Teaching the Principles of Economics : A Proposal for a Multi-Paradigmatic Approach

Professors Knoedler and Underwood discuss the concern over the decline in the number of economic majors as well as overall the enrolments in economics. For many quot;mainstreamquot; economic educators this problem obey to the fact that academic economics tend to grant lower grades on average to students, or to the relaxation that business programs have in their entry requirements. The authors attribute the problem to the abstraction and the exclusion that teaching Principles of Economics has. They propose a restatement of this course using a multi-paradigmatic approach that takes into account the ideas of economic thinkers outside the mainstream. Thus, students will overcome their dissatisfaction and they will have a more realistic view of the economy, which will help them to develop and exercise their critical thinking skills