Assignment:
Economics to a Non-Economist
This assignment asks that you explain and illustrate an economic concept - ANY economic concept - to someone unfamiliar with the specialized language you have spent the last years studying. That means you will need to avoid using jargon or other technical terms learned in previous economics courses.
At the top of the page, say what concept you will be describing - e.g. "price elasticity of demand," "Gini coefficient," "quantity demanded" ... your choice! Then, rather than speak as you might to an economics professor or to someone within the major, describe/explain that thing and why it is an important idea to the layperson- to a biology major, a music major, a computer programmer, a contractor ... your grandmother, etc.
BE CAREFUL! I am not asking you to (1) simply give a definition as you might find in an economics text or lnvestopedia. Nor am I asking you to oversimplify or "dumb it down." You are trying to explain the term is "plain' English, making it clear why it is worth knowing. After all, it must be important, or why would economists have given it a special name?
Examples are very useful, and the right metaphor can help a great deal. And remember, you are not trying to teach economics so your reader can speak "just like an economist." It is your job to speak just like them - the sophisticated, intelligent, non-economist and explain the underlying concept, the thing to which the economic terms refer.
(1 to 2 pages, double -spaced)
Examine and think about the writing assignment you located for a class in your major. Now think about your own writing process as well as your developing analysis skills. When you need to complete this writing assignment for a class in your major, how do you intend to apply your current skills?
(You may want to discuss whether your current writing and analytical thinking skills are sufficient to complete this assignment in your major. If they are insufficient, what will you do?)
Now think about your writing and analytical skills and discuss how you will apply them when you start your career outside the university.
I'm looking for thoughtful, insightful, and accurate assessment and discussion of your processes for writing and analysis. Please write a 3-page essay.