May 23, 2005
I was a Bio-Chemistry major in college, but took micro-, macro-, intermediate, eveolutionary and environmental Economics. Currently I teach Biology at a tiny all-girls Catholic school. I have never taught a course in Economics before, but the principal has asked me to make the course more intellectual than it has been before. The students have never really had a textbook, but rather a soft-cover workbook that they purchased. The principal has asked me to come up with some books for the students instead. My idea for a scope is to start with graphing (believe me, they need it), head into micro (consumer choice, etc.) then macro, so that when the spring fever rolls around, we won't have to delve into anything heavy. There is no high-stakes exam associated with this course, so I can really make it what I want.I'd really like to make this a seminar class (lots of reading and discussion). What I was hoping to do is get a book that covers the nuts and bolts of economics (but not necessarily a text book) and then supplement that with other paperbacks that cover history, ethics, current topics, etc. Any monkeys have any suggestions for books? I'd really appreciate it.
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I don't have any books to recommend, but these folks have some neat computer games that demonstrate some economic principals. Or, does "more intellectual" mean they can't have fun?
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For the graphing portion of your course, I'd suggest Edward Tufte's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
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I might have used a book by Gregory Mankiw to study micro & macro in college. I've linked the high school/AP version here, which has sample chapters in pdf links, and you can find a review of graphing at the end of chapter 2.
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I like the idea of reading lots of different things, espcially if you can sneak in some primary sources instead of boring, dumbed down and inaccurate textbooks. I'd have them read and discuss both Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Even better: David Ricardo. And Carlo Cipolla's _The Economic History of World Population_ is terrific.
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You had me at all-girls Catholic school...
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You had me at graphing supply and demand. This may just be me--and I'm not helping with your question--but I would implore you not to make graphing a thing of its own in your course. I hated it when, in college, every economic concept was ultimately reduced to another graph that looked the same as all those that had come before. All of the (potential) subtleties and interest of economics get lost, and the student thinks all she needs to know is which direction to move the demand curve.
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Mankiw has got a good reputation as a good textbook author. For something totally off the wall but perhaps would be great fun, i'd recommend the Cartoon Guide to Economics by Douglas Michael. It's funny, it's got most of the basics, the history and most of the concepts.
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Ooops, i should definitely mention the Cartoon Guide can't stand by itself as a "textbook". For one thing it doesn't cover the very important idea of comparative advantage. (I've heard Mankiw does that well). Also, the edition i have was last updated in 1985.