Demonstrates how a simple portfolio problem expressed explicitly as an expected utility maximization problem can be used to instruct students in portfolio theory. Discusses risk aversion, decision making under uncertainty, and the limitations of the traditional mean variance approach. Suggests students may develop a greater appreciation of general…

This paper discusses the role that foreign language programs should play in targeting their instruction to the particular needs of students, whether they are studying business, science, or other technical fields. It also describes an English-German negotiation simulation for final year students in the International Business and German course at…

Utilizes Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) transcripts to reveal how the Federal Reserve shapes monetary policy. Analysis of the documents shows the Committee examining a wide variety of indicators and approaches in an attempt to determine the appropriate time for a policy change. Inflationary pressures were a preeminent concern. (MJP)

Contends that the field of economic history is no longer a separate subfield of economics but an integral part of the entire discipline. Explains the concepts of monetary policy, labor force development, and economic growth in U.S. economic history. Concludes that the end of economic history is the beginning of better and richer economics. (CFR)

Utilizes two-dimensional price and output graphs to demonstrate the way that the price-level elasticity of aggregate demand affects alternative monetary policy rules designed to cope with random aggregate supply shocks. Includes graphs illustrating price-level, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), nominal GDP, and nominal money supply targeting.…

This report describes the main areas of economic research supported by the Ford Foundation in the 1970s, with an emphasis on the work in international economics. It is divided into five sections: the international economy, less-developed countries (LDCs) and the new economic order, the industrialized world and inflation, workers and wages, and…

A third-grade class and fifth-grade remedial reading students gained a positive attitude toward contemporary economic problems by studying economics as a puzzle in this award-winning project. The following concepts were each approached as pieces of the puzzle to be solved: money, wants and needs, income, goods and services, scarcity, consumption…

Award-winning teacher-developed projects and courses in economics are described. The projects are designed for use in grades K-12. Descriptions indicate grade level, project background, time allotment, objectives, activities, and evaluation. Chapter 1 suggests ways to teach economic concepts in grades K-3. The projects included a year-long study…

In this award winning project for incorporating economics study into the curriculum, a fifth grade class studied economic interdependence as it applied to their community (Barling, Arkansas). Class readings of several books dealing with the development of an economic community preceded the students' creation of a mini-Barling with elected…

Maintains that elementary teachers are encouraged to integrate the curriculum to motivate students. Describes an instructional unit in which students set up and run an "international store," in which the items are priced in foreign currency. Provides recommendations on designing the unit and operating the store. (CFR)