In anticipation of teaching a microeconomics course this summer, I've been scouting out the collection of books that are discarded from the department's reference center for old micro texts to use in the creation of my lecture notes. And some of them are truly old. You can get a sense of just how old by taking a look at some of the practice questions. In C.E. Ferguson's "Microeconomic Theory" from 1972, we have the following gems:
- Why would an attractive young girl just out of high school become a call girl or prostitute?
- Why do more unmarried women lose their virginity in wartime than in peacetime?
Walter Nicholson's 1983 "Intermediate Microeconomics and its Applications" has this to offer:
Each year Sam Mellow grows 200 units of wheat and 100 units of pot for his own consumption and for sale to the outside world. Wheat and pot are the only two items that provide utility to Sam.
"Sam Mellow" ... classic. I'm pretty sure I would be facing a reprimand or two if I put questions like this on a test. Still, I can't help but experience a wistful longing for the days when one could make math questions about prostitution and illicit substances.
0 comments:
Post a Comment