Virginia Commonwealth University
Nonprofit

HUMS 591 Pizza for Breakfast? Using the “Economic Way of Thinking” to Understand the World around You

“The instructor's use of hands-on activities and incorporation of technology and outside field trips was dynamic.”
–'08 Participant, Economics

Summer 2009 dates are TBA

3 graduate credits

*Please note: The following documents are from the Summer 2008 course and will be updated as the documents for 2009 come in.

Syllabus [Word]

What keeps your town going? Or your state, the United States and the world? How has your state changed over the last two centuries? Come explore Virginia’s economy today and see how it works.

Class participants will receive instruction in basic economic concepts and principles during three days of class. Class methods will emphasize hands-on activities and materials that teachers can take back to their own classrooms. In addition, one day will be spent at the Virginia Historical Society where the class will delve into the state’s past and hear from experts about Virginia’s current economic situation. Special tours of the Virginia Historical Society are included. A fifth day will be spent at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond where the class will learn about money and banking and be introduced to the wealth of educational materials offered by Economicsthe Richmond Federal Reserve.

Class participants will follow up the classroom experience by first researching an element of their state’s economy and then by using the research to develop a unit for use in their own classrooms.

For more information about this workshop, contact Anna Jones at (804) 828-8831.

Lead instructor
Suzanne Gallagher
E-mail: sgallagh@vcu.edu