Teaching Philosophy
Courses Taught

Teaching Philosophy

In order to be an effective teacher, I must first know my audience. The common perception of economics is that it is both difficult and dull. As such, students often enter principles of economics courses lacking enthusiasm and in some cases even dreading the course. Much of this lack of interest comes as a result of not understanding the true nature of economics and what it is that economists do. Thus, my first goal as a teacher of economics is to help my students dispose of their misconceptions of the field and to show them that economics can be an interesting and fun area of study.

I achieve this first goal through several methods. First, my energy and excitement expressed during my lessons tends to rub off on my students. I also attempt to mix in a bit of humor in my presentation of the lessons. I want my students to laugh at least two or three times per class session because with laughter comes greater attentiveness. Also, if I can keep my students guessing as to what will come next they are more likely to be attentive throughout the entire classroom session. Often, this involves the use of entertaining examples to demonstrate complex concepts. On other occasions, primarily when students appear particularly worn out, I interrupt my lecture with an unrelated joke before continuing with the lesson. The use of humor also encourages a friendly learning environment, which (I hope) allows students to be more comfortable asking questions during class and during my office hours.

Since economics is the study of human behavior, every student has innumerable life experiences that I can use to illustrate the principles of economics. I have found that students are much more receptive to economic theory when the material is related to their everyday lives and the world around them. Thus, another one of my goals as a teacher is to engage students in the learning process through the use of real world examples. Students leave my courses with a better understanding of human behavior, which they can then apply to their everyday lives and careers. I want each one of my students to be a more informed citizen in all roles of his or her life (friend, family member, voter, employee, employer, etc.)

I believe that people seldom take the time to stop to think about and challenge the ideas expressed in the media or in everyday conversation. This passivity can cause us to overlook some of the most extraordinary achievements of our society (the wide selection of fresh and inexpensive produce from around the globe at the grocery store, for example). It can also lead us to adopt policies with secondary effects that were not expected and are not desirable (for example, the possibility of greater unemployment as a result of an increase in the minimum wage). Thus, I encourage each of my students in my principles-level courses to critically analyze all observed human behavior, including their own. I challenge them to understand the motives of all decision-makers and to then predict all outcomes (both primary and secondary) of that decision. Through this critical analysis they will better understand the world around them and, therefore, make more informed decisions.

While I believe that individuals are better off understanding more economics rather than less, I also believe they will benefit more from a solid grasp of a select number of key economic concepts rather than a loose understanding of many ideas. Thus, I dedicate substantially more time to the development of my students' understanding of those economic principles which are the most applicable to their lives. In this regard, I think it is more important that students are able to apply the aggregate supply and aggregate demand graph (the foundation of macroeconomics) to a given scenario, but I am less concerned if they don't use the terms “demand” and “quantity demanded” correctly. I think this approach is important given the make-up of our principles courses—the overwhelming majority of the students intend to major in something other than economics. The non-majors need to learn the basics of economics. For those who intend to major in economics, I can challenge them further through individual interaction and in future economics courses.

My approach to teaching upper-level economics courses is similar to that of principles in many regards but differs in others. For instance, I still maintain a light-hearted learning environment through the use of humor, and I still emphasize the application of the material rather than the theoretical derivation. However, since the mix of students has now shifted to those who are economics majors and those who are particularly interested in economics, I place more emphasis on the smaller nuances of the concepts (i.e., correct use of “demand” and “quantity demanded” matters). I also expect my upper-level students to take even more responsibility for their own learning.

For example, in econometrics (ECNS 485) the students are expected to conduct their own empirical research. They must come up with their own question and hypothesis, conduct the literature review, collect and clean up the data, run regressions, and interpret their results. They then are required to serve as a “referee” for two other students before the final drafts are due. Obviously, students are encouraged to consult with me and they must meet various deadlines throughout the semester, but the research is entirely their own. For those students whose work is particularly promising, I offer to help them develop their idea further with the goal of publishing our co-authored work in an academic journal.

I have developed a grading mechanism used in all of my courses which is also intended to encourage greater levels of learning. I do not use quizzes to penalize students for what they do not know; rather, I use them to teach students what they did not learn initially. All quizzes are group quizzes (with 1-3 students per group) such that my students can learn from each other. I also walk the room, providing guidance (not answers) to those groups which are struggling. My approach to homework assignments is similar in that each assignment is a learning opportunity. Each assignment is graded (so they have incentive to try); however, I do not grade them as severely as I do the exams. In addition to direct feedback on each student's assignment, I discuss with the class the most common mistakes after each homework. Thus, everything leading up to the exam is preparation for the exam, at which time the students are expected to be proficient in the subject matter.

Courses Taught *

ECON 004: Introductory Maicoreconomic Analysis and Policy  (Fall 2006) (Fall 2007) (Section 001: Fall 2008) (Section 002: Fall 2008) (Spring 2009) (Summer 2009) (Section 001: Fall 2009) (Section 002: Fall 2009)

ECON 004H: Introductory Macroeconomics Analysis and Policy- Honors (Fall 2006) (Fall 2007)

ECON 304: Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (Fall 2006) (Summer 2007)

ECON 481: Business Forecasting Techniques (Spring 2008)

ECON 485 (formerly ECNS 485): Econometrics (Spring 2007) (Fall 2007) (Fall 2008) (Fall 2009)

ECON 497A: Public Economics (Spring 2009)

* Syllabi are only available online for four semesters.

Visit the Sam and Irene Black School of Business for copies of others.