The Economics of Work and Desire

Course Description:

The activity of work and the pursuit of desire dominate our lives and have been discussed from the disciplinary perspective of economics, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. In this course we will focus primarily on exploring the economic aspects of work and desire with a continual appreciation however of the discussion of work and desire in other disciplines. We will begin with a basic introduction to the manner by which economists understand the world and translate the activity of work into production and the feeling of desire into consumption. We will then investigate from the perspectives of the disciplines of economics, sociology, and anthropology the embodiment of a concept of desire in the construction of economic systems that promote or reject materialism, and the accumulation of either debt or savings. Related to this, we will also examine the link between happiness and the satisfaction of material wants and needs from the perspective of psychology and how such theories have influenced modern economic thought. Finally, we will discuss the various manners by which individuals work in society, the unequal distribution of the monetary rewards for such labor, and the promotion in developing and developed countries of a spend-work cycle.

This course will have two constant themes reflected in the readings:
Understanding the economics of work and desire.
Tracing out how this theoretical economic understanding of work and desire is rejected or embraced by the theoretical understanding of these topics in other disciplines.

These themes will be continually augmented with a reflective discussion of our own production and consumption decisions.

Required readings:

Robert L. Heilbroner and William Milberg (2008). The Making of Economic Society. Pearson: Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Barbara Ehrenreich (2001). Nickel and Dimed. Henry Holt: New York, NY.

Robert H. Frank (1999). Luxury Fever: Why Money Fails to Satisfy in an Era of Excess. The Free Press: New York, NY.

Pietra Rivoli (2005). The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ.

Ann Raimes (2006). Keys for Writers: A Brief Handbook. Houghton Mifflin: Boston, MA.

Sherrie Nist and Jodi Holschuh (2006). College Success Strategies. Penguin: New York, NY.

Learning Objectives:

With the description of this course in mind, it is my intent is that you will:

Be exposed to the academic expectations of learning at a comprehensive liberal arts college
Develop your communication skills – 'active' reading, participating in classroom discussions, listening effectively to others, and writing clearly and purposefully
Understand the importance of critically analyzing the readings
Acquire basic research skills and be familiar with the integrity standards within the academy
Appreciate the understanding of a topic provided by a single discipline (such as economics) and how this understanding is augmented and broadened with an interdisciplinary understanding

While learning the content of the material will hopefully prove useful and interesting to you, the development of the above listed skills will without doubt be invaluable to you throughout your college and post-college career.

Classroom Policies:

As a small community of learners we must, first and foremost, respect each other. Respecting each other does not mean we have to agree with each other (in fact, we likely will learn more about ourselves and the concepts of work and desire if we voice our disagreements in a constructive manner). Rather, respecting each other means listening to and reacting to each other's comments thoughtfully.

Second, as a community of learners, what we present to others in writing or orally must either be our own ideas or the explicitly cited ideas of another person. This policy of not using another person's ideas without disclosing that fact can be summed up as that of academic integrity. The following excerpt on what constitutes academic integrity is drawn from the course catalog:



Standards of Academic Integrity

Elizabethtown College assumes that students will act honorably. Students are expected to adhere to the Pledge of Integrity adopted by both the students and the faculty in 1995:
Elizabethtown College is a community engaged in a living and learning experience, the foundation of which is mutual trust and respect. Therefore, we will strive to behave toward one another with civility and with respect for the rights of others, and we promise to represent as our work only that which is indeed our own, refraining from all forms of lying, plagiarizing, and cheating.
Reflecting commitment to the pledge, new students are expected to sign a pledge stating, “I pledge to be honest and to uphold integrity.”
Academic Dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, constitutes a serious breach of academic integrity. Academic work is expected unequivocally to be the honest product of the student’s own endeavor.
Cheating is defined as the giving or receiving of unauthorized information as part of an examination or other academic exercise. What constitutes “unauthorized information” may vary depending upon the type of examination or exercise involved, and the student must be careful to understand in advance what a particular instructor considers to be “unauthorized information.” Faculty members are encouraged to make this definition clear to their students.
Plagiarism is defined as taking and using the writings or ideas of another without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism occurs most frequently in the preparation of a paper, but is found in other types of course assignments as well.
Other forms of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to) fabrication, falsification, or invention of information when such information is not appropriate. To knowingly help or attempt to help another student to commit an act of
academic dishonesty is considered to be an equivalent breach of academic integrity and is treated as such.
Cases of academic dishonesty are reviewed individually and according to the circumstances of the violation; however, students who violate the standards of academic integrity can normally expect a grade of F in the course and/or possible dismissal from the College.
We will spend some time in our initial meetings discussing the details of this academic integrity policy.

Beyond being respectful to each other and upholding academic integrity standards, I have two policies as to the operation of our classroom.

First, I don’t take attendance. As an economist, I believe that free choice in decision making yields optimal outcomes. I would, of course, strongly advise you to come to class if you wish to succeed and do well in the course. Thus, you should not feel the need to seek my approval if you are going to miss class.

Second, unless you talk to me first, I cannot accept course work late or via email.

Evaluation:

Your performance in this course will be evaluated with several short-writing assignments, participation in and leading classroom discussions, a term paper, and three exams. Except for those with a college-approved excuse, under no circumstances will I allow you take an exam at a time different from the rest of the class. If you are sick and cannot show up for an exam, you will need a note from the health clinic. Furthermore, there will be no opportunities for extra credit.

Your grade will be determined with the following weights:

Leading classroom discussion and oral presentations: 15%
Course paper: 20%
Exam I: 20%
Exam II: 20%
Exam III: 25%

Classroom discussion/presentations: Several times during the semester you will be responsible for summarizing the course readings to your classmates. Throughout every classroom discussion you should be asking yourself if you having something thoughtful to contribute. If you do have something thoughtful to contribute, communicate it to the rest of us! You will also be asked to occasionally make an oral presentation to the class on a topic I assign.

Term paper: This will be an 8-10 page research paper on a topic of your choosing (but you MUST discuss the topic with me beforehand so that I can determine its appropriateness). This paper MUST contain a bibliography and footnotes and the final version MUST be placed in a binder that also contains previous versions of your paper, outlines, research notes, etc. There MUST be at least TWO rough (working) drafts of your paper. These need not be drafts that I have necessarily seen. Rather, the drafts must demonstrate to me that you have revised your thoughts, arguments, sources, etc. If you are the kind of person who does things in a completely electronic environment, this requirement for drafts means that you must use the 'track changes' feature in Microsoft Word.

Exams: The exams will consist of short questions that I will ask you to answer and statements that I will ask you to comment on. The third exam will be comprehensive.


The following grading scale will be used:

100-93
A
92-90
A-
89-87
B+
86-83
B
82-80
B-
79-77
C+
76-73
C
72-70
C-
69-60
D
59 and below
F


'A' denotes outstanding work that is above and beyond expectations. An 'A' will be earned in those cases where original thoughts are clearly revealed and sophisticated connections are made.

'B' denotes above-average work that meets expectations with occasional glimpses of originality and sophistication.

'C' denotes average work that meets expectations. In other words, you do only what is expected and nothing more.

'D' denotes below-average work that falls significantly short of the expectations I had outlined.

'F' denotes a complete failure to meet the expectations I had outlined.

Disability:

If you have a documented disability please contact the Director of Disability Services in the Center for Student Success in BSC 288. You will also need to meet with me once you have obtained your accommodation letter from the Disability Services office to discuss how I can accommodate you.



Week of August 24

Theme: General introduction to the class and college

College Success Strategies, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 15

Week of August 31

Theme: Introduction to economics

The Making of Economic Society, Chapters 1 and 3

electronic readings:

Robert Heilbroner (1968). The Worldly Philosophers, Chapters 6 and 9

Week of September 7

Theme: Introduction to economics (cont.)

The Making of Economic Society, Chapters 4, 5, and 14

electronic readings:

Selections from Jonathan Teller-Elsberg, Nancy Folbre, James Heintz, and The Center for Popular Economics (2006). Field Guide to the U.S. Economy

Selections from Robert H. Frank (2007). The Economic Naturalist


Part I: Work

Week of September 14

Theme: The economics of work

Electronic readings:

The State of Working America, Chapters 3, 6, and 7

Week of September 21

Theme: The economic reward for work

electronic readings

The State of Working America, Chapters 2 and 5

Selections from Jonathan Teller-Elsberg, Nancy Folbre, James Heintz, and The Center for Popular Economics (2006). Field Guide to the U.S. Economy, Chapter 3

Week of September 28
Exam I (September 30)

**You may find it helpful to read part 4 of the College Success Strategies text**

Movie: Roger and Me (an evening showing to be announced)

Week of October 5

Theme: The Sociology and Anthropology of Work

Nickel and Dimed

Week of October 12

Theme: Public policy suggestions for work and unionization

electronic readings:

Rockefeller Foundation, “Stories of Work, Stories of Hope”

Selections from “From the folks who gave you the weekend.”



Part II: Desire

Week of October 19

Theme: The Economics of Desire

Luxury Fever, Chapters 1-9

Week of October 26

Theme: The Economics of Desire (cont.)

Luxury Fever, Chapters 10-17

Week of November 2

Theme: The Psychology of Consuming

electronic readings:

Selections from Kasser, Tim (2002). The High Price of Materialism

Di Tella, Rafael and MacCulloch, Boert (2006). “Some Uses of Happiness Data in Economics” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(1), Winter, 25-35.

Schor, Juliet (1998). The Overspent American. Chapters 1-4

Week of November 9

 EXAM II (November 11)

Movie: Maxed Out (an evening showing to be announced)

Week of November 16

Theme: Globalization

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, Parts I and II

The Making of Economic Society, Chapter 12

Week of November 23

Theme: Globalization (cont.)

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, Parts III and IV

Week of November 30

wrap-up and reflections regarding the course

Week of December 7

Exam III during final exam week