“It is a more reasonable approach,” he said.

Jessica M. Marglin ’06, a member of SHARE and Professor Marglin’s daughter, said she was pleased by the Core Office's decision.

“We are thrilled,” she said. “We would have preferred the course to be a substitute for the first semester of Ec 10, but we are happy that it will count for the Core. It will reach a broad audience.”

Marglin said that students should not be concerned that his course will diminish the value of economics as a discipline.

“The course will not teach people that economics is flawed and wrong,” he said. “It will teach people about the strengths and limitations of economics.”

Marglin said that he expects his class to be tougher than Ec 10.

“I think that Ec 10 is not a very challenging course by Harvard standards,” he said.

Marglin said he felt the benefits students will reap from the new course will be worth the extra work.

“You have to learn a fair amount of economics as you examine the assumptions of economics,” said Marglin. “It will cover a lot but I hope the experience rewards the effort.”

“It will be a challenging course for me, the students and the teaching fellows,” Marglin said.

—Staff writer Yailett Fernandez can be reached at yfernand@fas.harvard.edu.