There is a bigger issue here that hasn't been directly addressed.  What is the role of the humanities in an undergraduate
or graduate education in economics.  Should science study the humanities?



Scot A. Stradley, Ph.D.
Professor of Finance
Offutt School of Business
Concordia College
Moorhead, MN 56562

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From: Societies for the History of Economics [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Scott Cullen [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 1:11 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [SHOE] PhD programs requiring History of Economic Thought

Ah, so it's not meant to roll smoothly.  I had missed that.
----- Original Message -----
From: Wells, Julian<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 9:19 AM
Subject: Re: [SHOE] PhD programs requiring History of Economic Thought

The mainstream already has a wheel – they see their task as rendering it ever more perfectly square.

Julian

From: Societies for the History of Economics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Cullen
Sent: 01 September 2015 01:21
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [SHOE] PhD programs requiring History of Economic Thought

This list of course is self selected to have an interest in HET.

The me as a non-economist, it seems absurd a) that anyone would be granted a PhD in economics without some rudimentary understanding of the history of thought in the field, and b) that if the entire body of PhD economists in a generation have no understanding of the history of the field, that anyone would expect there not to be enormous wasted time in trying to reinvent different forgotten wheels.  Talk about opportunity cost!

What am I missing?

Scott Cullen
----- Original Message -----
From: Spencer Banzhaf<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2015 5:20 PM
Subject: Re: [SHOE] PhD programs requiring History of Economic Thought

The Georgia State Dept. of Economics still requires a course in HET.  Probably not for long.  There was a vote last year to end the requirement, which passed with more than half of the vote but, surprisingly, just barely.  Given the close vote, the DGS withdrew his recommendation and no action was taken.

Why so close?  A lot of folks were strong defenders.  But, partly, the plan to end the requirement was not fully thought out -- details about what was going to take its place and so forth were not very clear.  So, I would not be surprised if it passes next time around.

To be honest, I am not sure what I think myself.  Teaching PhD students who are not interested in it is not exactly a thrill.  I'd rather have a smaller, dedicated course than a big dull one.