Economics for Everybody - A Review....

I received a copy of Economics for Everybody by R.C. Sproul Jr. from Timberdoodle for review. It was formerly part of their 12th grade curriculum kit. 

Economics for Everybody is a DVD series of twelve lectures. Each lecture being between 15 and 27 minutes. Lessons 1-5 introduce key economic principles. Lessons 6 and 7 explain the relationship between theology, philosophy, and economics. Lessons 9-12 examine the application of economics in real-life systems. The program includes two DVDs and a 234-page Study Guide. The lessons in Economics for Everybody are intended to be done at a pace of one per week, giving you twelve weeks or one term worth of study. Each lesson in the Study Guide is broke down into several parts. These being:

Message Introduction
Suggested Scripture Reading
Learning Objectives
Quotations
Lecture Outline
Multiple Choice Questions
Short Answer Questions
Discussion Questions
A list of suggested books "For Further Study"

Economics for Everybody states it is designed for churches and small groups, middle or high schoolers, or families and individuals. Although, I watched several lessons with my middle schoolers and they were a bit lost. I think the content would better serve high school or upper level students.

According to Sproul, "The study of economics begins with God and His creation of the world....Economics is a scientific study of how God ordered the world."  Sproul is a Calvinist christian minister and Economics for Everybody is an unabashedly christian program.

The DVD lectures show images of Sproul talking while intermittently, many black and white clips, some Laurel and Hardy, are shown illustrating his point. My kids enjoyed the visual aspect of the lectures, but again, some of the lecture concepts were a little confusing for them, particularly lessons 1 and 2, which seemed very philosophical. However, as the lectures continued, Sproul began to use real life examples to aid understanding. By lesson 4, Ruben was making connections like crazy!

Overall, I enjoyed Economics for Everybody and would recommend it. However, it would not suffice for a stand alone high school Economics credit. I believe one would have to include suggested readings in the "For Further Study" in order to count it as such or add some other type of economics supplement. I am thankful for the opportunity to review this product and will definitely use Economics for Everybody in the future in some capacity at the high school level.