New BA Program in Economics – Happiness Researcher Martin Binder at Bard College Berlin

Bard College Berlin expands its educational offerings with a new degree program that provides an interdisciplinary training in economics: the Bachelor of Arts in „Economics, Politics, and Social Thought,“ which will begin in Fall 2014.

In keeping with Bard College Berlin’s approach to liberal arts, the 4-year English language degree situates the study of foundational economics within the history of human cultural change and reflection. The fundamental methods and models of contemporary economics are studied in dialogue with the movement of intellectual history, and in connection to theories of politics and models of social functioning. In small-group seminars, students pursue interdisciplinary core modules, in conjunction with a range of electives in the ethics of economic analysis, social commitment, and economic development. Foreign language study is possible throughout the degree. An optional internship course supports periods of practical training, guiding students through the complexities of institutional structures and introducing them to the professional realm.

The new professorship will be held by Dr. Martin Binder, who begins his teaching appointment on April 1, 2014. Martin Binder has an interdisciplinary academic background. Binder has a M.Sc. in Business Administration, an M.A. in Philosophy from RWTH Aachen, and a PhD in Economics (summa cum laude) from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, where he wrote his dissertation on measuring societal progress and well-being. In 2012 he received a Habilitation in Economics from the same university, with a project on the effects of economic change on subjective well-being (happiness). Subsequently, he held a research position at the University of Sussex. Since 2013, Dr. Binder has been a Visiting Professor for Normative Economics and Business Ethics at the University of Kassel. Regarding his appointment at Bard College Berlin Dr. Binder stated: “Here I have the opportunity to teach economics courses that focus on human behavior from an empirical point of view, and also deal substantially with ethical issues. For the students, this approach has the advantage of a closer connection to the way things work in the real world, and thus their education in economics has greater relevance.”

Binder’s research interests are behavioral and normative economics, and especially subjective wellbeing (“happiness”). His research in these fields has been published in internationally recognized journals. In the frame of the new B.A. in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Martin Binder will be offering fundamental courses in economic theory and analysis, and in ethics.

Bard College Berlin is a private liberal arts university in Berlin, Germany, offering a broad, interdisciplinary education in the humanities and social sciences with intellectual and personal growth as its goal.

This event was last updated on 08-21-2018

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