“Doing economics” through a photographer’s lens: An experiential learning approach

Abstract

Kolb Learning Cycle Theory is employed in this study as a pedagogical framework to show how combining economics with photography can foster experiential learning. The author draws on her personal experience of teaching a course titled Economic Issues through a Photographer’s Lens to undergraduate students in an urban setting. She discusses the instructional design and activities of the course (which include field photography, photo essays, and photo exhibits) and their impact on students’ engagement and motivation. The author concludes that such experiential learning methods have the potential to improve students’ understanding of economic concepts and issues and to encourage students to discover deeper meaning in their studies.

Keywords:

• Economic education
• experiential learning
• Kolb Learning Cycle Theory
• pedagogy
• photography

JEL codes:

• A12
• A22

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Jessica Kukin, a research assistant, for her help during the initial stage of this project and to the anonymous referees for their thoughtful comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.