Strategic Linking of Ethics and Practical Experience in the Economics Curriculum

Abstract

Economics Departments in business schools, under the direction and influence of the AACSB, are coming under increasing pressure to provide students with both practical experience and ethical decision-making skills. However, to date, insufficient progress has been made in satisfying these twin imperatives in the economics curriculum. This paper proposes that part of the solution may lie in the twin imperatives themselves; namely, the linking of ethics to experiential learning via internships and service learning projects. Toward this end, a reflection-on-experience seminar (ROES) is proposed, placing the emphasis on students living and experiencing ethics, as opposed to the teaching of it. (A22)