New Economics I Will Reduce Study Of Techniques, Examine Problems

Economics 1 will not be the unadorned primer in economic technique this year that it once used to be. The course will skimp on the study of technicalities in favor of a broader approach.

According to Arthur Smithies, professor of Economics and Chairman of the Department of Economics, the revised Economics 1 will "educate every student to have a point of view about economic issues rather than merely giving him the tools for higher courses."

Besides making changes in its syllabus, the popular elementary course will also succumb to the fashion of joint instruction.

Quest Lecturers

The new course plans call for occasional guest lectures on topics that are better handled in lecture than in the traditional sections. Basically, however, Economics 1 will still be a section course.

Much of the purely technical material that was part of Economics 1 in the past will be dropped and taught instead in the Department's rejuvenated tutorial program. Smithies thinks this system is superior because previously he and his colleagues have found that purely technical material taught in elementary course has to be reprovided later.

The new syllabus is designed to enable students to form judgments on subjects such as unemployment, inflation, and foreign aid.