On the problems of education of fundamental economic disciplines in Ukrainian and foreign universities

The article outlines the objective and subjective-psychological factors of the reduction of the study of fundamental economic disciplines in Ukrainian universities in recent years. One of the reasons for this reduction in the scope, and even the displacement of these disciplines from the university curricula, was the terminological incorrectness associated with the use of the title "Economic Theory", which means rather a method or tool of economic research. The use of term "Economic Theory" as a title of fundamental economic discipline significantly narrows its subject, gives the impression of its theorizing and detachment from the real economy and doesn’t contribute to improving the competitiveness of the graduate in the labor market. The authors substantiate the expediency of including the discipline "Political Economy” in the list of compulsory courses in the master's educational programs on "Economics". Political economy is now being transformed into an interdisciplinary branch of economic knowledge, which emphasizes on distributive relations and social efficiency. Attention is focused on the importance of national economic education for achieving the effectiveness of economic policy. Teaching fundamental economic disciplines for students of non-economic specialties would help to improve the level of national economic education and therefore to make effective economic decisions. The experience of American universities in the formation and implementation of economic courses in the curricula of non-economics students and the approaches to updating the structure and content of such disciplines are analyzed. It provides broader possibilities in the study of fundamental economic disciplines and finally proves the importance of the normative economics alone with the positive one in the education process. It is concluded that the negative tendencies in the study of fundamental economic disciplines in Ukrainian universities can be neutralized via employing positive foreign experience and shaping a Ukrainian economics mainstream, which would include the scientific achievements of both Ukrainian and foreign economists.