study, 11 of the 19 economists who delivered the course over the study period were interviewed. The theoretical framework was informed by ecological economics scholarship on how mainstream economic thought represents environment-economy linkages.Findings– Findings suggest that universities’ sustainability commitments have not influenced principles of economics curriculum. Sustainability is not salient to lecturers; prospects that mainstream economics departments will integrate sustainability into curriculum in a timely manner without external pressure appear limited.Practical implications– While institutions often enthusiastically report on courses that contribute to students’ ecological literacy, identifying curriculum that may confound student understanding of sustainability receives less emphasis. Introductory economics courses appear to merit scrutiny from this perspective.Originality/value– About 40 per cent of North American university students take an introductory economics course, relatively few take more advanced economics courses. This course, thus, teaches many students economic theory and the economics profession’s approach to evaluating public policy, and has potential to contribute to knowledge of sustainability. Few studies examine how undergraduate economics curriculum addresses sustainability.

Comparative Economics Systems in the Undergraduate Curriculum

This study reports on the status of Comparative Economics Systems (CES) courses in the U.S. undergraduate economics curriculum. The treatment of CES topics in introductory courses is examined through a survey of standard textbooks; findings indicate that the education of American students is highly parochial compared to international peers. To evaluate the status of CES at the advanced undergraduate level, we rely on survey data, searches of course catalogs, and an evaluation of available textbooks. We find course offerings in CES have declined noticeably since Foley and Pyle’s (2003) survey, with departments shifting to courses that study the economics of specific regions or countries. We suggest this is a mistaken strategy. Rather than considering comparative economics systems as a niche course, a subset of theories of economic development or of the peculiarities of cross-country studies, we argue that economics is comparative by definition. Accepting this premise suggests we need to think of new methods for treating traditional subjects and the way comparative economic systems is taught.

Myopia, Discretion, and Commitment in a Two‐Period AS/AD Model

A large body of pedagogical literature has recently emerged to place the New Keynesian framework for analyzing business cycle fluctuations and the conduct of monetary policy into undergraduate economics curricula. This article develops the graphical apparatus for the analysis of optimal monetary policy in the context of a two‐period model under alternative assumptions about the formation of inflationary expectations. It demonstrates that differences in assumptions about the formation of inflationary expectations translate into quite different conclusions regarding the optimal conduct of monetary policy.

Myopia, Discretion, and Commitment in a Two Period As/Ad Model

A large body of pedagogical literature has recently emerged to place the New Keynesian framework for analyzing business cycle fluctuations and the conduct of monetary policy into undergraduate economics curricula. This paper develops the graphical apparatus for the analysis of optimal monetary policy in the context of a two period model under alternative assumptions about the formation of inflationary expectations. It demonstrates that differences in assumptions about the formation of inflationary expectations translate into quite different conclusions regarding the optimal conduct of monetary policy.

Using student‐written diaries to teach feminist economics

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how student‐written diaries and journals serve as a specifically feminist pedagogy for teaching feminist economics, thereby challenging the lecture‐based techniques used to teach and uphold the mainstream, market‐fundamentalist paradigm.Design/methodology/approach – The approach involves the author's observations and experiences using student‐written diaries to teach a feminist economics course.Findings – Student‐written diaries have the potential to dislodge both the market‐fundamentalist economics paradigm and the lecture‐based teaching method that dominate the undergraduate economics curriculum. Student‐written diaries are especially useful in teaching feminist economics courses which strive to elevate women's economic status and/or to reduce the androcentric bias in economics. The paper describes how student‐written diaries are used to achieve both of these goals and to create a more inclusive classroom culture, while simultaneously challenging market ...