Several months after having completed an introductory economics course, most students are no better able to answer simple economic questions than students who never took the course. The problem seems to be that principles courses try to teach students far too much, with the result that everything goes by in a blur. The good news is that a…

Provides classroom activities to enable students to learn about the economics of auctions. Explains that the students complete a written assignment listing products that are sold at auctions and participate in a classroom discussion. Includes ideas following the discussion, such as the alternative hypothesis strategy, housing auctions, and…

Presents the results from a survey, of alumni who majored in economics at Davidson College, designed to assess the value of the types of assigned writing in writing intensive (WI) economics courses. Describes the WI economics courses offered at Davidson College. Discusses implications of the survey results. (CMK)