Why and How to Teach the History of Economic Thought: Economics as Historically Produced Knowledge

INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK ON TEACHING AND LEARNING ECONOMICS, Gail Hoyt and KimMarie McGoldrick, eds., Edward Elgar, 2011

CHOPE Working Paper No. 2011-07

Economic Research Initiatives at Duke (ERID) Working Paper Series

27 Pages Posted: 16 Apr 2011

See all articles by Avi J. Cohen

Avi J. Cohen

York University; University of Toronto

Ross B. Emmett

Arizona State University (ASU) - Center for the Study of Economic Liberty; PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

This draft chapter for the Elgar International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics is intended to give advice to instructors who might be teaching a history of economic thought course to undergraduates for the first time or who have perhaps been teaching for a while but would like to refresh their courses. We sketch the history of courses in the history of economic thought, the expanding scope and research activity in the field, and offer suggestions and resources for a one-semester course. We suggest learning objectives for organizing the course, and discuss supplementary teaching goals (multidisciplinary scholarship and reading/writing instruction) and teaching challenges (time constraints and selection of readings). Our emphasis is on helping students understand economics – past and present – as historically produced knowledge.

Keywords: history of economic thought, history of economics, teaching, pedagogy, HISRECO, writing instruction, multidisciplinary scholarship

JEL Classification: A22, A3, B0, B1, B2, B3, B4

Suggested Citation

Cohen, Avi J. and Emmett, Ross B., Why and How to Teach the History of Economic Thought: Economics as Historically Produced Knowledge. INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK ON TEACHING AND LEARNING ECONOMICS, Gail Hoyt and KimMarie McGoldrick, eds., Edward Elgar, 2011, CHOPE Working Paper No. 2011-07 , Economic Research Initiatives at Duke (ERID) Working Paper Series, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1809762

Avi J. Cohen (Contact Author)

York University ( email )

Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://dept.econ.yorku.ca/~avicohen/

University of Toronto ( email )

105 St George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8
Canada

Ross B. Emmett

Arizona State University (ASU) - Center for the Study of Economic Liberty ( email )

CPCOMM 4th Floor
United States

PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

2048 Analysis Drive
Suite A
Bozeman, MT 59718
United States

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