Through the Lens of Life : Teaching Principles of Economics with Humans of New York

Stories create a direct and powerful connection with students and course material, increasing their level of attention, bringing abstract economic concepts to life, and refining their critical thinking skills. Humans of New York is an immensely popular blog and unique photojournalism project that chronicles the stories of ordinary New Yorkers. The blog provides an opportunity for economics educators to connect students with meaningful illustrations and personal accounts of economics in the real world. This teaching tool can reduce the abstract nature of economic theory and give students a concrete example to attach to economics terms and concepts, often in a way that reflects their own environment, culture or experiences. We highlight several stories and show how they can be incorporated into lectures