Taking General Education Seriously: Expanding The Boundary Of A Principles Of Macroeconomics Course

Abstract

Does teaching a course that “counts” for general education credit carry with it any responsibilities beyond discipline content? How might you entice students to view a discipline specific course in more general terms? What might be done to link a course in one discipline to courses in related disciplines so that students see connections? These are some of the questions that I have been attempting to answer within the context of a Principles of Macroeconomics course at the University of North Dakota. This paper describes two initiatives undertaken over the past two years. The first initiative occurred during the Spring 2003 semester within two sections of Principles of Macroeconomics. In one section students were given a traditional lecture-based course. In the other section, in addition to lectures, students were asked to read, think about, discuss, and write about how economics relates to other disciplines and how economic thinking might be applied when examining issues beyond economics. The main vehicle used for this latter aspect of the course was to have the students explore the book Dollars and Change: Economics In Context by Louis Putterman. The second initiative took place during the Spring 2004 semester. During this semester, within two sections of Principles of Macroeconomics, all students were asked to read, think about, discuss, and write about general education (liberal learning). The main vehicle used for this initiative was to have the students explore the book A Student’s Guide to Liberal Learning by James V. Schall and the description of general education in the University catalog. A detailed description of each of these two initiatives is provided, including copies of assignment sheets and grading rubrics. A discussion of the outcomes of each of these initiatives is presented, from the perspective of the students as well as of the faculty member. The analysis presented is primarily qualitative.