1. Economics and General Education Chris Bell and Jeff Konz 2010 COPLAC Conference UNC Asheville June 2010

2. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program I.Liberal Studies Introductory Colloquiua (Econ 179, WMST 179) Econ and the Spoken Word (Fall 2004) Jelly Bean Economics (Fall 2006, 2008, 2010) Whats the answer to Alfies question? (Fall 2005) Whats for dinner? (Fall 2007, 2009, 2010) Stocks, bonds, and the Wall Street Journal (379-Fall 2005) American Obsession with Economic Growth (379-Spring 2006) North Carolina Women (WMST 179) (Fall 2008, 2010) Global Poverty: Will the poor be always with us? (Fall 2007, 2009)

3. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program II.Liberal Studies Senior Colloquium: Cultivating Citizenship in the Contemporary World (LS 479) Economic content: --Economic globalization --How markets work --Ethical justifications and critiques of markets --Economic development and human development --Global economic and financial institutions

4. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program III.Humanities Program --Members of the department have taught all four courses --Economic content: Hum 324: The Modern World --Adam Smith, laissez-faire, invisible hand --Industrial revolution, growth, and alienation --Karl Marx --John Maynard Keynes Hum 414: The Contemporary World --Global poverty --Globalization, economic and political --Inequality and conceptions of economic justice

5. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program IV.Topical Clusters Globalization and the Environment Econ 250: Economic Globalization Econ 314: Economic Growth and Development Technology, Society, and Culture Econ102: Principles of Microeconomics (one instructors) Transformations in Appalachia Econ 245: Land Economics Food for Thought Econ 245: Land Economics Econ 273: Economics of Food (new class) Applied Ethics ESI 101: Introduction to Ethics and Social Institutions

6. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program V.Intensives (Part 1) Writing-Intensive: 102: Principles of Microeconomics (only one instructor) 314: Economic Growth and Development 345: Economics of Natural Resources 480: Senior Research in Economics ESI 101: Introduction to Ethics and Social Institutions ESI 490: Senior Research in Ethics and Social Institutions Information-Literacy Intensive: 380: Approaches to Research in Economics ESI 490: Senior Research in Ethics and Social Institutions

7. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program V.Intensives (Part II) Diversity-Intensive: 230: Sports and Economics 330: Women, Men, and Work Quantitative-Intensive: 101: Principles of Macroeconomics 102: Principles of Microeconomics (most sections) 306: Managerial Finance 360: Mathematical Economics

8. Economics and General Education Economics at UNC Asheville and the Integrative Liberal Studies Program VI.Governance of General Education Members of the department have served as --Member, ILS Oversight Committee (twice) --Chair, Information Literacy Intensive Subcommittee --Chair, Quantitative Intensive Subcommittee --Member, Writing Intensive Subcommittee --Coordinator, Applied Ethics Cluster

9. Economics and General Education What does economics have to offer to general education? A (unique?) combination: Quantitative tools Analytical reasoning Social and historical context Policy decision-making Communication and rhetoric Moral reasoning

10. Economics and General Education What does economics have to offer to general education? 1)Freestanding courses in economics, either introductions to the discipline or applications of economics to particular fields. 2)A particular method of analysis with applications to multiple fields and questions. 3)Collaboration with colleagues in other disciplines in learning communities or interdisciplinary courses and programs. 4)A paradigmatic example of Enlightenment rationalism.

11. Economics and General Education Why should economists participate in general education? 1)University citizenship, moral duty. Not convinced? 2)Improvements in our economics courses, particularly by incorporating humanistic elements. 3)Intellectual growth and new scholarly projects which cross disciplines.