Writing in the Introductory Microeconomics course

The work of economists demands skills of written communication. Unfortunately, many undergraduate economics curricula provide introductory students few or no opportunities to practice the critical combination of modeling analysis with written argument. We suspect that the costs of writing instruction, particularly in large introductory courses, explain the paucity of writing assignments in Principles of Microeconomics. After presenting evidence for the integral nature of writing within the economics discipline, we share suggestions for assignment creation, feedback, and grading with an eye to maximizing learning impact while managing the instructor's workload. The chapter concludes with additional suggested readings for readers who would like to learn more about writing instruction in economics.