The author describes a course designed to build critical thinking skills of undergraduate economics students. The course introduces and uses game theory to study the Bible. Students gain experience using game theory to formalize events and, by drawing parallels between the Bible and common...

The pedagogical value of graphical representations and analyses (GR and GA) in economics education is examined in a framework of top-down and bottom-up processes of thinking. We argue, with the support of two illustrative examples, that they are useful to the extent that they provide bridges...

Economics instructors who start their courses with abstract concepts, definitions, charts, and astronomical numbers often miss the invaluable first-impression opportunity. This paper addresses the lack of appropriate gateway-transitional-interdisciplinary concepts in introductory economics...

The concept institution is a very important one, in economics as well as in sociology. The meaning of the concept, however, differs very much when we compare various schools of thought that dominate the debates in the two disciplines. The differences between the typical economic and the typical...

The authors show how microeconomic concepts and principles are applicable to the study of terrorism. The utility maximization model provides insights into both terrorist resource allocation choices and government counterterrorism efforts, while basic game theory helps characterize the strategic...

A questionnaire administered to two independent student samples examined the assumptions behind the theories of the Chicago School of Economics. On the normative question statements the respondents did not agree with these assumptions. Furthermore, the normative position of the respondents...

This paper describes the experiences of team-teaching a course about the culture and economy of Spain in Spanish. Our pedagogical approach is interdisciplinary and experiential learning through short-term international travel combined with classes in the US. Conducted in Spanish, the course...

Students are often quite good at memorizing and replicating definitions and concepts on exams in the context in which those definitions and concepts are taught. What many students have more difficulty with is applying the material they learn in the classroom to a broader range of scenarios. This...

Italian Abstract: Il contesto economico e sociale in cui viviamo è in continuo cambiamento sottoposto a continue prove di forza che hanno caratterizzato le economie nazionali ed internazionali degli ultimi anni, connotati da una forte regressione economica, che ha però registrato un trend di...

This study is the first of a series of studies, collectively embodying a multiphase mixed methods design. The overall objective of these studies is to explore and address a variety of issues and features of the discipline of economics, particularly as they relate to and represent past present...