Students volunteer at any one of a variety of community agencies that serve low-income populations to better understand the underlying issues of poverty and income distribution in their community.

This service-learning impact analysis project had students look in detail at the current employment and purchasing practices and policies of the University of Vermont. Unlike traditional impact analyses that attempt to calculate the total impact of an institution on the local economy, this project attempted to identify where the University could change policies and practices to increase positive local impacts both from an efficiency and equity perspective. Students worked with a 14-person advisory committee from the University, local and state government and local non-profits.

"Designing a dream city is easy. Rebuilding a living one takes imagination.â€ " " " -Jane Jacobs This course examines the challenges that cities will face and strategies they can use to prepare for the impacts of climate change. Particular attention will be paid to the presence of global disparities, the needs of vulnerable populations and resource constrained locales, and the ways in which local government and community-based activities can achieve equitable levels of climate-readiness.

Use the clickers to generate data for demand and supply curves by asking students to give numerical values for their maximum willingness to pay for something and their minimum willingness to accept for something. Use the data generated to graph both the demand and supply curves.

This technique reverses the usual order of definitions and examples used in class to one of presenting an example or examples first and then having students "discover" the concept when asked with carefully constructed clicker questions.

Students engage in peer editing and cooperative discussion to enhance research questions based on criteria designed to generate effective economic research questions.

A variation of the think-pair-share technique is used to reinforce understanding of the income and substitution effects associated with a price change.

This peer review of writing tool helps students improve their writing by asking their peers in the class to provide feedback in a constructive manner.

Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module/Geology of National Parks course. Students estimate travel times and costs of a driving/camping trip to visit national parks in the Colorado Plateau.

This experiment illustrates the value of exchange to students through trading of candy.

Students continue to explore the democracy journey, starting with people’s movements for civil liberties and civil rights during the 1950s to 1970s. Students are introduced to the Powell Memo of 1971, the business community’s response to this perceived attack on the American free enterprise, and then explore the landmark laws and social consequences of the resulting strategic legal campaign, organized by the Monied Power, to influence public opinion and, hence, political campaign outcomes. Students summarize the democracy journey, creating their own narrative of who rules.
Teachers can download the full set of lesson materials sets as zip files. Each set includes a teacher’s guide, PowerPoint slides, worksheets, and other materials. You can also watch instructional videos for each lesson to get an overview and learn how to teach them on the Ultimate Civics Youtube Channel.

This subject is concerned with quantitative methods for analyzing large-scale water resource problems. Topics covered include the design and management of facilities for river basin development, flood control, water supply, groundwater remediation, and other activities related to water resources. Simulation models and optimization methods are often used to support analyses of water resource problems. In this subject we will be constructing simulation models with the MATLAB® programming language and solving numerical optimization problems with the GAMS optimization package.

The lcture is an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the causes and remedies of the racial achievement gap.

SSAC Physical Volcanology module. Students build a spreadsheet to estimate the volume of volcanic deposits using map, thickness and high-water mark data from the 2005 Panabaj debris flow (Guatemala).

Students calculate the opportunity cost of attending one class. The exercise reinforces learning about implicit, explicit and total opportunity costs.

Project Description: This project focuses on economic indicators and their use as measures of an economy’s strength. Student teams will gather historical and current economic data, analyze these data, and use their findings to determine the current phase of the business cycle. Then, each team will predict the health of the U.S. economy over the next 12 months, including which phase(s) of the business cycle the economy will experience, and based on this forecast, determine what industry would be best for a venture capitalist to invest in during that time. Each team will develop charts and tables that contain its research findings and economic forecast, develop a short report of its recommendation, and present its work to a venture capitalist, economic development coordinator, or local entrepreneur. The attached project document (found in the Resource Library) includes step-by-step instructions, templates, briefings, resources, and rubrics to help in executing this project.Driving Question: What phase(s) of the business cycle do you expect the U.S. economy to experience over the next 12 months, and what industry should a venture capitalist invest in during that time? Timeframe: 2 weeks

This exercise uses the Think-Pair-Share technique to initiate the problem-solving process. It focuses on a common first step in economic problem solving: identifying relevant and irrelevant information.

Studies the relation between imaginative texts and the culture surrounding them. Emphasizes ways in which imaginative works absorb, reflect, and conflict with reigning attitudes and world views. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication. Topic for Fall: Ethical Interpretation. Topic for Spring: Women Reading, Women Writing.