tom_1



Courses I am Teaching

Fall 2008:

Principles of Macroeconomics

EC 101-A
EC 101-B

Intermediate Microeconomics

EC 301-A

The Economics of Work and Desire

FYC 100


Teaching Interests

My interests include microeconomic theory, labor economics, economics of science, history of economic thought, American economic history, money and banking, and managerial economics

Teaching Philosophy

Throughout my training as an economist, I am constantly reminded about the wide range in students’ learning needs and methods. I believe that this diversity can be the most challenging and also rewarding aspect of teaching economics. Students’ diverse learning needs demand that the instructor acknowledges the relevance, breadth, and depth of the economist’s way of thinking through socioeconomic issues. These diverse needs also encourage the instructor to teach students to think independently of prescribed economic norms. In facing such challenges, I show students how to trace the influence of other disciplines on economics and to appreciate the diversity that exists in economics. I also equip students with the critical skills necessary to participation in a well-rounded discussion of economics, long after the course is completed.

My courses address this diversity among learning styles and economic methodologies by drawing equally on the standard textbook, current events media, scholarly articles, classroom experiments, and critical readings. I try to accommodate different learning styles by presenting every concept mathematically, diagrammatically, and orally. I recognize that I am not able to teach students all they need to know about economics; however, by helping students understand different methods of representation, I can provide them with an intellectual foundation that will serve them far beyond the parameters of the course. As far as where the learning of economic theory will occur, it is to be expected that while the bulk of the course material is ingested during lectures and assigned readings, I encourage students to recognize that some of the most valuable learning experiences occur outside the classroom, in their everyday lives. I encourage students to make these kinds of associations in their response papers and during class discussions. While I rely on assignments such as problem sets, essay exams, and course papers to assess a student’s progress in the course, I also believe that informal, in-class discussions of current economic news and events offer equally valuable opportunities to measure a student’s proficiency with the class material.

Research on Teaching

Through the American Economic Association's Teaching Innovations Program (TIP), I have begun to investigate how to make intermediate theory courses, courses which tend to focus overwhelmingly on quantifying the theory learned in introductory courses, more interactive. Such interaction can take the form of discussions and writing assignments -- activities that are the hallmark of a liberal arts education. At the Southern Economic Association meetings in November 2008, I will be presenting a paper titled "The Making of an Undergraduate Economics Major in a Business Department."