Assignment:
Freakonomics Project
One of the authors of our book, Steve Levitt, has published a series of books called Freakonomics. They focus on using situations which don't seem economical on the surface, but have really deep economics within them. For this project, I want each student to pick a chapter out of his first book, and write a short reflection paper on it. Now, I picked these two chapters because I think they'll have a broad audience. There are two others in the book which are both really good, but a little more controversial (The library would only let me upload two chapters).
Here are the requirements of the paper:
3 to 5 pages, double spaced, 12-point font, 1 inch margins
I would consider a 3 page paper as having 2 full pages of content as well as a third page that has at least 10 lines on it.
Answer the following questions: What is the chapter about? (Prove to me you read it. You could spend a whole page on this!)
Do you agree with Levitt's findings? (Feel free to disagree, but back up why)
Are there any other situations where you see the same problem?
Have you ever encountered this problem or one of a similar nature? (If so, describe it) (Include any general thoughts or well justified opinions as well). Other details:
Don't fret the details: I'm not a stickler for your writing abilities.
This is a great opportunity to earn some easy points in this class. The grading will be generous, so don't skip it.
Readings:
A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
By Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner