Teaching introductory economics: an interdisciplinary approach

Using three examples, this opinion piece argues that introductory economics can provide an effective context in which to introduce university students to interdisciplinary learning and thinking. The first example illustrates how input-process-output diagrams can be used to stimulate interdisciplinary thinking in classrooms when teaching the concept of production. The second and third examples illustrate how elasticity and the concept of circular economies, respectively, can be introduced using an interdisciplinary approach. These examples are suitable for introductory economics classrooms in which students gain a foundation of basic scientific and mathematical concepts.