Professor: Borts, Ryder Course format: Lecture w/section Number of respondents: 150 Total Enrollment: 279 Class Composition: Froshs: 177 Sophs: 60 Jrs: 28 Srs: 13 Concs: 9 Non-Concs: 104 Don't Know: 22

Instructor Average: 2.73 Course Average: 2.42

“Introduction to Economics” is an introductory class introducing basic principles of microeconomics and macroeconomics. There are no prerequisites. This course is required for many upper-level economics classes and for economics concentrators. This course covers roughly the same material tested on the AP exam.

Professor Borts and Ryder did not receive good reviews from students. They were criticized for being boring and dry, and for following the textbook too closely. As the class was very large, many students felt lost and the professors could not take everyone’s needs into account. Students thought Professor Borts was funnier than Professor Ryder, and that his lectures were clearer than those of Professor Ryder. However, reviewers did not appreciate his condescending manner of answering questions. Students praised the real-life examples used in class, but felt that the professors should have used more overheads and should not have spent so much time on simple topics. Overall, class members felt that the professors were unenthusiastic, uninteresting, and unaware of their students’ needs, and that the lectures were ineffective, slow, and repetitive.

Students praised the textbook, calling it clear, concise, and even humorous at times. It was far more useful and effective than the lectures, and class members relied on it to learn the material. The coursework consisted of three midterms, a final and weekly homework. Students complained that some of the exams covered material that was poorly covered in class and not at all in the text, and that the assignments were long, boring, and pointless. The homework was not adequately reviewed in sections, and many of the TAs did not speak English well.

Students spent between two and five hours a week on this class. They found the material easy to learn and useful, but commented that it is more helpful to read the textbook than to attend lecture. Some suggested taking it S/NC, while others felt that it was not difficult to get a good grade. If you plan to concentrate in economics or pursue upper-level economics courses, you will have to take this course, but don’t expect it to be a fun class.

View EC/0011 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.