Economics needs to be required school curriculum

After taking the class in college, I now have a much greater understanding of all the concepts that a great number of people think they understand, but in actuality, do not. Things like unemployment, inflation, business cycles, taxation, basic supply and demand, productivity and other topics need to be addressed in K-12 education and they need to be emphasized.

With the elections that have just past, understanding these economic ideas and they way the government policies affect them makes you a much better citizen. Instead of looking at issues from a moral, political, or social standpoint, one can look at issues and make decisions from a more rational and objective standpoint.

I wish i had the opportunity to take economics a lot earlier than i did, because now I can look at the issues and say to myself ," Doesn't this person see that is completely opposite to what they should be doing if they wish to accomplish this goal?"

Has anyone here taken an economics course and agrees with me on this point?

It is a required course in some high schools during their junior/senior year nowadays.

But nevertheless, I agree!

You got my vote.

It was in my high school.

I really don't care about economics, even though it affects me. Let some else give a care about it, I sure as heck don't. All people seem to care about is money and there is so much more in life.

thats dumb, the only two mandatory courses are math and english.

I had to learn about half a year of it in High school. Still not enough to have a good grasp of it.

It was required at my high school...

It was required at my high school...

BMD004

It was required at my high school...

BMD004

Mine too. I remember it being boring, but I do remember having to take it.

Yeah, I remember it was required to take for 1 semester of economics and 1 semester of government your senior year.

Yeah, I remember it was required to take for 1 semester of economics and 1 semester of government your senior year.

BMD004

I really don't care about economics, even though it affects me. Let some else give a care about it, I sure as heck don't. All people seem to care about is money and there is so much more in life.

TheHighWind

I agree.

Our country is built upon a free market system. Our kids should have the basic understanding of what that means so they understand how our system works. Hell this should be taught in every country so the youth has a slightly better understanding.

Note, this class should teach the concepts first. Politics are apart of that, but both schools of thought should be represented, not just one. Keep it fair so everybody understands what the other side thinks. Or at least has some insight to what the other side thinks.

After taking the class in college, I now have a much greater understanding of all the concepts that a great number of people think they understand, but in actuality, do not. Things like unemployment, inflation, business cycles, taxation, basic supply and demand, productivity and other topics need to be addressed in K-12 education and they need to be emphasized.

With the elections that have just past, understanding these economic ideas and they way the government policies affect them makes you a much better citizen. Instead of looking at issues from a moral, political, or social standpoint, one can look at issues and make decisions from a more rational and objective standpoint.

I wish i had the opportunity to take economics a lot earlier than i did, because now I can look at the issues and say to myself ," Doesn't this person see that is completely opposite to what they should be doing if they wish to accomplish this goal?"

Has anyone here taken an economics course and agrees with me on this point?

cgi15

I am cautious of the idea, because the economic models we study in Principles courses (i.e. 100-level classes) can't be applied with any reliable amount of accuracy to real life. Even the models we study at the Intermediate level (i.e. 400-level) often use assumptions that just do not hold up when examining real life markets. However, the basic principles of economics should still be easy for anyone to pick up.

I mean, I think it would be FANTASTIC if Calculus up to partial differentiation was required, so we could teach kids at least up to Intermediate Price Theory and Income and Employment Theory, but it's not going to happen.

Yes. Even in an intro college econ class, you'll learn many important concepts. It's amazing how much people don't know about economics.

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

It was in my high school.

Pirate700

yea i'm taking american goverment this semester and taking that class next semseter

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

whet40

That was my first read on the subject.

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

whet40

Excellent link, good sir. I saved it to my hard drive for a more thorough read later. But I encourage you all to take a look at this and at least read the end section "The Lesson Restated".

Thanks for the link, whet40.

I think it should be. It wasn't required in my HS. Econ is my minor and I find it staggering how many people get so passionate about an econ issue while knowing virually nothing about it or its effects. Or how they want to do two things that are directly in conflict with each other.

[QUOTE="whet40"]

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

collegeboy64

Excellent link, good sir. I saved it to my hard drive for a more thorough read later. But I encourage you all to take a look at this and at least read the end section "The Lesson Restated".

Thanks for the link, whet40.

I have recommended this book to many friends and family members and every one has had nothing but positive things to say about it. It is the easiest reading of any economics book I have come across, but does so without dumbing-down any of the concepts.

It was in my high school.

Pirate700

I study economics and i frankly think it should not. There is a degree of simplification necessary to adapt it to schools, if such process were to be made most of the scientifical part of economics would be torn apart. There is aworld of difference of between the dumbdomestic economy notions that are thrown by the media and real economical science. If you were to make more simplification than there already is in economical sciences you would create an even more misleading and further from the facts education. There is a big difference between those Crusoe's models and actual macroeconomics.

Btw the book mentioned earlier is pos.

I study economics and i frankly think it should not. There is a degree of simplification necessary to adapt it to schools, if such process were to be made most of the scientifical part of economics would be torn apart. There is aworld of difference of between the dumbdomestic economy notions that are thrown by the media and real economical science. If you were to make more simplification than there already is in economical sciences you would create an even more misleading and further from the facts education. There is a big difference between those Crusoe's models and actual macroeconomics.

Masculus

This is basically how I feel, but at the same time, I think it's important that everyone understands up to at least the intermediate level stuff. There's just no feasible way to do it, I suppose.

I study economics and i frankly think it should not. There is a degree of simplification necessary to adapt it to schools, if such process were to be made most of the scientifical part of economics would be torn apart. There is aworld of difference of between the dumbdomestic economy notions that are thrown by the media and real economical science. If you were to make more simplification than there already is in economical sciences you would create an even more misleading and further from the facts education. There is a big difference between those Crusoe's models and actual macroeconomics.

Btw the book mentioned earlier is pos.

One thing that I do think would be great though, is a required moral philosophy/political theory class in high school. I personally would have loved to study Aristotle, Cicero, Kant, Bentham, Mills, Rawls, Nozick, and Walzer in high school.

One thing that I do think would be great though, is a required moral philosophy/political theory class in high school. I personally would have loved to study Aristotle, Cicero, Kant, Bentham, Mills, Rawls, Nozick, and Walzer in high school.

TreebucketLumi

After taking the class in college, I now have a much greater understanding of all the concepts that a great number of people think they understand, but in actuality, do not. Things like unemployment, inflation, business cycles, taxation, basic supply and demand, productivity and other topics need to be addressed in K-12 education and they need to be emphasized.

With the elections that have just past, understanding these economic ideas and they way the government policies affect them makes you a much better citizen. Instead of looking at issues from a moral, political, or social standpoint, one can look at issues and make decisions from a more rational and objective standpoint.

I wish i had the opportunity to take economics a lot earlier than i did, because now I can look at the issues and say to myself ," Doesn't this person see that is completely opposite to what they should be doing if they wish to accomplish this goal?"

Has anyone here taken an economics course and agrees with me on this point?

cgi15

▲ Agreed. And nice avatar. ▲

It is here in NYC, I took Economics in High School.