ECON 385 Economics of Education

3 Credit(s)

This course deals with a variety of questions about the role of education in the economy and about economic aspects of the educational system. First, attention is given to the historical development of US public education and to different theories trying to explain that development. Students examine such issues as: Does education make people more productive? If so, how? Does education affect people’s behavior in ways that make them “fit” better or worse in the large enterprises of the economy? Whose interests are served by the structure of our educational system? How does the educational system affect economic, social and political equality? Much of the course is devoted to particular controversies, for example, the issue of school choice, merit pay for teachers, the equalizing or disequalizing impacts of schooling, the importance of education in making the US “more competitive.”

Diversity Area: United States

Enrollment Requirements:
Prerequisite: ECON 101 or 102.