Multimedia materials are underused and powerful tools for teaching economics. We present examples from cartoons that can be used to illustrate important principles in an introductory macroeconomics class. Clips from Beavis and Butthead, Duck Tales, Futurama, and The Simpsons are used to explain the velocity of money, inflation and long-run monetary policy, interest, future and present value, household production and mismeasurement of GDP, and structural unemployment.
A Fishful of Dollars. (Futurama.) Dir. HughartR. and VanzoG.. Perfs. WestB., SegalK.. Volume 1Disc 2, DVD. Fox Broadcasting Company, April 27, 1999.
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ArmstrongThomas. 2009. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom, 3rd Edition Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Bart on the Road. (The Simpsons.) Dir. ScottS.. Perfs. CastellanetaD., J. Kavner. Season7, Disc 3. DVD. Fox Broadcasting Company, March 31, 1996.
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BartlettRobin L. and FerberMarianne A.1998. “Humanizing Content and Pedagogy in Economics Classrooms,” In Teaching Undergraduate Economics. WalstadWilliam B. and SaundersPhillip (eds), New York: McGraw-Hill.
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BeckerWilliam E. and WattsMichael (eds.) Teaching Economics to Undergraduates: Alternatives to Chalk and Talk. Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar, 109–125.
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BeckerWilliam E. and WattsMichael. 2001. Teaching Economics at the Start of the 21st Century: Still Chalk and Talk. American Economic Review. 91 (May): 446–51.
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BeckerWilliam E. and WattsMichael. (eds.) 1998. Teaching Economics to Undergraduates: Alternatives to Chalk and Talk. Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
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BeckerWilliam E., WattsMichael and BeckerSuzanne. (eds.) 2006. Teaching Economics: More Alternatives to Chalk and Talk. Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar.
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BranchAl. 2001. Report: College spending on technology jumps 22.2 percent to $3.3 billion -News: noteworthy people, programs, funding, and technological advances in the world of higher education - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included. Matrix: The Magazine for Leaders in Education. June2001. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HJE/is_/ai_79961307?tag=artBody;col1 on January 13, 2009.
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BrownAlan and LoganChris. Eds. 2005. The Psychology of the Simpsons: D'oh! Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, Inc.
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BurdaMichael, HamermeshDaniel, and WeilPhilippe. 2007. Total Work, Gender, and Social Norms. National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. NBER Working Papers: 13000: 1–44.
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Candy Sale. (Beavis and Butthead.) Dir. JudgeMike. M JudgePerfs., SpadeD.. Volume 2 Disc 1, DVD. Paramount/MTV, April 8, 1995.
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ConsidineJohn. 2006. “The Simpsons: Public Choice in the Traditions of Swift and Orwell,” Journal of Economic Education. 37 (Spring): 217–28.
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EatonJudy and UskulAyse K.2004. Using The Simpsons to teach social psychology. Teaching of Psychology. 31 (4): 277–278.
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GardnerHoward. 1993. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
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GillisMark T. and HallJoshua. 2010. “Using The Simpsons to Improve Economic Instruction Through Policy Analysis,” The American Economist. 55 (Spring): 84–92.
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HallJoshua. 2005. “Homer Economicus: Using The Simpsons to Teach Economics,” Journal of Private Enterprise. 20 (Spring):165–76.
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HalpernPaul. 2007. What's Science Ever Done for Us: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe. Hobo-ken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Homer's Odyssey. (The Simpsons.)
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Dir. ArcherW.. Perfs. CastellanetaD., KavnerJ.. Season 1, Disc 1. DVD. Fox Broadcasting Company, January 21, 1990.
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KleinGrady and BaumanYoram. 2010. The Cartoon Introduction to Economics: Volume One: Microeconomics. New York: Hill and Wang.
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KnabeAndreas and RatzelSteffen. 2007. “Quantifying the Psychological Costs of Unemployment: The role of Permanent Income,” The German Socio-Economic Panel Study Papers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research. 32: 1–16.
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LuccasenR. Andrew and Kathleen ThomasM.. 2010. “Simpsonomics: Teaching Economics Using Episodes from The Simpsons,” Journal of Economic Education. 41 (2): 136–149.
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Marge gets a job. (The Simpsons.) Dir. LynchJ.. Perfs. CastellanetaD., KavnerJ.. Season 4, Disc 2. DVD. Fox Broadcasting Company, November 5, 1992.
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MargoRobert and SiegfriedJohn. 1996. Long-run trends in economics bachelor's degrees. Journal of Economic Education. 27(4): 326–336.
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McKeachieWilbert and SvinickiMarilla. (2006). McKeachie's teaching tips: Strategies, research, and theory for college and university teachers. (12th ed.). Boston: Houghton-Mifflin.
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MeszarosBonnie and SiegfriedJohn. Eds. 1997. The Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics. New York: National Council on Economic Education.
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PinskyMark. 2001. The Gospel According to the Simpsons: The Spiritual Life of the World's Most Animated Family. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
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ReichJustin and DaccordThomas. 2008. Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology: A Practical Guide for Teachers, by Teachers. New York: M. E. Sharpe.
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ReinhartCarmen and SavastanoMiguel. 2003. “The Realities of Modern Hyperinflation,” Finance and Development. 40(2): 20–23.
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SiegfriedJohn. 2000. “How Many College Students Are Exposed to Economics?” Journal of Economic Education. 31(2): 202–204.
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SvinickiMarilla. 1994. “Research on College Student Learning and Motivation: Will It Affect College Instruction?” In Student Motivation, Cognition, and Learning: Essays in Honor of Wilbert J. McKeachie. PintrichPaul, BrownDonald, and WeinsteinClaire eds. Hillsdale, NJ. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. The Land of Tra-La-La. (Ducktales).
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Dir. WolfF.. Perfs. YoungA., CampH.. Season 2 Episode 31. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, April 8, 1990.
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WilsonKatherine and KornJames. (2007). “Attention During Lectures: Beyond Ten Minutes,” Teaching of Psychology. 34(2): 85–89
