Construction of Ideological and Political Micro-Courses of Western Economics in Agricultural Economics Major

Xiejun CHENG

Business School, Jiangsu Second Normal University, Nanjing 211200, China

Abstract As a new means and way of combining media convergence and ideological and political education, ideological and political micro-courses play an important role in the process of cultivating the socialist core values of college students and qualified successors of the socialist cause. For western economics as the core course of agricultural economics major, how to construct ideological and political micro-courses in the era of media convergence to give full play to the effective function of micro-courses in ideological and political education in western economics has good practical significance at present.

Key words Agricultural economic management, Western economics, Curriculum ideological and political education, Micro-course

1 Introduction

General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly stressed on different occasions to promote the integrative development of media, expand the mainstream value influence, and spread the Party’s voice wider and deeper. The speeches of the General Secretary not only provide guidelines for promoting the integrative development of media, but also provide new ideas and breakthrough for the implementation of innovative forms of ideological and political education and diversification of ideological and political education in colleges and universities[1]. As a semi-structured thematic teaching method, micro-courses can focus on the problems taught in the traditional classroom to highlight an important knowledge point in classroom teaching or a certain teaching link and activity in the traditional classroom. Meanwhile, the resource capacity is relatively small, so they are suitable for teachers and students to repeatedly watch, learn and understand online, and can also be downloaded to a computer or mobile phone to realize open learning. It is an efficient means of learning. However, limited to the general understanding of micro-courses, most teachers and universities who use micro-courses regard them as the carrier of the spread of discipline knowledge, rarely give them the attribute of ideological and political education, so they fail to play their due role in cultivating students’ scientific "world outlook, outlook on life and values".

In 2020, the Ministry of Education issued theGuidelinesforIdeologicalandPoliticalConstructionofCoursesinInstitutionsofHigherEducation. It puts forward specific requirements and detailed objectives for promoting ideological and political construction of courses in colleges and universities, and also puts forward very detailed construction objectives for the ideological and political construction of specialized courses in agricultural economics. It is required to "adhere to the guidance of Marxism, guide students to go deep into social practice, pay attention to practical problems, and cultivate students’ professional quality of governing and benefiting the people". For western economics as the core course of agricultural economics major, how to deeply explore the ideological and political elements of this course to achieve the educational effect of "moistening things silently" has gradually become a hot issue that attracts wide attention. However, the existing studies rarely involve the integration of micro-courses into the ideological and political education of courses of western economics in agricultural economics major, and mainly revolve around the teaching design, teaching reform and teaching path of the ideological and political education of courses of western economics, while there are few studies on the construction of ideological and political micro-courses of western economics. Under the background of the current new era of media integration and innovation, it is worth studying how to effectively use the intuitive and high-coverage modern information technology micro-courses to construct the ideological and political education of courses of western economics more effectively.

2 Analysis of the connotation and characteristics of micro-courses

2.1 ConnotationAccording to Wikipedia, the 60-second course proposed by Professor LeRoy A.M.cGrew at the University of Northern Iowa in 1993 can be seen as the prototype of today’s micro-courses. The micro-course widely used and studied at present is generally believed to be the one-minute micro-course proposed by David Penrose of SAN Juan College in the United States in 2008. David Penrose called this course "knowledge pulse". The official definition of micro-courses in China is the first micro-course competition held by the Management Information Center of the Ministry of Education in 2012, in which the concept of micro-courses was introduced in detail. The full name of micro-courses is "micro-video courses", and the core is micro-videos, namely simplified short videos of teacher teaching, which also cover learning content such as micro-lesson plans, micro-courseware, micro-exercises and micro-reflections that are highly relevant to the video content. Since 2012, the Ministry of Education has held a national micro-course competition every year, and many provinces and cities have also begun to pay more and more attention to micro-course competitions. Micro-courses have become an important teaching means and methods.

2.2 CharacteristicsThe duration of a micro-course is generally not more than 10 min, and it needs to be clear about a particular knowledge point or problem. If the learner does not fully understand one particular knowledge point, they can watch the micro-course repeatedly. Therefore, the characteristics of micro-courses can be briefly summarized as "short time", "less content", "precise design", and "flexible effect".

2.2.1Short time. Compared with other teaching methods, the duration of a micro-course is shorter, usually only 3-5 min, and the longest duration is no more than 10 min, which can better concentrate students’ attention and achieve a good teaching effect.

2.2.2Less content. Micro-courses usually focus on a certain knowledge point, key content or difficult content, and strive to explain the knowledge point, key content or difficult content thoroughly, so as to make students master the content of micro-courses on the basis of understanding.

2.2.3Precise design. The characteristics of micro-courses such as "short time" and "less content" make the teaching objectives of micro-courses very clear and the teaching content very specific, and the main function is to provide students autonomous learning. Hence, teachers must perfect the design of teaching process and link, use the most appropriate teaching methods to guide students to study independently, and let students feel immersive learning environment through excellent language interpretation and rich images hint.

2.2.4Flexible effect. The duration of a micro-course is shorter, and teachers need to quickly make students in the state of learning in a very short time to avoid students from forgetting teaching knowledge points due to lack of attention in the early stage of the course. Therefore, in the process of making micro-courses, teachers should try their best to integrate lively and flexible elements into the course, so as to enrich and diversify the course content and arouse students’ strong interest in learning.

3 Value analysis of ideological and political micro-course teaching of western economics in agricultural economics major

The characteristics of micro teaching, as the universal application means of modern information technology in education and teaching, conform to the subjective psychological characteristics of college students receiving course knowledge and ideological and political education in the era of integrated media. It is relatively easy for students to accept it, and it is convenient for students’ independent learning and instant communications. Vivid and interesting content design can better attract students’ attention, and it is helpful to visualize the ideological and political content. Therefore, it has a good application value in the ideological and political process.

3.1 Being helpful to expand the learning space of western economics courses, enhancing understanding, and deepening the ideological and political effect of coursesWestern economics courses have many knowledge points and belong to the basic courses of economics; some economic concepts and theories are abstract, and in the analysis of economic problems, a number of preconditions are often set in advance, which requires high understanding and cognitive ability of students. It is often difficult for students to understand and grasp them in the first learning process, and it is also a challenge for students to pay attention for a long time. The emergence of micro-courses solves this problem well. Students can learn micro-courses repeatedly and actively. Teachers can release micro-course videos in the study group in advance; students can record their questions through preparing lessons before class, listen to teacher’s explanation in class, and watch micro-course videos again after class, so as to make up for the shortcomings of the traditional classroom teaching of western economics.

After in-depth understanding of the theoretical knowledge of western economics, students can clearly understand the fundamental difference between western economics and Chinese characteristic socialist market economics, and better understand that western economics always represents the interests of the bourgeoisie. At the same time, teachers and students discuss and exchange the concrete practices and great achievements of Chinese characteristic socialist market economics, so that students can deeply understand the essence of western economics, which is to defend capitalism and propagate bourgeois ideology. The economic practice of Chinese Communists is the great cause of achieving common prosperity for all the people. In this way, micro-courses can provide more effective educational approaches for ideological and political education in western economics courses and improve the ideological and political effect of the courses[2].

3.2 Coping with teaching challenges in the age of media convergenceWith the development of information technology, students have more and more ways to acquire all kinds of knowledge (including curriculum knowledge). The contents taught by teachers using traditional classroom teaching methods are constantly challenged and questioned by other knowledge obtained by students through various online media. The openness of the theoretical system of western economics is especially stronger, and different scholars may have different description and cognition on the same problem. Limited by textbooks and teaching hours in class, it is difficult for teachers to explain various theories one by one, make comparative analysis and carry out ideological and political teaching. Micro-courses can be used as an important teaching means to solve this problem. Teachers can record a variety of theories and ideological and political elements as micro-courses in advance, and upload micro-courses through class groups or learning software before class. Students can watch, learn and understand micro-courses before class, and there is no need to consider the above problems in classroom teaching, so as to improve students’ understanding of classroom teaching content and enhance students’ unified understanding.

3.3 Being helpful for teachers and students to give full play to their initiative and naturally integrating curriculum ideology and politics into western economics teachingOn the one hand, the specific time and space of traditional classroom teaching restricts teachers’ teaching. For instance, when explaining some abstract economic principles, teachers may not find the most appropriate way to explain due to the limitation of classroom hardware facilities. On the other hand, it restricts the possible ways and methods of students’ learning and understanding. For example, students are generally not allowed to use mobile phones and other intelligent electronic equipment in classroom teaching, and most college classrooms do not provide students with computers and networks. Students often have questions in the course of teachers’ lectures and fail to raise them in time. Meanwhile, due to the actual situation of running colleges and universities, most teachers seldom discuss and communicate with students after class, so that students’ questions in class can not be timely and effectively solved, and the learning effect of students will be greatly reduced over time.

Correspondingly, college teachers can use abstract and incomprehensible principles to make pictures, videos and other materials into micro-courses with the help of specific agricultural economic phenomena or economic events, which is conducive to teachers to give play to their own initiative, make abstract and esoteric academic terms into daily life, and integrate them with students’ professional activities, so that students can easily understand them. After class, students can learn relevant micro-courses according to their own conditions. The vivid and rich features of micro-courses can meet the learning needs or interests of different types of students and improve their learning efficiency.

4 Ways to construct the ideological and political micro-courses of western economics in agricultural economics major

In the new era, the teaching and dissemination of western economics courses in agricultural economics major should always adhere to the fundamental purpose of serving the socialist agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics, serving the realization of rural revitalization and serving the realization of common prosperity. It is necessary to accurately extract the valuable parts of western economics and fully understand the essence of western economics, and its bourgeois ideology is distinct. This requires western economics teachers to thoroughly understand the curriculum system of western economics, fully dig the ideological and political elements contained in the content, and achieve the educational goal of ideological and political curriculum. In order to achieve this goal, the advantages of micro-courses can be used to build the ideological and political micro-course of western economics.

4.1 Further condensing and improving ideological and political elements of courses and fully reflecting Xi Jinping’s economic thoughts on the guidance of "agriculture, rural areas and farmers" workAt present, agricultural economic management major takes western economics as the basic course, giving it a high course status. Basically, all textbooks and works must mention Adam. Smith, Keynes and other western economists, and it seems that we are all their disciples and successors. Many scholars and students ignore the necessity and urgency of constructing Chinese economics. Excessive propaganda and exaggeration of the role of western economics is not conducive to the cultivation of correct values of college students. The obvious evidence is that the so-called "economic man" hypothesis of western economics has a great influence on college students. Many college students are selfish and lack the spirit of collectivism, but mistakenly believe that their behavior is normal and reasonable. However, it is not known that a large number of negative externalities generated by completely selfish behaviors have great damage to social welfare, and it is impossible to realize the maximization of social welfare.

Western economists admit the diminishing marginal utility, but hold that the marginal utility of money remains the same. They deliberately ignore the excessively large gap between the rich and the poor under the capitalist system, beautify the distribution system under the capitalist system, and refuse to recognize its own exploitative nature[3]. Western governments collected a large number of social wealth through taxes, but did not improve the level and quality of their residents’ life. In the most developed the United States, there are still a large number of poor groups. Even because of the subjective and arbitrary nature of government expenditure, the "shutdown" of the government has brought serious negative impact on the maintenance of normal social order[4].

After the great idea of " some people are allowed to get rich first and then drive others to be rich" was put forward by Comrade Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese government has formulated an adequate and reasonable income distribution policy to encourage some people to get rich first through hard work and lawful business operations, and they have also created more social value while increasing their personal wealth. On the basis of successfully lifting people out of poverty across the country, it is necessary to fully respond to the General Secretary’s call for "more substantial progress in achieving common prosperity for all the people" in the new era. Notable progress has been made in increasing rural residents’ incomes and narrowing the income gap between urban and rural areas, but it is still needed to make continuous progress.

The above two completely different social and economic development realities can be fully demonstrated through micro-courses. The life scenes of ordinary people in western capitalist countries and those of ordinary people in China can be intuitively presented to students through pictures or videos in micro-courses, so that students directly and concretely understand that the CPC and the government are the party and the government that wholeheartedly seek the welfare of the people.

4.2 Realizing the interrelation and complementary organism of "knowledge teaching" and "value guidance" of western economics, and unifying the understanding of economic principles with the ideological and political education of curriculum

4.2.1Organic combination of the consumer choice theory of western economics and the consumer education of college students. The consumer choice theory of western economics is the consumption decision of how can consumers make the maximum effect under the assumption that the consumer’s income and the available commodities are given. In this theory, consumers spend all their income on consumption and make consumption decisions based on the law of diminishing marginal utility. Therefore, college students should be fully aware of the limitations and deficiencies of the consumption theory of western economics, and should consume rationally according to their own circumstances. In the production of micro-courses, the ancient sayings about the virtue of diligence and frugality in traditional Chinese culture and the representative figures of strict frugality can be displayed. At the same time, some typical negative cases are also displayed to deepen their subjective feelings more intuitively, guide college students to consciously resist luxury consumption, excessive consumption, conspicuous consumption and other bad consumer psychology and habits, and establish a healthy and reasonable consumption concept.

4.2.2Organic combination of the production theory and factor theory of western economics and the "innovation and entrepreneurship" education of college students. Production theory and factor theory are theories on how firms allocate different factors of production to maximize profits under the circumstance of limited resources. This theory regards the production behavior as the enterprise’s own behavior, but does not consider the externality of an enterprise’s production behavior, which is obviously irrational. While pursuing the maximization of their own profits, enterprises are likely to generate externalities to other economies. If negative externalities are generated without paying corresponding compensation, the profits of enterprises are false. Hence, in the process of learning this part of knowledge, students should be fully reminded that enterprises are not only production units, but also need to take their own social responsibilities, and try their best to generate positive externalities and avoid negative externalities.

In making this part of the ideological and political content of micro-courses, it is necessary to combine the "innovation and entrepreneurship" strategy of college students vigorously promoted by the state, guide students to actively engage in innovative activities in addition to the traditional production factors of land, capital and labor, use innovation to improve agricultural output, grasp the essence of" science and technology is the first productive force", encourage and support students to engage in high-tech innovation in agriculture[5]. Representatives, who make tireless efforts for the revitalization of agricultural science and technology, such as Li Baohua, an expert on "black soil protection", Guo Tiancai, an expert on wheat cultivation, and Yuan Longping, the "father of hybrid rice in the world", were displayed in micro-courses in various aspects to inspire students to actively participate in the initiative of "innovation and entrepreneurship".

4.2.3Organic combination of national income theory of western economics and value education of college students. National income theory is mainly about the analysis of national income growth, income distribution and macroeconomic policy. Western countries are advanced in science and technology, strong in capital and high in per capita education, and their national income is much higher than China. However, their distribution system is based on privatization, and the trend of bourgeois priority is obvious. In the highly developed economic background, the problem of income disparity is not solved, and the common prosperity of all the people is not achieved, so its fundamental institutional flaws are in full view. Many Chinese college students only see the prosperity of capitalism, but do not see the various injustices in capitalist society, especially the helplessness and hopelessness of those at the bottom. Therefore, this ideological and political content of courses will be better presented by micro-courses.

In the preparation of micro-courses, the great economic achievements made since the founding of the People’s Republic of China are shown one by one. General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward a series of new ideas and thoughts closely centered on major issues concerning the development of the socialist economics with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s economic thinking, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people to achieve the great goal of lifting all poor groups out of poverty, achieve the great goal of the "first century", and is now moving towards the "second century" goal, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation, and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization. In order to achieve "substantial progress in common service", General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed a coordinated distribution policy of "primary distribution, redistribution and third distribution" to provide institutional guarantee for common prosperity. The above content can be introduced in micro-courses to stimulate the enthusiasm of college students to learn, strengthen the formation of socialist core values, firm the ideal faith of serving social and economic development, and contribute to the realization of "happy China".

5 Conclusions

Due to the features of micro-courses such as fast update, being shareable and easy to learn, micro-courses have become an important means and ways of ideological and political theories teaching in all courses in colleges and universities. Through the overall design of ideological and political micro-courses of western economics, the integration of theoretical content and ideological and political content, and the teaching presentation of mutual promotion of rationality and sensibility, students can consciously accept ideological and political theories in the learning process, and make the original rigid ideological and political theories vivid. In the process of learning western economics, students not only master the theoretical knowledge, but also have a deep understanding of the shortcomings and defects of western economics, and take the initiative to learn and comprehend Xi Jinping’s economic thought, so that the economic thought will become a powerful ideological weapon to guide the construction of socialist market economics and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.