The Value of Advanced Interdisciplinary Classes for Students of Economics: Case Study of a 300-Level Class on Gender in the Economy

K. Powlick

Forum for Social Economics, 2009, vol. 38, issue 2-3, 189-200

Abstract: Interdisciplinary classes are valuable to students of economics for many reasons. This paper discusses three reasons why such classes, at an advanced level, are useful and important for students of economics. First, interdisciplinary classes have the potential to encourage theory building and critical thinking, especially through the use of primary sources. Second, interdisciplinary classes also provide students with a richer empirical understanding of the world, beyond the narrowly quantitative data used in most economics research. Fostering a ‘constructivist’ view of data, this facilitates future economists building the tools to tell marginalized stories. Lastly, interdisciplinary classes can create a diverse learning environment that facilitates peer learning about difficult subjects such as race, class, and gender. A case study of a 300-level class titled Gender in the Economy, in which a diverse group of students from backgrounds in women’s studies, economics, business, and American studies came together to study the economic history of gender, is used to explore such benefits.

Date: 2009
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DOI: 10.1007/s12143-009-9053-x

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