A+C block econers,
I have been asked by Mrs. Healy to share with you some of my educational background in economics and overall experience in college at UNH. I have not gotten a chance to talk in depth with many of you given our limited time in class so this is a good place for introductions. I am a senior at UNH currently in my last semester. I have undertaken the discipline of Environmental & Resource Economics (EREC) which is in the College of Life Sciences. This is different from Economics in the Business school in many ways but mainly in that we apply economic concepts to environmental and political issues as well as to firms and other financial institutions. The business school typically does not stray too far from the business perspective as it pertains to economics.
The EREC program has exposed me to many interesting and practical concepts that can be applied in many areas and situations. Many of these concepts can be used as tools to help solve problems with a concomitant economic perspective.
Here is a broad overview of some of the issues that I have been exposed to that have economic applications and are of particular interest to me:
1.) Effects of an increase in population on domestic and international consumption and waste rates as well as poverty levels and unemployment rates.
2.) Economic trade offs between development and environmental degredation
3.) Resource allocation, distribution and extraction rates followed by a subsequent decline in economic and political stability in developing nations.
4.) Correlations between rising economies and the problems associated with addiction to fossil fuels as well as the costs and benefits of implementing alternative sources of energy.
5.) In general the fluctuations of supply and demand of commodities as we move into the future.
I know these are pretty vague but I think there is enough information here to give you a general understanding of where I'm coming from. My interests are also not limited to these although they are what I am currently studying in the field of Environmental Economics.
Take a minute to look into some of these areas and if you have any interest respond with your comments. If these are of no interest to you respond instead with some things that you are interested in and how you can apply an economic perspective to your area of interest. If you cannot think of one I'll be glad to point one out to you.
You might be one of many people who have been turned off from economics from day one. I, among many, was one of those people. I admit there are some boring and seemingly useless aspects to economics but if you can see past them there is a whole other world and side of economics that may be of interest and use to you.
You are all very fortunate to have this program available to you so early in your educational careers. I was never exposed to economics until college. Even the basic material that you are exposed to can give you a significant edge if you pursue a college education... That is if you pay attention every once in a while.
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It's strange to think about how economics is probably one of the only classes taken in high school that we will actually use later on in our lives (taxes etc.), but, at least to me, it is one of the most boring classes. It can be hard to be interested in numbers and facts that seem so irrelevant to our lives, even if they are relevant.
ReplyDeleteWhile I, personally, aknowledge the fact that knowing all about economics is extremely helpfull and important, I don't think there is any way you can try and make it interesting for High Schoolers. It's great that we have this class at all, because if we didn't learn anything, we'd most likely struggle in life after school. But that doesn't override the fact that side affects to Economics include drowesiness, loss of focus, dizzyness, headaches, and even death (not really death, you just think about how it'd be more exciting than this class).
ReplyDeleteMrs. Healy, you're doing a good job, but let's face the fact that you have the worst job. :(
I really don't carer about most of what this blog said, But one thing that I am interested in is what is going to happen in the future regarding the economy. Is the economy going to dig itself up out of the whole or is the ecoonmy going to dig deeper? That's what I'm interested in.
ReplyDeleteThe first issue that was mention in the blog, promted me to think about how even waste could be useful to the economy. I have heard of businesses (mostly over seas) that can actually find use for our waste. I know that there is a company for example that has its business based around selling recycled cardboard to another company in asia that finds new uses for it. I think that economics and the enviroment are very relivant since most polluting wastes are due to over consumption.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is hard to find interest in economics at this age. With little personal interest or need for it I find myself completely detached from most of it. Though, reading the blog there are some interesting attributes to it, I still find that there is not a whole lot that interests me. The economic side, however, is one of the more interesting things. I think that there is a lot, such as the economies correlation with the use of fossil fuels, that has a much more relevent aspect to people in our generation who's problem that sort of thing is and therefore there is a connection there that interests me more, though my knowledge on the subject is extremely limited.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of this economics stuff is common sense, just put into big words. Which can be confusing. Of course some of it actually requires learning and memorization, but for the time being most of this is irrelevent to my life. Other than paying taxes out of my paycheck, but that is all taken care of for me and I haven't had to do anything about it for myself. I'm sure when I get out into the world on my own this stuff will be very helpful, and I will probably wish I paid more attention.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting that someone who didnt like economics from the start ended up being so involved in it, and I like how you aknowledge the fact that its a boring course and easy to dislike. I dont see myself getting a job involved in economics in the future, but like everyone, i'll have to deal with certain aspects of it once I'm supporting myself, so im glad to have at least a little bit of an understanding of how it all works.
ReplyDeleteSeeing how much effort and time you've put into studying Economics now, i agree with Dylan that it's surprising that you didn't have an immediate interest in it. I admit, in the beginning of Economics, i was not interested in it at all and figured it would be an extremely boring class. However, i've realized that there are a lot more interesting aspects of it that i did not initially pay attention to. The first thing you mentioned, about the econimical effects of an increase in population interested me a lot. I've always been curious about how population increase is effecting poverty and unemployment rates, and if it will continue getting worse until its uncontrollable.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that economics referred solely to business and money, so it is somewhat surprising to see what sort of effects the environment has on the economy. These correlations show how broad the subject of economics really is, and how if one is not interested in some aspects of economics than it is likely that another component could interest you instead.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really cool that you can apply economics to areas other than just straightforward business. I would personally be much more interested in learning about how environmental and economic factors interact than learning about the stock market. I'm still not really sold on the whole idea of economics being fascinating, but learning about one of the different ways it can be applied definitely makes it more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think that if everyone at least knew more about economics our economy probably wouldn't be as bad as is right now. People would have had more information and been able to make better choices to keep it from going under. I also think the environmental science aspect of economics sounds alot more interesting.
ReplyDeleteAlthough i don't really find economics interesting, I realize that it's important to our everyday lives. The only thing i'm really interested is how the economy correlates with the way our government treats the environment.
ReplyDeleteEconomics is indeed a boring class, but I know that I will need this information later on in life. So it is good that I have to take it. As of right now I can’t see myself in a job that deals with economics but like you said maybe someday if I can look past the boring stuff I could find it interesting. I also think that what you are studying is a lot more interesting then what we’re learning in class. I never knew that there was more than one side to economics.
ReplyDeleteI think the things you are studying about the environment are really interesting. They're certainly more interesting than taxes and stocks and bonds. I think it's really important to take care of the environment. But at the same time, taking care of the environment can be a great cost to the economy. I think it's great that universities are presenting the opportunity to study this issue further. Maybe we can find a way to balance the economy and the environment.
ReplyDeleteI never really knew how many different ways your could go in economics. I think that at the moment economics doesn't seem very important to us because we don't have to know it just yet. I think this is a necessary class so you have an idea of what to do when you're older though. I also think it's intersting that you said you were one of those people that were turned off from economics but you're now studying it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what some people said on this blog that a lot of economics is really common sense. I think that economics and the environment really tie together well, we are focusing on having a healthy environment, but unfortunetly economicly friendly things are usually more expensive and we can't afford it in this economic crisis.
ReplyDeleteIw as wondering if there is much effort in making environmentally friendly things an economic gain. Like how the Obama administration has pushed to use the new energy industry as a source for new jobs. Is there much evidence that the world, particularly rising economies are taking advantage of the potential gain?
ReplyDeleteOverall, I felt like your insight on economics was helpful to our class, as we can now see some of the broader areas of study as we approach college. Something that I found particualary interesting was the 5th issue that you shared with us, " In general the fluctuations of supply and demand of commodities as we move into the future." This was interesting to me because I am also interested in how the supply and demand curves will change as we move forward into an uncertain economic situation in America. Lastly, although many people have said they don't find this class as one of the more interesting ones, I disagree. As this is one of the only classes in the school that engages us in the economic situation and market that is currently going on around us, and keeps us up to date on daily life.
ReplyDeleteout of almost all the orhs classes, economics is the most relevant to our lives now and for the future. most likely im noting going to have to complete triangular proofs for my profession, but i will be forced to pay taxes every year, so learning about the economy in high school gives me a leg up.
ReplyDelete,jl
ReplyDeleteblack friday is a perfect example of how the government can control our lives. Slap a catchy name on a given day, drop some prices and BAM! people are shot dead in a rush for flat screen TVs. Of course wall street always has this kind of power but it becomes very apparent when it is concentrated on a certain day.
ReplyDeleteSince Heather found my first post sooo bad, I guess I'll take another shot at this...Economics has been debated as one of the most fundemental classes we take in high school, but at the same time is thought of as one of the most un-neccesary classes by some students. Personally, after reading about what Tim has studied at UNH, it has occured to me that although we may not want to study and learn about economics, it is actually critical information for us to recieve in order to succeed later on in life. Specifically, there were no areas that really "hit me" as things that I wish to study more in depth, but in general I think that taking another basic economics course at college would be something I might like to do. Lastly, I would like to add that I think it is interesting how the economics class you are taking has studied the environmental aspects of the economy, and is just another way our education is expanding to greater and greater thigns. (10/10)
ReplyDeleteYeah economics plays a huge role in our lives today. Ecspecially with how the economy is going right now. In economics we can certainly learn about how to turn this around and help our country dominate again.
ReplyDeletespencer i disagree. Although we have been cast into an economic slump that we really couldn't control, our generation is forced to adapt to change and over come this obstical. Economics will not teach us this, life will.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Whistle Child
The Economy is not very interesting to learn about but it is a VERY important subject. There is no way for it to be interesting to a high schooler in my opinion but it will mean more to you as you grow up.
ReplyDelete