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More talk, less chalk: Communicating economics in the modern classroom

Abstract: “Communicating Economics” is a first-year undergraduate course, which explores the range of ways in which economics is communicated. Its second purpose is to impart core communication skills to new economists. I set out my approach to teaching this new course, focusing on a sequence of lectures and small-group discussion classes which are all about “economics as literature”. Here I introduce students to the study of economists’ use of narrative storytelling to persuade others and apply ideas from this literature to discuss the economic narratives that drive popular science fiction stories. This topic is meant to accompany, and contrast with, the “scientific lens” through which new university students are typically first exposed to economics.

Cite as: Christopher L. Colvin, ‘More talk, less chalk: Communicating economics in the modern classroom’, in: Making Economics Public: The Hows  and Whys of Communicating Markets and Models (edited by Vicki Macknight & Fabien Medvecky, Routledge, 2023).

Open access pre-print version: https://doi.org/10.53593/n3526a

Order a copy: https://www.makingeconomicspublic.org/