[PEN-L:6887] RE: reform or revolution? revisited

["Breen, Nancy" <BreenN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I would try to explain the logic of capital in relation to king profit,
including  why companies would go overseas (incidently not all companies are
in a position to do so --depends on what they produce), but I would also
explain the implications of doing that for labor in the home compapnies as
well as for labor abroad.  I don't think it's helpful to withhold
information from students, but I do think it's important to teach them how
to think logically and critically about their actions and the environment
they live in.  As a teacher, I don't think one can do much more than that.
 I found getting students to present evidence to back their opinions led
them to think critically and that itself was a handful.  Many students were
full of opinions with little evidence to back them up and no sense that they
needed to.

Nancy Breen
 ----------
From: pen-l
>Subject: [PEN-L:6867] reform or revolution? revisited
Date: Wednesday, October 23, 1996 3:25PM

Okay, folks: here's a question that in various forms has been debated
(including on this list) over and over and over and....

Suppose one is teaching intro econ to "typical" (?) university students,
which means mainstream range of conservative, and some liberal ideas,
including many who will either in school or later go into "business."

Do you (I'm asking for your personal opinions here) teach that corporations
*must* e.g. open non-union shops, invest abroad where labor is cheaper,
skimp on quality, etc., in order to compete in capitalist markets, thereby
reinforcing those tendencies in those who are or will be in business; or

do you teach that unions can increase productivity; "environmentally
friendly commodities" can be profitable, and the like, thereby reinforcing
liberal tendencies at the cost of pushing "socialism" away?

Eagerly awaiting your responses.

Blair




Blair Sandler
blairs@xxxxxxx