classroom exercise

["Craven, Jim" <JCraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Message

I ask my students what "Omission is often the greatest lie" means. I ask them if they are just picking up a book for the first time, written by an author with whom they are unfamiliar, how do you get a sense of that the author's ideological biases and rhetorical intentions are. Usually I get "look at the book jacket", preface, introduction, recommendations by other authors. Few come up with "looking at the index"--what is in it, and what is not.

 

So I give them the following assignment for extra-credit: Find as many past and present economics texts as possible (libraries, book stores, rummage sales etc) and fully document, from the indexes of those books, any references to any of the following concepts (You get one point added to your-then--final course grade for each documented reference you find (Text, pages,):

 

imperialism, colonialism; neo-colonialism; racism; sexism; homophobia; war; genocide; socialism;communism;Karl Marx; Friedrich Engels; V.I. Lenin; fascism; metropolis; periphery; American Indians/Native Americans; African-Americans; Latinos; social class; social strata; gender inequality; racial inequality; social systems engineering; suicide; divorce; teengage pregnancy; abortion; religious fundamentalism; economic centralization; falling rate of profit; economic surplus; traditional economies; slavery;feudalism; eugenics; "primitive"communalism; power; mail-order-brides; global AIDS; global refugees; globalization; low intensity conflict; global sexual slavery; wealth and income inequality (domestic and global); lobbyists; terrorism; national security; social capital;

Sweezy, Paul; Magdoff, Harry; Robinson, Joan; Amin, Samir; contradictions of capitalism;

 

For each of these concepts--except the names--there is general agreement that all of these concepts have something to do with economics. The students wind up totally pissed off as of the books they manage to find, few if any of these concepts are even mentioned let alone discussed and they have put a lot of work in for a meager return in terms of extra-credit points.

 

Jim C.

 

 

James M. Craven

Blackfoot Name: Omahkohkiaayo-i'poyi

Professor/Consultant,Economics;Business Division Chair

Clark College, 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd.

Vancouver, WA. USA 98663

Tel: (360) 992-2283; Fax: (360) 992-2863

http://www.home.earthlink.net/~blkfoot5

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