Academic

Like the public in general and those interested in business issues in particular, we all have been focused on the complex web of issues impacting the markets and the economy.  I have also been trying to grapple with whether and, more importantly, to what extent I should cover such issues in class. 

To be sure, my response likely would be easier and my coverage of these issues more extensive if I was teaching Securities Regulation.  However, currently I am teaching Business Associations, which of course is a class designed for students with little to no business background.  I teach BA by beginning with a focus on partnerships and other business entities.  This means that the class had barely begun talking about how to form a corporation when these events began to unfold.  Of course, given that it is a class about businesses--even if an introductory one--I certainly feel it is important to discuss these current events.  This means I end up devoting some portion of the beginning of each class talking about recent economic events, while trying to highlight how at least some of the issues being raised will relate to topics covered during later class sessions.  I must admit that when I finally turn to my "regularly scheduled reading assignments," the cases that previously seemed to reflect weighty corporate concerns somehow seem to pale in comparison.  But I also wonder how others who teach in this area  are striking the balance between covering their syllabus, on the one hand, and informing students about the economic/financial issues being played out, or otherwise discussing such issues in class, on the other.