Hot Topic: Why Is There Corn In Your Coke? (April, 2013)

LearnLiberty, a project of the Institute for Humane Studies (a non-profit dedicated to “learning about the ideas of a free society” ) has generously invited the FTE to use their videos in  lessons on economic reasoning.  The provocatively titled “Why Is There Corn in Your Coke?” explains how the institutional “rules of the game” can affect even such mundane choices as whether soft drinks are sweetened with sugar or corn syrup, and sets the stage for understanding the power of special interest groups in our current national debates over gun control and immigration policy.

Teachers can use the short (2 1/2 minute) video at 3 different points in a semester economics course to introduce, practice, or reinforce Economic Reasoning Principles.  The teacher guide collection addresses all 3 student collections and offers suggestions for combining those collections or tailoring them for different students and classes.  Each collection can be accessed for immediate use (without modification) by clicking the GooruLearning url.

• Why Is There Corn in Your Coke? (Teachers) http://www.goorulearning.org/#!collection-play&id=42d5461c-1341-4d93-b4dd-6ead3bbd140f
• Why Is There Corn in Your Coke? 3 student collections:
  • (Student 1) – Demand, substitutes, demand shifters:  http://www.goorulearning.org/#!collection-play&id=e4b1984a-6fc1-44c1-a1ed-fea33b78151f
  • (Student 2) – Trade barriers – tariffs, quotas, subsidies:  http://www.goorulearning.org/#!collection-play&id=55231998-b868-41a0-a3c0-907fa60092fa
  • (Student 3) – Public choice – concentrated benefits and diffuse costs:  http://www.goorulearning.org/#!collection-play&id=45252ddb-048d-413e-a68f-415bbf3fe2bd

For more information about how to use and customize FTE – Gooru Hot Topics, visit the FTE website:

• Blended Learning – FTE & Gooru
• What Is FTE – Gooru? (introduction to Gooru Learning and background to our partnership)
• How to Use FTE – Gooru Collections (quick and easy steps for using Hot Topic collections without modification)
• How to Make FTE – Gooru Collections Your Own (guide to copying and customizing Hot Topic collections)