1 00:00:02,020 --> 00:00:07,760 I started out teaching ECON 201 in the Fall of 1967 to 500 undergraduates 2 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,800 Over the years that's more than doubled 3 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,500 Now I'm teaching over 1000 every Fall Semester 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:19,720 I'm teaching it as though this will be the last course a student takes 5 00:00:19,730 --> 00:00:22,190 in the principles of microeconomics. 6 00:00:24,380 --> 00:00:28,920 What I want them to see is that ECON is a way of thinking about the world, 7 00:00:29,020 --> 00:00:33,040 Partly through a focus on the hard core of economic principles 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,880 Partly by trying to illustrate them with examples... 9 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,660 If I'm teaching the Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility 10 00:00:39,670 --> 00:00:42,000 I use an example my niece having a dish of ice cream... 11 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,860 [Student] He kept on offering her ice cream, and each time he offered it, 12 00:00:45,860 --> 00:00:49,240 she was less and less happy with each consecutive scoop. 13 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:51,680 I thought that was completely completely relatable and made 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,240 the concept a lot easier to understand. 15 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:55,820 [Student] Sitting down the first day of class 16 00:00:55,829 --> 00:00:57,689 I was immediately enthralled. 17 00:00:57,689 --> 00:01:00,500 He's very knowledgeable and passionate about what he teaches 18 00:01:00,500 --> 00:01:05,170 Before I took the class, everyone was saying "You must take a class with Professor Elzinga," 19 00:01:05,170 --> 00:01:08,690 because he's written this great mystery novel, he's famous... 20 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:13,280 Under the pen name of Marshall Jevons 21 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,820 my former colleague and dear friend William Breit and I 22 00:01:15,820 --> 00:01:20,660 have co-authored 3 mystery novels in which an economist 23 00:01:20,660 --> 00:01:23,000 is the central figure and solves the crime 24 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:24,540 using economic analysis. 25 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:29,700 We had done academic articles and books before so we were used to being co-authors, 26 00:01:29,860 --> 00:01:33,399 and now our four Marshall Jevons novels 27 00:01:33,399 --> 00:01:36,560 are assigned reading material in economics classes 28 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:37,820 all over the country. 29 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,370 I want the students in the large lecture 30 00:01:43,370 --> 00:01:48,170 to understand that if they want to see me, they can, they may have to wait a while 31 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:51,450 but I want the student who's been sitting there for 32 00:01:51,450 --> 00:01:55,110 thirty minutes to know that I will stay around 33 00:01:55,110 --> 00:01:56,710 until I've seen all the students. 34 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:58,120 [Student] Immediately you form a connection 35 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,340 He is a very personable man, he is very kind, he's a mentor. 36 00:02:01,380 --> 00:02:05,600 A lot of my time is spent with students talking about career opportunities 37 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,100 The level of technical knowledge of the discipline that they take from here 38 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:10,170 is really quite amazing, 39 00:02:10,170 --> 00:02:13,550 and so our graduates are highly sought after for 40 00:02:13,550 --> 00:02:16,690 graduate schools, not just in economics but in Law and Medicine. 41 00:02:20,180 --> 00:02:24,020 Because of the number of students, there's no one room where they can all take the test, 42 00:02:24,020 --> 00:02:26,300 so they are all spread all around the grounds. 43 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:29,000 If anybody gets a perfect score on the final tonight, 44 00:02:30,460 --> 00:02:33,600 that'd be great, and I would love to meet you and take you out to lunch or dinner. 45 00:02:33,620 --> 00:02:38,420 And if anybody misses every question? I would like to meet you too, same offer would hold! 46 00:02:38,420 --> 00:02:40,360 The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility 47 00:02:40,370 --> 00:02:44,230 doesn't really fit the way I view the classroom when I start in the fall 48 00:02:44,230 --> 00:02:48,010 I'm still nervous again, I want to improve the course. 49 00:02:48,010 --> 00:02:51,160 Even after all these years, I haven't lost my passion for teaching. 50 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,450 Thank you very much for your time this semester! [Applause]