Posts by: Will Masters

Overthinking the basics: timed exams

By On March 21, 2022 · In Academic life

Like most others in higher education, I’ve responded to students’ pandemic stress by figuring out how to do things more flexibly over space and time. For example, this Spring 2022 class can be attended in person or remotely and also watched afterwards, and similarly my midterm exam could be taken either in the classroom (and […]

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Kvelling

By On August 9, 2021 · In Academic life, Advice, Econ-o'food

A big part of teaching is kvelling about one’s students: sharing pride in their accomplishments. This morning I learned that a paper with seven student co-authors was accepted for publication. Writing the paper was a genuine team effort, so I wrote a congratulatory note to […]

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Food prices in the U.S., 1973-2021

My one-slide picture of the U.S. food system, as seen through price changes over time

By On May 20, 2021 · In Econ-o'food

I just updated my favorite one-slide picture of change since the early 1970s:

You may want to click on the image to enlarge it — or go directly to see the latest data in this format at https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=Ea8l.

This is a useful chart for teaching, to explain price formation at each stage of […]

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COVID, jobs and prices in the U.S. food system: How much has changed?

By On October 28, 2020 · In Econ-o'food

By Leah Costlow & Will Masters

More than 7 months into the pandemic, America remains in upheaval. Massive job losses, disease risks and other disruptions continue to affect almost every American household. What’s happened to jobs and prices in the food system?

Back in […]

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Faith in humanity

By On October 28, 2020 · In Advice, Econ-o'food

One of the hardest tasks in economics is to recognize and understand self-interest without condoning selfishness. There is some evidence that Econ 101 might attract and encourage more selfish behavior, a tragic mistake which the great economist Paul Samuelson described as “

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Thinking like an economist, about breastfeeding in Japan

By On September 29, 2020 · In Students' start-of-class essays

Our start-of-class essays invite students to begin “thinking like an economist” by describing a familiar thing as a three-part story: (a) your own decisions, (b) the decisions of other people with whom you interact, and (c) the rules or technologies that guide interactions. The first step requires only introspection, about our own […]

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Possible course projects: Medically tailored meals

By On September 29, 2020 · In Student posts

Right now, around week 3 of the semester, students start formulating their project topics. Here’s the initial project motivation from hospital dietician Andrea Cooper, who wrote:

I work with elderly people at risk of malnutrition. Medically tailored meals could be a lifesaver.

Older adults […]

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Possible course projects: Agricultural subsidies in the U.S.

By On September 29, 2020 · In Student posts

At this point in the semester, students start formulating their project topics. Here’s an initial description of a potential topic from MNSP student Jieun Wrigley:

The US farm bill is the primary agricultural and food policy tool of the federal government. In 2020 alone, US farmers are likely to receive as […]

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How do we fix the food system? Black Lives and Gen C point the way

By On June 28, 2020 · In Academic life, Econ-o'food

A Friedman alum recently sent me a draft plan for how to fix the broken U.S. food system, wondering what I thought of it. That prompted a long response which I’ll share with you here.

If you’re in a hurry — tl, dr: The real culprit behind our food woes is systemic political and […]

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Active learning in Zoom lectures: polls, texting and breakout rooms

By On June 24, 2020 · In Academic life

Today I did a CELT workshop on what I’ve learned about online teaching at Friedman so far, in a series for faculty to share experiences and lessons learned for the coming year. We had 49 participants from all parts of the university. By coincidence, that’s […]

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