Journal of Education and Human Development

Learn Economics by Going to the Movies
Mark Samaras

Abstract
The content of economics courses usually taught in schools and universities evolves from the real economy in primary and secondary education to theories and statistics on the function of economy in societies at the university level. We need new proposals built on interdisciplinary approaches. Indeed, such a proposal was applied in an introductory course to economics and attempted to show that this practice can be changed, by using movies and soliciting the active participation of students. To this effect, the subject matter was divided into three units – money, society, and people –, while the focus changed from a traditional perspective to the acquisition of economic apperception, placing society and individuals in the centre of economics. The study of movies had much to offer to the project, allowing the teacher to present economic concepts as living entities. The aim of an intervention into traditional methods was to make students sensitive to important economic problems humanity faces today and help them acquire the proper equipment to evaluate the information they receive daily.

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