----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- In her interesting post, Susan Feiner hypothesized that the common elements in intro level economics texts is in part due to the fact that econ is required in business schools, and that b-schools have a specific agenda in terms of training workers to see things in partuicular ways. She worries that students will get only one point of view. I disagree about a couple of things. I teach in a b-school and, more so than in most areas of study, students are required to do a lot of group project work. Some of this is aimed at trying to get people to work well together in groups, particularly with people who are different from each other, since that is the reality of the American workplace. The idea (perhaps "ideal" is a better word) is to bring different ideas and perceptions together, and to get people used to the idea that others will have different opinions, so that points need to be argued out. So yes, b-schools train people to be better workers. But the image of better workers being malleable interchangeable drones who have learned the company line is not my experience. As to econ education specifically - I find the economic way of thinking to be both unique and alien to most of my student's way of thinking. So I do push that way of thinking in class. I've made the commitment Susan speaks of. But I am also committed to the benefits of pluralism. So where does it come in, in the college curriculum? Well, I often encourage my students to try to take courses in poly sci and sociology at the same time they are taking econ, and to bring questions in to all of their profs that reflect what they are learning in other courses. If they do that, or more broadly, if they simply reflect on what they are learning from committed profs in many different classes, students will get the richer perspective Susan and I both value. Bruce Caldwell ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]