Teaching economics differently by comparing contesting theories

Teaching economics differently summarises how we have taught introductory micro and macroeconomics and what we have learned from that teaching experience over the last 40 years. We explain why teaching both economic theories that celebrate and those that criticise capitalism – together in one introductory semester's course as well as in subsequent courses – can and does get students interested in (and not infrequently passionate about) economics as a discipline. The article outlines our systematically comparative approach to learning economics and some of its more salient consequences including pedagogical effectiveness.