Title: Teaching to think: challenges and suitability of teaching inequality topics in a business school

Authors: Danielle Guizzo; Lotta Takala-Greenish

Addresses: Accounting, Economics and Finance Department, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK ' Accounting, Economics and Finance Department, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK

Abstract: By employing a critical pedagogical approach that discusses non-dominant forms of knowledge, we demonstrate how two inequality topics - gender and trade - provide a platform for rethinking standard forms of economic and social knowledge. A detailed analysis of two modules, Political Economy and International Trade and Multinational Business, reveals an openness and interest in real world examples and active learning methods. Through these, student responses indicate an emerging acceptance and positive response to topics of inequality as the basis for critical thinking. Nevertheless, students also indicate frustration with the difficulty in matching the real world to current theoretical frameworks, and the suggested uncertainty of critical pedagogical approaches. The findings also suggest that improved knowledge of different empirical approaches may be useful to focus student interest and address areas of frustration during the learning process.

Keywords: teaching economics; inequality; critical pedagogy; educational philosophy; pluralism; political economy; gender; international trade; labour; real world examples.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2018.092238

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2018 Vol.9 No.1/2, pp.106 - 127

Received: 03 Aug 2017
Accepted: 01 Feb 2018
Published online: 11 Jun 2018 *

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