The 10 Greatest Films for Teaching Economics

Abstract

We asked economic educators from around the country to identify five films that they found most useful in teaching economics. Our sample of 105 educators reflects wide-ranging opinions about the greatest films for teaching economics. We provide summaries of each of the Top 10 films in our list and short descriptions of the next 10. The films surveyed are an eclectic mix that spans different eras and genres. It is our hope that this list will spur conversations about economics among interested readers and economic educators.

Facilitating Student Connections and Study Partners During Periods of Remote and Online Learning

“…This method would be an online replication of the work by Wooten (2020). While the content of Netflix and Hulu changes periodically, instructors may be able to access films directly related to economics or endorsed by economic educators (Mateer, O'Roark, and Holder 2016).…”

Open Video Repositories for College Instruction: A Guide to the Social Sciences

“…(dirkmateer.com/, 2011-present, N > 400), organized into teaching ideas and media relevant to key concepts, provides clips from his lectures and found popular media (see "Gangs of New York," Mateer, n.d.). Mateer also has published significant scholarship on media integration (e.g., Ferrarini & Mateer, 2014;Mateer, O'Roark, & Holder, 2016;Mateer & Stephenson, 2011), contributed to a useful website on that topic (see Mateer, Ghent, Porter, & Purdom, 2014), and most recently, collaborated on several edited-content OVRs (see below).…”

Using the Movie Joy to Teach Innovation and Entrepreneurship

“…Mateer and Li (2008) and Mateer, Ghent, and Stone (2011) provide online catalogs of numerous film and TV clips for use in teaching economics. Lastly, Mateer, O'Roark, and Holder (2016) describes the ten best films for teaching economics based on a survey of economic educators.…”