 photo by Nicholle Smith '07 Janice Rye Kinghorn Assistant Professor of Economics; BS Miami University; MA, PhD, Washington University "Janice is always willing to answer student questions." - Anonymous student Issues in Labor Economics: This is a course covering issues in labor economics which will serve as an introduction to contemporary models and theories of microeconomic analysis. Dr. Janice Rye Kinghorn came to economics long before she began to write her dissertation, Industrial Structure in 19th Century Europe, at Washington University in St. Louis. She found her way to the field through an interest in international poverty, which first led her to the social sciences. "When I was very young and would read about very poor areas of the world, I would want to figure out why. It really engaged me. I thought the social sciences were a good way to explore why this disparity occurs and then, when I took my first economics class, it just clicked." Janice realized that in many ways she'd been thinking like an economist all along. Although fairly new to Antioch, Janice is not new to Ohio. She grew up in the Dayton area and so the transition she anticipated was in going from teaching graduates at the New School in New York to teaching undergraduates at Antioch. Instead, she has found that Antioch students and the students she taught at the New School to be quite similar. "Antioch students are questioning and challenging, and I was really pleased that I could maintain the level I had established with graduate students here." At Antioch, students don't just regurgitate facts, and Janice hopes to create a classroom environment in which the students are able to ask just about anything. "Sometimes, with the field of economics, they'll kind of sheepishly say 'this may be a dumb question but…' I want to make sure that they don't ever feel that those are dumb questions. They often bring in things from the outside that they don't understand that have some connection to economics. I want them to feel comfortable doing that." Janice's challenge as an educator at Antioch is quite different then it was at any other institution at which she's taught: "At any of the other schools, I had to push students to look at heterodox theories but here I have to push and say you have to look at the orthodox theories too." Janice has three kids, her research, and her teaching. She finds that balance can be very hard thing to achieve. The secret, she's found, is in using her research to structure her courses and her courses to structure her research. "I'm teaching labor economics and, when I got into the curriculum, I realized that what I'm teaching is what I'm doing." When her courses can compliment her research and vice versa, Janice feels motivated and hopeful. "At the New School they were much more into research, but I've found that teaching really stimulates my research. It brings new ideas to the table." Janice imagines at another institution finding balance would be even harder, and has found Antioch to be very accepting and flexible. Janice strives to communicate with her students in new ways and to reach all the students in the room. What you might not know about Janice Kinghorn: Janice is a not
so secret reader of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, loves Blue
Grass, and has won more than her fair share of hula-hoop contests. by Rachel Moulton '97 Read Dr. Kinghorn's Faculty Page
page last updated: May 10, 2004 |
|
Back to Community Profiles
Antioch College
795 Livermore St.  Yellow Springs, OH 45387 937-769-1000submit feedback on this web page |