Chapter 1 covers basic concepts students first saw in their introductory course but could bear
some repeating. Since most students will not have read this chapter before the first class, it is a good
time to get them talking about some of the concepts presented. You might start by asking for a
definition of economics. Make sure to emphasize scarcity and trade-offs. Remind students that the
objective of economics is to explain observed phenomena and predict behavior of consumers and firms
as economic conditions change. Ask about the differences (and similarities) between microeconomics
and macroeconomics and the difference between positive and normative analysis. Review the concept of
a market and the role prices play in allocating resources. Discussions of economic theories and models
may be a bit abstract at this point in the course, but you can lay the groundwork for a deeper
discussion that might take place when you cover consumer behavior in Chapter 3.
Section 1.3 considers real and nominal prices. Given the reliance on dollar prices in the
economy, students must understand the difference between real and nominal prices and how to
compute real prices. Most students know about the Consumer Price Index, so you might also mention
other price indexes such as the Producer Price Index and the Personal Consumption Expenditures
(PCE) Price Index, which is the Fed’s preferred inflation measure.1 It is very useful to go over some
numerical examples using goods that are in the news and/or that students often purchase such as
gasoline, food, textbooks, and a college education.2
In general, the first class is a good time to pique student interest in the course. It is also a good
time to tell students that they need to work hard to learn how to do economic analysis, and that
memorization alone will not get them through the course. Students must learn to think like
economists, so encourage them to work lots of problems. Also encourage them to draw graphs neatly
and large enough to make them easy to interpret. It always amazes me to see the tiny, poorly drawn
graphs some students produce. It is no wonder their answers are often incorrect. You might even
suggest they bring a small ruler and colored pencils to class so they can draw good diagrams.

链接：https://pan.baidu.com/s/1eQBR88-Q17G4XCqTVKMCOw
提取码：0rbs
复制这段内容后打开百度网盘手机App，操作更方便哦