Economics Goes to Hollywood: Using Classic Films and Documentaries to Create an Undergraduate Economics Course

Bringing imagination back to the classroom: A model for creative arts in economics

“…Ruder suggests that the key to the use of short stories is that they apply real-world examples and teach 'by parable. ' Leet and Houserv (2003) make similar observations for the use of film, which they argue reach a target audience outside the norm.…”

“…While the majority of these references focus on interpreting existing creative works within the context of economics, a few go so far as to encourage students to generate their own creative work, including poetry (Becker et al, 2006;Bohanon, 2012;Ziliak, 2009). In addition to the more traditional linkages to literature, music, drama, and art noted in Table 1, there is a growing literature applying pop-culture from cinema (Leet and Houserv, 2003;Mateer and Herman, 2008;Sexton, 2006), television (Considine, 2006;Jall, 2005;Kuester et al, 2014;Luccasen and Thomas, 2010;Mateer et al, 2011), and internet-based cartoons (Engel et al, 2014) to the economics classroom. While concrete evidence on the benefit to students in terms of assessed learning outcomes is lacking, the available literature is suggestive that creative arts may provide a number of important benefits: (1) it is a more memorable experience for students (and instructors), (2) it engages students, especially otherwise disinterested ones, and (3) it facilitates economic literacy.…”

Homo Economicus Meets Homo Religiosus: a Collaborative Undergraduate Course in Economics and Religion

“…Economists themselves have also begun experimenting in the interest of promoting the economic way of thinking among non-majors; some have tried new pedagogies of late, moving beyond lecture and multiple-choice exams to incorporate discussion, essays, and even film (Leet & Houser, 2003). One economist argues that, in many cases, "the most interesting courses offered in the discipline are taught to a minority of students," and thus, "developing courses that incorporate the various elements of economic fields at an introductory level can increase enrollment in economics classes and overall participation in the major.…”

Humor To The Rescue: How To Make Introductory Economics An Appealing Social Science For Non-Majors

“…Economics teachers are more eager than before to experiment with such devices as music, movies, stories, and debates to teach their courses (Lawson et al, 2008;Leet & Houser, 2003;Colander, 2000;Vo & Morris, 2006). Yet despite these noble attempts to improve upon the way the introductory economics course is taught, they have regrettably done very little to change the negative student perception of economics as a dry, difficult, and boring subject (Armento, 1987;Ray, 1991;Colander, 2000;Deiter, 2000).…”