Futures & Options Book Club: An Innovative Way to Bring Class Material to Life

Maria A. Boerngen and Scott H. Irwin

Applied Economics Teaching Resources (AETR), 2026, vol. 8, issue 1

Abstract: Motivating students to read textbooks or assigned readings is a widely acknowledged challenge for college instructors. Trade books written for a popular audience represent a potential resource for addressing this problem. This paper describes the adoption of a trade book in an upper-level agribusiness course. Utilizing a “book club” structure that included pre-class discussion preparation, in-class discussion days, and individual post-discussion reflections throughout the semester, this activity culminated in a class visit from the book’s primary author. We present student feedback, which indicated that students perceived the book club to be a valuable learning experience. This approach offers instructors a road map for increasing student reading and engagement with relevant literature and with their peers and is easily adaptable to a variety of classroom settings.

Keywords: Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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