Cunningham 1!

Esther Cunningham
Professor Howard
B/Ec 211
11 December 2013
Effects of MicroEconomics on Other General Education Courses
As a Communications major with an focus in Theater, my projected future does not have
me interacting with economics daily the same way a business majors future might. But if I only
took courses that applied directly to my major, then I would be at a vocational school and not a
liberal arts school. The courses that I am required to take here at Wheaton as part of my general
education and as part of my major are all interconnected. Because we have one God who is Lord
of everything, all learning can be somehow tied together. An English writing class can impact a
micro-economics class which can in turn impact a wellness class.
In my English writing class that I took last quad, all of the papers we wrote were research
papers which meant that we had to pour over books and articles and online databases in order to
find the information we needed to support our theses. The principle people generally pursue
self interest used by micro-economist apply towards the supply and demand curve can also be
applied towards the writings of scholars. The leading academics want to convince their readers
of the validity and veracity of the arguments and so the authors may chose to glide over data that
does not support their claims or even twist research to prove their point. As a reader, it is
important to keep in mind that the author, no matter how great of a scholar, has an agenda when
writing the book, a thesis that the reader is intended to accept.
In that same class, we were taught to read the texts carefully so that we could understand
the authors subtle implications and unstated conclusions. Although economists do not primarily

Cunningham 2!

deal with words and phrases hidden beneath the lines, they do deal with subtle implications and
unstated conclusions. A supply and demand graph seems to be more straightforward than a
researchers carefully nuanced journal article. But there can be so much hidden in the data
collected for the graph that is not readily gleaned on first glance. Also, the graphs state facts but
do not draw conclusions. It is up to the economist to take the information presented in the graph
and appropriately interpret it so that he or she can use the information to make a plan of action
best suited for the client.
Micro economic principles have also been reflected in my health and wellness class. The
micro economic idea of opportunity cost is applicable to physical wellness. If I choose to take
the elevator, I am missing out on the opportunity to burn calories by taking the stairs. If I choose
to eat a slice of chocolate cake for my snack, I forgo the opportunity to eat apple slices and carrot
sticks instead. Every choice we make has a cost. It is important to keep that in mind in line for
meals at Saga and deciding whether or not to head over to the SRC.
In turn, the Wellness principle of making wise life choices in regards to food and exercise
can be applied to micro economics. Just as choosing to perform some act of moderate exercise
for a half hour a day will decrease your risk of suffering a heart attack, so saving a little bit of
money every day will allow for you to have a more comfortable retirement fund. These wise
decisions we make on a daily basis can make a large impact on our future health and wellness
and prosperity. It is important to train ourselves to make wise decisions in the moment so that
we can increase our happiness in the future.