================= HES POSTING ================= 
 
Roy Weintraub urges historians of economics to raise their standards of 
scholarship.  Jonathon Mote, in reply, asks how economics students are to be 
expected to learn the appropriate standards for history given the lack of 
incentives to pursue the history of economics. 
 
There is a potential institutional answer to Mote's question. Economics 
departments could farm out the teaching of history of economics to the 
history department, for example, or to the local multidisciplinary history 
of science program.  But no current student will want to wait for 
institutional responses. 
 
Rather, the interested student should enroll in appropriate history of 
science courses taught by scholars of high standards (preferably for both 
scholarship and teaching).  Take advantage of your graduate program's 
allowance for course work in other departments, typically 6 or 9 credit 
hours, or do it even if it won't count toward your degree if the situation 
warrents. 
 
As an alternative, read well-regarded histories of science --lots of them-- 
and attend to the details of their construction.  In either case, follow 
through by seeking out competent review of your own work, as suggested in 
Brad Bateman's recent note. 
 
------------------------------------------------------------- 
Michael Giberson 
Graduate student in economics 
George Mason University 
Fairfax, Virginia USA 
 
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