071: Darshak Patel on Using Popular Culture to Engage Economics Students in the Classroom and Online

Darshak Patel is currently a Lecturer of economics at the University of Kentucky, USA.

After a one-year Visiting Assistant Professor appointment at Roanoke College, Darshak served three years as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Tennessee, Martin. 

Darshak’s research and teaching interests include labor economics, microeconomics, industrial organization, the economics of education, and sports economics.  

Darshak graduated with a PhD in Economics at the University of Kentucky with his dissertation exploring the use of  option value theory to explain student decision-making in post-secondary schooling. 

Economics:

In this interview, Darshak mentions: option value theory, pedagogy, decision-making, opportunity cost, logic, profit, the hazard model, entrepreneurship, economic growth and corruption.

Economists:

In this interview, Darshak mentions: Abdullah Al-Bahrani, Kim Holder, Brendan Sheridan, Jadrian Wooten and Milton Friedman.

In this episode you will learn:

• whether using Twitter to enhance the students’ learning outcomes is effective.

• how video scrapbooking can be integrated into the economics curriculum.

• the benefits and difficulties of using social media platforms to teach economics.

• what option value theory is.

• about Milton Friedman’s recommendation to the US government to introduce a tax to finance the US involvement in World War II.

• how Bing Crosby helped promote the purchase of war bonds for the US war effort during the Second World War.

• about the transition of the Kenyan economy since the 1970s.

• about the Chinese influence in Africa.

• how you can use the economic data provided on FRED to bring your economics classroom alive.

• how Darshak is using popular culture to help interpret economic concepts and theories.

Resources:

• ESPN 30 for 30
• Rockonomix
• FRED
• Critical Commons
• Economics of Seinfeld by Professor Linda S. Ghent, Professor Alan Grant and George Lesica.
• Bazinganomics by James Tierney, G. Dirk Mateer, Wayne Geerling, Jadrian Wooten and Ben Smith.
• Economics of The Office by Dan Kuester, Dirk Mateer and Chris Youderian.
• University of Kentucky Teaching Economics Conference

Books:

• The Two-Second Advantage: How We Succeed by Anticipating the Future–Just Enough by Vivek Ranadive and Kevin Maney
• Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and  Stefan Szymanski

Papers:

• Al-Bahrani, A., Dowell, C. & Patel, D. (2016). Video Scrapbooking: An Art Form Revived in the Economics Curriculum. Journal of Economics and Economic Education Research. Forthcoming.

• Patel, D. and Saunoris, J. (2016). Using FRED Data Series to Improve Learning Outcomes in Economic Courses: From Student to Practitioner, Journal of Economics and Finance Education. Forthcoming.

• Al-bahrani, A., Patel, D. and Sheridan, B. (2015). Engaging Students Using Social Media: The Students Perspective. International Review of Economics Education, 19, 36-50.

• Al-bahrani, A. and Patel, D. (2015). Incorporating Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook in Economics Classrooms,  Journal of Economic Education. 46 (1), 56-67.

• Al-bahrani, A. and Patel, D. (2015). Using ESPN 30 for 30 to Teach Principles of Economics, Southern Economic Journal, 81 (3), 829-842.

• Patel, D. and Ward, M. R. (2011). “Using Patent Citation Patterns to Infer Innovation Market Competition,” Research Policy. 40(6), 886–894.

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