Sounds like a great conference! Here is my partial, and partial (pun
intended) list, based on the history of thought course I teach for
undergrad economics majors as a senior capstone class:

1.	A. Smith, TMS, Part VI, Section II, Chapter 2 (On the Order in
Which Societies are by Nature Recommended to our Beneficence, includes
the “man of system” discussion)
2.	A. Smith, WON, Book I, Chapters I-VII
3.	D. Ricardo, PPE&T, Chapter 2 (rent), Chapter 7 (comparative advantage)
4.	J.S. Mill, PPE, Book III, Chapter 2 (Exchange: demand and supply)
5.	K. Marx, Capital: Volume 1, Chapter 6 (buying & selling of labor power)
6.	W.S. Jevons, TPE, Chapter IV (theory of exchange)
7.	C. Menger, PE, Chapter 8 (on the origin of money)
8.	A. Marshall, PE, Book V, Chapter V (time: immediate, short, long run)
9.	J. Schumpeter, TED, Chapter 2 (innovation disrupting the circular flow)
10.	J.M. Keynes, GT, liquidity preference
11.	J. Schumpeter, CSD, Chapters VII & VIII (creative destruction)
12.	F.A. Hayek, “The Use of Knowledge in Society,” AER 1945

(adds up to 20 by counting each chapter individually)

Lynne



On Mon, Dec 17, 2012 at 10:21 AM, Colander, David C.
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> A couple of years ago, I organized a creativity workshop for a group of graduate students, and had some excellent discussions with them. I covered history of thought; Ed Leamer covered creativity in econometrics, and Herb Gintis covered creativity in theory.  Avinash Dixit and John Siegfried covered general creativity issues.  It was a useful workshop, and the students recognized that they were not getting any useful instruction in the history of thought.  They asked me to suggest a  general reading list that all economics students should have  read, which I didn't have right off the bat, but I thought would be useful.    So now, with your help,  I will try to develop one.
>
> So my question is:   If one had to list, say, 20   articles  or chapters in books that all economists should definitely have read, what would be on that list?     My plan is to post this list on my website and to possiblly  take out an ad in the 2014 Program guide providing my suggestions for  the top 10 to graduate students, and picking on the professioin for not doing its job in training graduate students to have perspective on issues that a study of past literature provides. So my question: What suggestions would people have for me of "must reads"?
>
> Thanks,
>
>
> Dave



-- 
Lynne Kiesling, Ph.D.
Distinguished Senior Lecturer
Department of Economics
Northwestern University
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