Suggested Program Tracks
Gateway Courses
Similar to other programs and departments, gateway courses are strongly encouraged to be taken as they provide a foundational basis in the area of business and enterprise studies. In addition to taking the four gateway courses in business and enterprise as outlined immediately below, we strongly suggest our students take a minimum of three more courses from the following tracks.
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
INTD 0116
Current
Upcoming
Accounting/Budgeting/Lib Arts
Course Description
Accounting, Budgeting, and the Liberal Arts
Accounting is the lingua franca of commercial and financial activity, and applies equally to corporations, non-profits, and governments. In this course we will learn the basic concepts and standards underlying the accounting language including: revenue recognition, inventory, long-lived assets, present value, long-term liabilities, and financial statements. We then turn to the application and use of accounting information in forecasting, operating, and measuring an enterprise. These managerial accounting concepts are used to develop budgets and evaluate results. Our understanding of accounting and financial statements is needed to understand how business interrelates with society. The major course project will be developing an Excel financial model; no prior Excel experience required. 3 hrs. lect., 3 hr. lab (not open to students who have taken INTD 0316).
Terms Taught
INTD 0120
Current
Upcoming
Intro Business & Enterprise
Course Description
Introduction to Business and Enterprise
This course provides students who have little to no background in business with a broad overview of business and enterprise in the economy. Students will learn about types of enterprises and a functional framework for understanding a business, including strategy, finance, production, and marketing. This framework will be used to analyze various businesses and non-profits, exploring the advantages and disadvantages of various structures. The course will give overviews of accounting and entrepreneurship, and explore policy and philosophical debates about the morality of for-profit business and the need for corporate responsibility. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0130
Upcoming
Business Ethics
Course Description
Business Ethics
Capitalism and competitive markets are often considered the most efficient system of simultaneously maximizing private wealth and public good. In the real world, however, truly competitive markets do not exist. Imperfect markets have been made to work efficiently while protecting public good through systems of public intervention, i.e., laws and regulations, and voluntary self-restraint by business organizations in response to societal expectations. In this class we will consider the role of ethics in business, with students analyzing the process by which ethical norms and strongly held moral beliefs guide the conduct of economically driven business organizations. Students will reflect on business managers’ responsibility to their owners, i.e., shareholders, other stakeholders, and society-at-large. 3 hrs. lect./dsc
Terms Taught
INTD 0217
Current
Introduction to Finance
Course Description
Introduction to Finance
In this introductory survey course we will cover the role of finance in society, the basic workings of the financial system, how funds are allocated within the economy, and how institutions raise money. We will cover a range of topics, including: interest rates and the time value of money; uncertainty and the trade-off between risk and return; security market efficiency; stocks, bonds and optimal capital structure; financing decisions and capital budgeting; sovereign risk; foreign currencies; derivatives markets; and concerns about the role of finance in society. The course will include discussions of current news events in global markets. (INTD 0116 or INTD 0120 or by Instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hr. lab
Terms Taught
Finance
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
ECON 1023
Upcoming
Extending Financial Services
Course Description
Extending Financial Services to the Unbanked
In this course we will explore different interventions and tools used for poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, and the extension of financial services to the unbanked poor in emerging markets. Using examples drawn from the field, we will look at the use of microfinance, microinsurance, and digital financial services to achieve these goals in developing countries. In addition to articles, the practitioner will draw on special guest speakers to represent case studies and themes from the course outline.
Elizabeth Toder began her international development adventure as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand 30 years ago and most recently served as the US Treasury Department’s Resident Advisor in Madagascar, advising the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank on financial inclusion./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0208
Current
Finance, Regulation, & Policy
Course Description
Finance, Regulation, and Policy
With recent financial scandals and crises, an important question is whether the finance industry should be regulated and should undergo further policy reforms. Many scholars and policy experts contend that the current system is simply not designed to make policy choices on behalf of the public. In this course we will explore current financial innovations (e.g., mutual funds, hedge funds, securitizations, cryptocurrencies, just to name a few) and potential policy options in order to protect “Main Street” from “Wall Street”. Additionally, we will explore the manner in which modern finance has grown out of powerful theories, both mathematical and psychological. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0217
Current
Introduction to Finance
Course Description
Introduction to Finance
In this introductory survey course we will cover the role of finance in society, the basic workings of the financial system, how funds are allocated within the economy, and how institutions raise money. We will cover a range of topics, including: interest rates and the time value of money; uncertainty and the trade-off between risk and return; security market efficiency; stocks, bonds and optimal capital structure; financing decisions and capital budgeting; sovereign risk; foreign currencies; derivatives markets; and concerns about the role of finance in society. The course will include discussions of current news events in global markets. (INTD 0116 or INTD 0120 or by Instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hr. lab
Terms Taught
INTD 0219
Corporate Governance
Course Description
Corporate Governance
In this course, students will learn about the topic of corporate governance with a focus on large publicly traded corporations. At the firm level, the importance of corporate governance is justified by the complexity of the contractual environment where owners (shareholders), executive managers, board of directors and other stakeholders interact. We will cover topics in ownership and control, managerial monitoring and compensation, the structure and diversity of the board of directors, and shareholder engagement and activism. Also, in the wake of various corporate scandals worldwide, the role of corporate governance codes and regulation in setting new standards and best practices is evident. We will look at the evolution of these corporate governance standards, both in the U.S. and internationally. (INTD 0120 and/or INTD 0217)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0222
Current
Upcoming
Sustainable Finance
Course Description
Sustainable Finance
In this course we will posit the rationale for Sustainable Finance, which aims to facilitate business propositions and accelerate capital allocation to initiatives that benefit society, the environment, employees, customers, and investors alike. The starting point will be the traditional building blocks of finance. From these foundations, we will assess the impact of Sustainable Finance decisions on different societal crisis points (climate change, health pandemic, social inequality and injustice, financial crisis, etc.) The course will question what the individual can do, in the face of the sustainability crisis, through innovative (finance-driven) initiative. The course offering will be deeply anchored around project based learning principles, exploring innovative finance and sustainable framework solutions away from the singular focus of short-term financial profit maximization. (ECON 0265, INTD 0120, INTD 0217, or by instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0319
Investment Management
Course Description
Investment Management
In this course we will build on knowledge of accounting and finance and apply that knowledge to investment analysis, asset allocation, portfolio management, and capital markets and risk analysis. Designed to provide the basic concepts and principles of investing, the course examines investment theory and practice for investing a portfolio and evaluating its performance. We will discuss both traditional and alternative investments. Topics include securities markets, risk and return, capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and diversification, portfolio theory, private equity, valuation of equity, valuation of fixed-income securities, options and futures markets. Recommended prior courses would be: Math 0116, INTD 0116 or INTD 0217. Students who have not taken INTD 0116 or INTD 0217 are invited to contact the professor to discuss and review their basic proficiency in Accounting and Finance. 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs lab
Terms Taught
INTD 0320
Capital Markets
Course Description
Capital Markets
This course surveys and analyzes the instruments traded in modern asset markets, the mechanisms that facilitate their trading and issuance, as well as, the motivations of issuers and investors across different asset classes. The course will balance functional and institutional perspectives by highlighting the problems market participants are seeking to solve, as well as the existing asset markets that have arisen to accomplish these goals. We will consider the nature of structure of asset markets, and the design, issuance, and pricing of financial instruments, focusing on how arbitrage strategies keep their prices in-line with one another. (INTD 0116 or INTD 0217 or by instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab
Terms Taught
INTD 0401
Adv Topics in Bus.& Enterprise
Course Description
Advanced Topics in Business & Enterprise Seminar
In this seminar, we will explore advance topics in finance, organizations, management science, law and business, marketing, and decision theory. Typically, the theme of the seminar will rotate yearly with odd years being finance oriented and even years being management science or leadership-oriented topics. For AY23, we will explore the quantitative topic of venture capital and private equity. The course will focus on the following four areas: business valuation, financing, private and venture capital industry, and exit. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience. (INTD 0120: Intro to Business & Enterprise and INTD 0217: Intro to Finance, or with Instructor Approval)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1008
Upcoming
Quant Trading in Finance
Course Description
Quant Trading in Finance
In this course we will learn about quantitative finance and the stock market specifically. We will focus on how the stock market works and what it means to be a “quant”. Students will use Matlab extensively or another statistical package to build models that predict future stock movements. Morning lectures/discussions will focus on the workings of the stock market and the inefficiencies that might be present. In afternoons “lab” sessions and as “homework” students will work by themselves or in teams (with the instructor’s help) to build actual models of future stock prices. Students will learn not only how to build those models but also how to evaluate how effective they are. It would be very useful if the interested student had some previous coding experience or took a matlab tutorial before the class starts. (BIOL 0211 or CSCI 0145 or CSCI 0150 or ECON 0210 or MATH 0116 or PSYC 0201 or STAT 0116 or Instructor Approval)
Scott Smallwood has worked in the hedge fund field for 15 years and is currently running his own small quantitative hedge fund./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1023
Financial Analysis
Course Description
Financial Analysis
In this course we will learn basic accounting and corporate finance concepts and apply them to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Students will develop in-depth language skills for interpreting financial information (by way of case studies and the textbook) used to make decisions for shareholders, stakeholders, and government, and we will reflect on the impact of these decisions on society writ large. Topics of accounting ethics, corporate governance, and financial frauds will also be discussed in a liberal arts context.
David R. Miller is an experienced private equity investor and strategy consultant. His career included positions at a middle-market focused private equity firm, as well in investment banking and strategy consulting. David, with his wife Sonya and their two daughters, lived in Chicago for many years before moving to Charleston, SC, and more recently to just outside of Newport, RI. David earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign./
Terms Taught
INTD 1250
Real Estate Development&Financ
Course Description
Introduction to Real Estate Development and Finance
Urban planning and policy can shape cities, but in most cases our environment is actually built, project by project, by individual developers, whose choices of land use, building types, construction methods and operations are shaped by economic factors. Private equity funds, non-profit housing trusts, retailers, hotel operators and entrepreneurs all must grapple with the costs and risks, and potential returns and social impacts of a development project. Students in this course will learn the fundamentals of development, including the valuation of land and structures, financing with debt and equity, non-profit mission-driven development, modeling investment flows and managing risk.
Originally trained as an architect, David Hamilton has managed and consulted on innovative development and construction projects in tech office, healthcare, housing and farmland conservation. He teaches at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and is the co-author of Professional Real Estate Development, ULI Press./
Terms Taught
Requirements
Organization Studies
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
INTD 0205
Current
Marketing
Course Description
Marketing: Formulation, Methods, and Research
Marketing is both a qualitative and a quantitative discipline. It is one of the rare business fields that actively draws upon and integrates the creative and analytical components of the liberal arts tradition. In this course students will be exposed to a broad overview of marketing principles, focusing on the application of marketing theory to for-profit, not-for-profit, and the public sectors. Cause marketing and social marketing techniques will also be discussed to determine their utility in combating social ills and promoting favorable public health behaviors and outcomes. As the implementation of marketing programs is undergoing a massive transformation from conventional to digital media, students will be exposed to digital designing and marketing, which are driven by a sound understanding of consumer segmentation, brand positioning, distinct product benefits, and relevant in-market executions. (INTD 0120) Introductory statistics course recommended. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
INTD 0219
Corporate Governance
Course Description
Corporate Governance
In this course, students will learn about the topic of corporate governance with a focus on large publicly traded corporations. At the firm level, the importance of corporate governance is justified by the complexity of the contractual environment where owners (shareholders), executive managers, board of directors and other stakeholders interact. We will cover topics in ownership and control, managerial monitoring and compensation, the structure and diversity of the board of directors, and shareholder engagement and activism. Also, in the wake of various corporate scandals worldwide, the role of corporate governance codes and regulation in setting new standards and best practices is evident. We will look at the evolution of these corporate governance standards, both in the U.S. and internationally. (INTD 0120 and/or INTD 0217)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0220
Management and Enterprise
Course Description
Management, Enterprise, and Business
What does it mean to lead or manage a business, non-profit or any other enterprise, and how does one go about doing it? Drawing on different management theories, this course will explore games and "tactics" deployed by organizations. We will leverage basic industrial organization frameworks from economics (eg. hold-outs, switch costs, network effects, economies of scope, etc) to decipher organizational behavior. In addition, we will review case studies of organizations facing serious management challenges and explore how those challenges could be addressed (INTD0120 or by waiver).
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0221
Upcoming
Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
Course Description
Creating New Enterprises To Solve Significant Problems: For-Profit and Social Entrepreneurship
In this class students will explore how entrepreneurial innovators solve significant problems by creating new enterprises, and how these new organizations impact our society. In today’s society, entrepreneurship seems ubiquitous. At times, it appears that entrepreneurs can do no wrong. At other times, they are depicted as over-optimistic fools. Such polar characterizations may sell magazines, but they do not capture what entrepreneurship is, which involves a more complex and interesting story— in both for-profit and social entrepreneurship environments. Students will explore entrepreneurship in depth with the goal of penetrating the popular veneer and uncovering the essence of starting and growing new enterprises designed to solve significant societal problems.
Terms Taught
INTD 0231
Upcoming
Public Management
Course Description
Public Management: Creating Public Value
In this course, we will learn how a public administrator/manager is qualitatively different from a manager in the private sector and the nonprofit sector. We will first survey the core foundations, principles, and readings of the field of public administration and public management. Students will then acquire and develop their own public manager’s toolbox which includes an introduction to goal setting and accountability, financial stewardship of public assets, policy system analysis, quantitative policy modeling techniques, and market failures. Students will also engage with International public administration/management readings and examples. Class discussion, case studies, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform students’ learning experiences. (INTD 0120 and PSCI 0104)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0233
Current
Ethnography of Organizations
Course Description
Ethnography of Organizations
In this course we will explore how ethnography contributes to the understanding of organizational life and organizational forms. We will explore ethnographic case studies and readings of different types of organizations (e.g., for-profit, not-for-profit, and governmental agencies) from the cultural and artisan, faith-based, sports, healthcare, high tech, prisons/asylums, and finance domain. Students will develop a strong grounding in the theories of ethnography of organizations. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research writing assignments, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0321
Neuroscience and Business
Course Description
Minding Business: Neuroscience and Business
In this seminar, we will explore the potentiality of building better businesses through brain science. We will investigate the field of neuroscience and business. Falling under the penumbra of organizational behavior and management science, this course will focus on the following five key areas: ethical, legal, and philosophical concepts of neuroscience in commerce and technology, group and team-based leadership chemistry and dynamics enhanced by neuroscience, neuroeconomics, neuromarketing, and lastly brain science and the humanities. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience. (INTD 0120 and PSYC 0105, or Instructor Approval.)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1001
Marketing & Brand Strategy
Course Description
A Liberal Arts Introduction to Marketing and Brand Strategy
Brands surround us: Middlebury, Google, Coke. Even you are a brand. But what is a brand? How do consumers make brand choices? And what defines the market of competing brands? In this course we will explore the fundamentals of marketing strategy and branded communications through the lens of a liberal arts education spanning psychology, geography, economics, neuroscience and art history. We will discuss a range of brand cases along with a selective reading list including the gruesome story of Vermont railway worker Phineas Gage, Daniel Kahneman’s classic Thinking Fast & Slow, and cartoonist Scott McCloud’s guide to making comics.
Tom Palmer graduated from Middlebury in 1985 (as did his wife Heather Henderson Palmer) with a double major in Economics and Geography and a concentration in Modern Art History. That blend of disciplines has been instrumental in his business success, and it is the inspiration for this course proposal. He thanks his friend and Middlebury advisor, Bob Churchill, for inspiring him to learn for the love of learning and to teach for the love of teaching. As they say in advertising, Bob Churchill was the “pivot” in the story of his Middlebury experience./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1007
Upcoming
Supply Chain & Global Commerce
Course Description
Supply Chain, Logistics & Transportation: The Backbone of Global Commerce
In this course, students will learn about the basics of supply chain, including activities such as planning, sourcing & procurement, manufacturing, transportation & freight, reverse logistics and supporting technologies. We will explore and go deeper into industries or aspects that students find a connection to (ex: “the supply chain of sports” or “the sustainable supply chain” or “GenAI-powered autonomous supply chains”). We will hear from guest speakers from companies such as Accenture, Nike, Patagonia and Amazon, etc. and discuss career opportunities in supply chain, and related areas (finance, marketing, operations, consulting, etc.). Weather and time-permitting, we will look to have a field trip to a warehouse or distribution center (TBD). The class will conclude with a project that asks the students to fuse what they’ve learned with an innovative new idea. (Open to Juniors and Seniors only.)
John Atherton graduated from Middlebury College in 1993 with a major in geography, and a minor in studio art. After coaching athletics at the college level, and teaching at a boarding school, he found his way into the world of global supply chain, and has been a practitioner for over 20 years. John has worked for a major global container shipping line, grew a tech start-up from nothing to something, and is now with the biggest consulting firm on the planet. In 2018, John was inducted into the Middlebury College Athletic Hall of Fame (Soccer, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Football)./
Terms Taught
Requirements
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
INTD 0205
Current
Marketing
Course Description
Marketing: Formulation, Methods, and Research
Marketing is both a qualitative and a quantitative discipline. It is one of the rare business fields that actively draws upon and integrates the creative and analytical components of the liberal arts tradition. In this course students will be exposed to a broad overview of marketing principles, focusing on the application of marketing theory to for-profit, not-for-profit, and the public sectors. Cause marketing and social marketing techniques will also be discussed to determine their utility in combating social ills and promoting favorable public health behaviors and outcomes. As the implementation of marketing programs is undergoing a massive transformation from conventional to digital media, students will be exposed to digital designing and marketing, which are driven by a sound understanding of consumer segmentation, brand positioning, distinct product benefits, and relevant in-market executions. (INTD 0120) Introductory statistics course recommended. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
INTD 0209
Current
Big Data & Big Obligations
Course Description
Big Business, Big Data, & Big Obligations
In this course we will examine the cultural, economic, ethical, and legal implications of, analytics, big data, and computation. Drawing on various disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, students will read works relating to the science of data collection, aggregation, and analysis. Students will learn that with opportunities for both financial gain and social good (which big data brings) comes various perils, including privacy violations, disability/gender/racial discrimination, economic disruption, negative environmental spillovers, and political destabilization.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0219
Corporate Governance
Course Description
Corporate Governance
In this course, students will learn about the topic of corporate governance with a focus on large publicly traded corporations. At the firm level, the importance of corporate governance is justified by the complexity of the contractual environment where owners (shareholders), executive managers, board of directors and other stakeholders interact. We will cover topics in ownership and control, managerial monitoring and compensation, the structure and diversity of the board of directors, and shareholder engagement and activism. Also, in the wake of various corporate scandals worldwide, the role of corporate governance codes and regulation in setting new standards and best practices is evident. We will look at the evolution of these corporate governance standards, both in the U.S. and internationally. (INTD 0120 and/or INTD 0217)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0220
Management and Enterprise
Course Description
Management, Enterprise, and Business
What does it mean to lead or manage a business, non-profit or any other enterprise, and how does one go about doing it? Drawing on different management theories, this course will explore games and "tactics" deployed by organizations. We will leverage basic industrial organization frameworks from economics (eg. hold-outs, switch costs, network effects, economies of scope, etc) to decipher organizational behavior. In addition, we will review case studies of organizations facing serious management challenges and explore how those challenges could be addressed (INTD0120 or by waiver).
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0221
Upcoming
Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
Course Description
Creating New Enterprises To Solve Significant Problems: For-Profit and Social Entrepreneurship
In this class students will explore how entrepreneurial innovators solve significant problems by creating new enterprises, and how these new organizations impact our society. In today’s society, entrepreneurship seems ubiquitous. At times, it appears that entrepreneurs can do no wrong. At other times, they are depicted as over-optimistic fools. Such polar characterizations may sell magazines, but they do not capture what entrepreneurship is, which involves a more complex and interesting story— in both for-profit and social entrepreneurship environments. Students will explore entrepreneurship in depth with the goal of penetrating the popular veneer and uncovering the essence of starting and growing new enterprises designed to solve significant societal problems.
Terms Taught
INTD 0233
Current
Ethnography of Organizations
Course Description
Ethnography of Organizations
In this course we will explore how ethnography contributes to the understanding of organizational life and organizational forms. We will explore ethnographic case studies and readings of different types of organizations (e.g., for-profit, not-for-profit, and governmental agencies) from the cultural and artisan, faith-based, sports, healthcare, high tech, prisons/asylums, and finance domain. Students will develop a strong grounding in the theories of ethnography of organizations. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research writing assignments, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0321
Neuroscience and Business
Course Description
Minding Business: Neuroscience and Business
In this seminar, we will explore the potentiality of building better businesses through brain science. We will investigate the field of neuroscience and business. Falling under the penumbra of organizational behavior and management science, this course will focus on the following five key areas: ethical, legal, and philosophical concepts of neuroscience in commerce and technology, group and team-based leadership chemistry and dynamics enhanced by neuroscience, neuroeconomics, neuromarketing, and lastly brain science and the humanities. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience. (INTD 0120 and PSYC 0105, or Instructor Approval.)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0401
Adv Topics in Bus.& Enterprise
Course Description
Advanced Topics in Business & Enterprise Seminar
In this seminar, we will explore advance topics in finance, organizations, management science, law and business, marketing, and decision theory. Typically, the theme of the seminar will rotate yearly with odd years being finance oriented and even years being management science or leadership-oriented topics. For AY23, we will explore the quantitative topic of venture capital and private equity. The course will focus on the following four areas: business valuation, financing, private and venture capital industry, and exit. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience. (INTD 0120: Intro to Business & Enterprise and INTD 0217: Intro to Finance, or with Instructor Approval)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1001
Marketing & Brand Strategy
Course Description
A Liberal Arts Introduction to Marketing and Brand Strategy
Brands surround us: Middlebury, Google, Coke. Even you are a brand. But what is a brand? How do consumers make brand choices? And what defines the market of competing brands? In this course we will explore the fundamentals of marketing strategy and branded communications through the lens of a liberal arts education spanning psychology, geography, economics, neuroscience and art history. We will discuss a range of brand cases along with a selective reading list including the gruesome story of Vermont railway worker Phineas Gage, Daniel Kahneman’s classic Thinking Fast & Slow, and cartoonist Scott McCloud’s guide to making comics.
Tom Palmer graduated from Middlebury in 1985 (as did his wife Heather Henderson Palmer) with a double major in Economics and Geography and a concentration in Modern Art History. That blend of disciplines has been instrumental in his business success, and it is the inspiration for this course proposal. He thanks his friend and Middlebury advisor, Bob Churchill, for inspiring him to learn for the love of learning and to teach for the love of teaching. As they say in advertising, Bob Churchill was the “pivot” in the story of his Middlebury experience./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1032
Upcoming
Nanotechnology
Course Description
Nanotechnology
In this interdisciplinary course, we’ll zoom in (and out) on nanotechnology–the manipulation of matter at the atomic scale. We’ll explore nanotechnology’s role in optics, computing, energy, and biology, beginning with ancient art all the way through the AI revolution. We'll explore applications of nanoscience, including the chips in your smartphone and the mRNA COVID vaccines, while considering the accessibility and sustainability of these emerging technologies. In addition to interactive lectures and discussions, we’ll hear from guest scientists, entrepreneurs, and regulators in this evolving space. With hands-on experiments and field trips to local science labs and art installations, we’ll observe
nanoscale structures at work. Together, we’ll focus on developing critical thinking and creative communication skills across both scientific and social
contexts.
Vijay Kris Narasimhan, Ph.D. (he/him) is the Director of R&D Collaborations at EMD Electronics, a science and technology company that develops advanced materials for semiconductor nanotechnology. With a BASc in Computer Engineering from the University of Ottawa, an MPhil in Nanotechnology Enterprise from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University, Vijay has broad expertise, with contributions in nanostructures for neural interfaces; nanoscale electronic and optical materials; renewable energy technology and rural electricity access; and AI for sustainability./
Terms Taught
Requirements
Leadership Studies
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
INTD 0202
The Diverse Workplace
Course Description
The Diverse Workplace: Gender, Race and the Modern Corporation
Knowing why and how to harness the power of human difference to facilitate human flourishing is a critical competency for leaders. In this course we will learn about the challenges and opportunities of diversity. This course has three components. First, students will explore ways humans can advance in the modern workplace and how the roles of people of all genders must evolve in order to do so. The second component centers on the issue of race in and at the organization/corporation (for-profit and not-for-profit). And the third component relates to how workplace diversity is a valuable and strategic asset to the modern corporation. Students will learn that organizations, too, are social actors. As such, issues of gender and race shape organizations and their ability to obtain cultural, political, and material resources they need to survive—the organizing process. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0203
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
Course Description
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
In this course students will explore a question with deep implications for our society: do businesses have an ethical or social responsibility to move beyond the profit-maximization principle? If so, to what extent should businesses act as social institutions that shape the basic rules of society rather than simply reacting to them? By drawing on materials from social sciences, humanities, and the legal field, students will consider to what extent business should become part of the sustainable and planetary solution and what their ethical responsibility is to minimize their own harmful actions.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0209
Current
Big Data & Big Obligations
Course Description
Big Business, Big Data, & Big Obligations
In this course we will examine the cultural, economic, ethical, and legal implications of, analytics, big data, and computation. Drawing on various disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, students will read works relating to the science of data collection, aggregation, and analysis. Students will learn that with opportunities for both financial gain and social good (which big data brings) comes various perils, including privacy violations, disability/gender/racial discrimination, economic disruption, negative environmental spillovers, and political destabilization.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0219
Corporate Governance
Course Description
Corporate Governance
In this course, students will learn about the topic of corporate governance with a focus on large publicly traded corporations. At the firm level, the importance of corporate governance is justified by the complexity of the contractual environment where owners (shareholders), executive managers, board of directors and other stakeholders interact. We will cover topics in ownership and control, managerial monitoring and compensation, the structure and diversity of the board of directors, and shareholder engagement and activism. Also, in the wake of various corporate scandals worldwide, the role of corporate governance codes and regulation in setting new standards and best practices is evident. We will look at the evolution of these corporate governance standards, both in the U.S. and internationally. (INTD 0120 and/or INTD 0217)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0231
Upcoming
Public Management
Course Description
Public Management: Creating Public Value
In this course, we will learn how a public administrator/manager is qualitatively different from a manager in the private sector and the nonprofit sector. We will first survey the core foundations, principles, and readings of the field of public administration and public management. Students will then acquire and develop their own public manager’s toolbox which includes an introduction to goal setting and accountability, financial stewardship of public assets, policy system analysis, quantitative policy modeling techniques, and market failures. Students will also engage with International public administration/management readings and examples. Class discussion, case studies, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform students’ learning experiences. (INTD 0120 and PSCI 0104)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0302
Upcoming
Life of Meaning
Course Description
Prepared for a Life of Meaning
In this course we will explore psychology, education and sociological literature detailing the promise of higher education and opportunities to create a life of meaning. Students will contemplate the relation between the social and economic promises of higher education and corresponding ideals of a life of meaning. Students will formulate their own definitions and goals for a meaningful life. Using multidisciplinary frameworks, students will develop skills that enhance the likelihood of leading meaningful lives for themselves and their communities. 3 hrs. lect. Instructor Approval only.
Terms Taught
INTD 0407
Current
Leadership
Course Description
Leadership
What is leadership, and what does good leadership require? In this course we will investigate these important questions, focusing on today’s world context. Examples from politics, business, and community organization around the world will guide our inquiry, help us evaluate the quality of leadership affecting us and others, and enable us to assess our own leadership potential. To achieve these course goals, we will analyze real-world examples of good and poor leadership from around the world, compare across leadership cases, and assess leadership examples against theories of leadership in business, political science, history, and psychology. Class discussions, in-class simulations, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform our learning experience while reflection papers, individual research projects, individual oral presentations, and class participation will help gauge student learning.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1019
Upcoming
Shakespeare to Wall Street
Course Description
From Shakespeare to Wall Street: Management and the Liberal Arts
In this course, students will explore how a Liberal Arts education (e.g., critical thinking, ethical behavior, and society building) can serve to humanize business. We will draw on various business case studies, videos, academic readings, and leverage wisdom from three Shakespearean works, Hamlet, King Lear, and The Merchant of Venice. We will then apply our newfound lessons to various business contexts (as Wall Street is a metaphor for business writ large) with the hopes of promoting human ethical conduct, corporate responsibility, environmental sustainability, and human equality.
(Grove Nichols can be contacted at ggnichols2@gmail.com)
Grosvenor (Grove) Nichols graduated from Middlebury in 1971. He majored in English, played varsity hockey and tennis, and was a fraternity social chairman. He went on to get an MBA from Stanford and has had a career in banking and consulting, including starting a bank in Sacramento, California, and serving as its CEO for ten years. Grove is currently a ski instructor and tennis pro at Stratton Mountain./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1223
Leadership Framework for Life
Course Description
Leadership: Building a Decision-Making Framework for Life
College was the goal. Time is passing quickly. How will you prepare for the future? Students will develop a decision-making framework for life by exploring their core values and aspirations, crafting a personal narrative, and identifying longer-term life goals. We will discuss and test key components of effective leadership and build a leadership toolkit that includes goal setting, risk assessment, active listening, and strategic planning. Reading assignments – from Aristotle to Drucker – and writing assignments will complement class discussions, interactive exercises, and oral presentations. Guest speakers will participate and share their leadership stories, insights and lessons learned.
Catherine Lee ’92 is a change agent dedicated to helping organizations and teams envision and execute their strategic aspirations. She has spent much of her career in global finance and the maritime sector and also enjoys mentoring and coaching the next generation of leaders./
Terms Taught
Requirements
Nonprofit and Civic Management
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
INTD 0101
Law, Organization, and Society
Course Description
Law, Organization, and Society
In this course students will learn about the structure and function of the U.S.’s legal institutions and reflect on their impact on individuals, commerce, and society. Inherently interdisciplinary in nature, students will read books by sociologists and journalists, examine important case law, and gain perspective about the role that the legal system plays in our society. Students will consider the law’s role as an essential social institution that shapes and is shaped by society and social actors.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0203
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
Course Description
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
In this course students will explore a question with deep implications for our society: do businesses have an ethical or social responsibility to move beyond the profit-maximization principle? If so, to what extent should businesses act as social institutions that shape the basic rules of society rather than simply reacting to them? By drawing on materials from social sciences, humanities, and the legal field, students will consider to what extent business should become part of the sustainable and planetary solution and what their ethical responsibility is to minimize their own harmful actions.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0209
Current
Big Data & Big Obligations
Course Description
Big Business, Big Data, & Big Obligations
In this course we will examine the cultural, economic, ethical, and legal implications of, analytics, big data, and computation. Drawing on various disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, students will read works relating to the science of data collection, aggregation, and analysis. Students will learn that with opportunities for both financial gain and social good (which big data brings) comes various perils, including privacy violations, disability/gender/racial discrimination, economic disruption, negative environmental spillovers, and political destabilization.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0212
Soc Innovation Social Change
Course Description
From Social Innovation to Social Change
In this course we will study what spurs social innovation and produces change. Our inquiry into the world of changemaking will entail theoretical and conceptual exploration, studying cases of social innovation around the world, and personal introspection. Theories from a variety of disciplines such as economics, political science, psychology, and sociology will frame our understanding of social change. Concepts examined include social problems, social innovation, social enterprise, and social impact. By the end of this course, students will understand what social innovation and social impact require. This course is primarily intended for students participating in the Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship program. Open to others by approval (approval only) 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0231
Upcoming
Public Management
Course Description
Public Management: Creating Public Value
In this course, we will learn how a public administrator/manager is qualitatively different from a manager in the private sector and the nonprofit sector. We will first survey the core foundations, principles, and readings of the field of public administration and public management. Students will then acquire and develop their own public manager’s toolbox which includes an introduction to goal setting and accountability, financial stewardship of public assets, policy system analysis, quantitative policy modeling techniques, and market failures. Students will also engage with International public administration/management readings and examples. Class discussion, case studies, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform students’ learning experiences. (INTD 0120 and PSCI 0104)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0258
Current
Healthcare in the U.S.
Course Description
Healthcare in the U.S.
At a time when achieving consensus on anything is close to impossible, nearly everyone agrees that our current health care system is broken. In this course we will explore the impediments to reforming health care in the United States, which by a variety of measures wastes approximately 25% of the country’s 3.8 trillion dollars spent annually. The goal in this course is not to argue a certain perspective. Rather, through readings and discussion of original sources, we will explore the complexities of our health care system, evaluate its attributes and failings, compare it with other systems around the world, and wrestle with questions posed by our current trajectory. We will explore how powerful interests—Big Pharma, insurance companies, hospital lobbyists, and physician guilds-- array to maintain the status quo despite clear evidence of alternative paths that would serve the greater good.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0303
Current
Upcoming
Capitalism & Its Criticisms
Course Description
Capitalism & Its Criticisms
In this course we will explore the concept of capitalism and how it carries variegated meanings, which spans a wide range of societies and differing relationships between economic, political, and civic institutions within them. Students will have the opportunity to examine various forms and perspectives of capitalism which include contraband capitalism, racial capitalism, gendered capitalism, and scientific capitalism. We will also track how conceptions of capitalism have changed over time and globally. Primary and secondary works from the field of history, law, economics, philosophy, religion, and sociology will be incorporated to carry out the goal of the course which is to provide tools and perspectives that help students engage thoughtfully in these debates and to extend them into application in their own roles as engaged citizen, corporate, nonprofit, public, and entrepreneurial leaders. (INTD 0101 or INTD 0120 or INTD 0130 or instructor approval)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0407
Current
Leadership
Course Description
Leadership
What is leadership, and what does good leadership require? In this course we will investigate these important questions, focusing on today’s world context. Examples from politics, business, and community organization around the world will guide our inquiry, help us evaluate the quality of leadership affecting us and others, and enable us to assess our own leadership potential. To achieve these course goals, we will analyze real-world examples of good and poor leadership from around the world, compare across leadership cases, and assess leadership examples against theories of leadership in business, political science, history, and psychology. Class discussions, in-class simulations, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform our learning experience while reflection papers, individual research projects, individual oral presentations, and class participation will help gauge student learning.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1233
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Course Description
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Nonprofit and civil society organizations of all types play a crucial and growing role in the economy. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States today. According to the Global Journal, there are more than 10 million nongovernmental organizations worldwide. As the nonprofit sector has grown in scope and size, both domestically and internationally, the boundaries between for-profit, governmental, and charitable organizations have become intertwined. In this course we will learn about the economics, history, governance, law, and structure relating to the nonprofit sector (also known as the Third Sector).
Terms Taught
Requirements
Environmental, Social, and Governance Oriented (ESG) Firms
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
ECON 1023
Upcoming
Extending Financial Services
Course Description
Extending Financial Services to the Unbanked
In this course we will explore different interventions and tools used for poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, and the extension of financial services to the unbanked poor in emerging markets. Using examples drawn from the field, we will look at the use of microfinance, microinsurance, and digital financial services to achieve these goals in developing countries. In addition to articles, the practitioner will draw on special guest speakers to represent case studies and themes from the course outline.
Elizabeth Toder began her international development adventure as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand 30 years ago and most recently served as the US Treasury Department’s Resident Advisor in Madagascar, advising the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank on financial inclusion./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0101
Law, Organization, and Society
Course Description
Law, Organization, and Society
In this course students will learn about the structure and function of the U.S.’s legal institutions and reflect on their impact on individuals, commerce, and society. Inherently interdisciplinary in nature, students will read books by sociologists and journalists, examine important case law, and gain perspective about the role that the legal system plays in our society. Students will consider the law’s role as an essential social institution that shapes and is shaped by society and social actors.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0202
The Diverse Workplace
Course Description
The Diverse Workplace: Gender, Race and the Modern Corporation
Knowing why and how to harness the power of human difference to facilitate human flourishing is a critical competency for leaders. In this course we will learn about the challenges and opportunities of diversity. This course has three components. First, students will explore ways humans can advance in the modern workplace and how the roles of people of all genders must evolve in order to do so. The second component centers on the issue of race in and at the organization/corporation (for-profit and not-for-profit). And the third component relates to how workplace diversity is a valuable and strategic asset to the modern corporation. Students will learn that organizations, too, are social actors. As such, issues of gender and race shape organizations and their ability to obtain cultural, political, and material resources they need to survive—the organizing process. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0203
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
Course Description
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
In this course students will explore a question with deep implications for our society: do businesses have an ethical or social responsibility to move beyond the profit-maximization principle? If so, to what extent should businesses act as social institutions that shape the basic rules of society rather than simply reacting to them? By drawing on materials from social sciences, humanities, and the legal field, students will consider to what extent business should become part of the sustainable and planetary solution and what their ethical responsibility is to minimize their own harmful actions.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0209
Current
Big Data & Big Obligations
Course Description
Big Business, Big Data, & Big Obligations
In this course we will examine the cultural, economic, ethical, and legal implications of, analytics, big data, and computation. Drawing on various disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, students will read works relating to the science of data collection, aggregation, and analysis. Students will learn that with opportunities for both financial gain and social good (which big data brings) comes various perils, including privacy violations, disability/gender/racial discrimination, economic disruption, negative environmental spillovers, and political destabilization.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0212
Soc Innovation Social Change
Course Description
From Social Innovation to Social Change
In this course we will study what spurs social innovation and produces change. Our inquiry into the world of changemaking will entail theoretical and conceptual exploration, studying cases of social innovation around the world, and personal introspection. Theories from a variety of disciplines such as economics, political science, psychology, and sociology will frame our understanding of social change. Concepts examined include social problems, social innovation, social enterprise, and social impact. By the end of this course, students will understand what social innovation and social impact require. This course is primarily intended for students participating in the Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship program. Open to others by approval (approval only) 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0219
Corporate Governance
Course Description
Corporate Governance
In this course, students will learn about the topic of corporate governance with a focus on large publicly traded corporations. At the firm level, the importance of corporate governance is justified by the complexity of the contractual environment where owners (shareholders), executive managers, board of directors and other stakeholders interact. We will cover topics in ownership and control, managerial monitoring and compensation, the structure and diversity of the board of directors, and shareholder engagement and activism. Also, in the wake of various corporate scandals worldwide, the role of corporate governance codes and regulation in setting new standards and best practices is evident. We will look at the evolution of these corporate governance standards, both in the U.S. and internationally. (INTD 0120 and/or INTD 0217)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0222
Current
Upcoming
Sustainable Finance
Course Description
Sustainable Finance
In this course we will posit the rationale for Sustainable Finance, which aims to facilitate business propositions and accelerate capital allocation to initiatives that benefit society, the environment, employees, customers, and investors alike. The starting point will be the traditional building blocks of finance. From these foundations, we will assess the impact of Sustainable Finance decisions on different societal crisis points (climate change, health pandemic, social inequality and injustice, financial crisis, etc.) The course will question what the individual can do, in the face of the sustainability crisis, through innovative (finance-driven) initiative. The course offering will be deeply anchored around project based learning principles, exploring innovative finance and sustainable framework solutions away from the singular focus of short-term financial profit maximization. (ECON 0265, INTD 0120, INTD 0217, or by instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0258
Current
Healthcare in the U.S.
Course Description
Healthcare in the U.S.
At a time when achieving consensus on anything is close to impossible, nearly everyone agrees that our current health care system is broken. In this course we will explore the impediments to reforming health care in the United States, which by a variety of measures wastes approximately 25% of the country’s 3.8 trillion dollars spent annually. The goal in this course is not to argue a certain perspective. Rather, through readings and discussion of original sources, we will explore the complexities of our health care system, evaluate its attributes and failings, compare it with other systems around the world, and wrestle with questions posed by our current trajectory. We will explore how powerful interests—Big Pharma, insurance companies, hospital lobbyists, and physician guilds-- array to maintain the status quo despite clear evidence of alternative paths that would serve the greater good.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0303
Current
Upcoming
Capitalism & Its Criticisms
Course Description
Capitalism & Its Criticisms
In this course we will explore the concept of capitalism and how it carries variegated meanings, which spans a wide range of societies and differing relationships between economic, political, and civic institutions within them. Students will have the opportunity to examine various forms and perspectives of capitalism which include contraband capitalism, racial capitalism, gendered capitalism, and scientific capitalism. We will also track how conceptions of capitalism have changed over time and globally. Primary and secondary works from the field of history, law, economics, philosophy, religion, and sociology will be incorporated to carry out the goal of the course which is to provide tools and perspectives that help students engage thoughtfully in these debates and to extend them into application in their own roles as engaged citizen, corporate, nonprofit, public, and entrepreneurial leaders. (INTD 0101 or INTD 0120 or INTD 0130 or instructor approval)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1233
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Course Description
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Nonprofit and civil society organizations of all types play a crucial and growing role in the economy. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States today. According to the Global Journal, there are more than 10 million nongovernmental organizations worldwide. As the nonprofit sector has grown in scope and size, both domestically and internationally, the boundaries between for-profit, governmental, and charitable organizations have become intertwined. In this course we will learn about the economics, history, governance, law, and structure relating to the nonprofit sector (also known as the Third Sector).
Terms Taught
Requirements
Public Management and Public Policy
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
INTD 0101
Law, Organization, and Society
Course Description
Law, Organization, and Society
In this course students will learn about the structure and function of the U.S.’s legal institutions and reflect on their impact on individuals, commerce, and society. Inherently interdisciplinary in nature, students will read books by sociologists and journalists, examine important case law, and gain perspective about the role that the legal system plays in our society. Students will consider the law’s role as an essential social institution that shapes and is shaped by society and social actors.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0208
Current
Finance, Regulation, & Policy
Course Description
Finance, Regulation, and Policy
With recent financial scandals and crises, an important question is whether the finance industry should be regulated and should undergo further policy reforms. Many scholars and policy experts contend that the current system is simply not designed to make policy choices on behalf of the public. In this course we will explore current financial innovations (e.g., mutual funds, hedge funds, securitizations, cryptocurrencies, just to name a few) and potential policy options in order to protect “Main Street” from “Wall Street”. Additionally, we will explore the manner in which modern finance has grown out of powerful theories, both mathematical and psychological. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0209
Current
Big Data & Big Obligations
Course Description
Big Business, Big Data, & Big Obligations
In this course we will examine the cultural, economic, ethical, and legal implications of, analytics, big data, and computation. Drawing on various disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, students will read works relating to the science of data collection, aggregation, and analysis. Students will learn that with opportunities for both financial gain and social good (which big data brings) comes various perils, including privacy violations, disability/gender/racial discrimination, economic disruption, negative environmental spillovers, and political destabilization.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0231
Upcoming
Public Management
Course Description
Public Management: Creating Public Value
In this course, we will learn how a public administrator/manager is qualitatively different from a manager in the private sector and the nonprofit sector. We will first survey the core foundations, principles, and readings of the field of public administration and public management. Students will then acquire and develop their own public manager’s toolbox which includes an introduction to goal setting and accountability, financial stewardship of public assets, policy system analysis, quantitative policy modeling techniques, and market failures. Students will also engage with International public administration/management readings and examples. Class discussion, case studies, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform students’ learning experiences. (INTD 0120 and PSCI 0104)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0233
Current
Ethnography of Organizations
Course Description
Ethnography of Organizations
In this course we will explore how ethnography contributes to the understanding of organizational life and organizational forms. We will explore ethnographic case studies and readings of different types of organizations (e.g., for-profit, not-for-profit, and governmental agencies) from the cultural and artisan, faith-based, sports, healthcare, high tech, prisons/asylums, and finance domain. Students will develop a strong grounding in the theories of ethnography of organizations. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research writing assignments, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0258
Current
Healthcare in the U.S.
Course Description
Healthcare in the U.S.
At a time when achieving consensus on anything is close to impossible, nearly everyone agrees that our current health care system is broken. In this course we will explore the impediments to reforming health care in the United States, which by a variety of measures wastes approximately 25% of the country’s 3.8 trillion dollars spent annually. The goal in this course is not to argue a certain perspective. Rather, through readings and discussion of original sources, we will explore the complexities of our health care system, evaluate its attributes and failings, compare it with other systems around the world, and wrestle with questions posed by our current trajectory. We will explore how powerful interests—Big Pharma, insurance companies, hospital lobbyists, and physician guilds-- array to maintain the status quo despite clear evidence of alternative paths that would serve the greater good.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0303
Current
Upcoming
Capitalism & Its Criticisms
Course Description
Capitalism & Its Criticisms
In this course we will explore the concept of capitalism and how it carries variegated meanings, which spans a wide range of societies and differing relationships between economic, political, and civic institutions within them. Students will have the opportunity to examine various forms and perspectives of capitalism which include contraband capitalism, racial capitalism, gendered capitalism, and scientific capitalism. We will also track how conceptions of capitalism have changed over time and globally. Primary and secondary works from the field of history, law, economics, philosophy, religion, and sociology will be incorporated to carry out the goal of the course which is to provide tools and perspectives that help students engage thoughtfully in these debates and to extend them into application in their own roles as engaged citizen, corporate, nonprofit, public, and entrepreneurial leaders. (INTD 0101 or INTD 0120 or INTD 0130 or instructor approval)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0407
Current
Leadership
Course Description
Leadership
What is leadership, and what does good leadership require? In this course we will investigate these important questions, focusing on today’s world context. Examples from politics, business, and community organization around the world will guide our inquiry, help us evaluate the quality of leadership affecting us and others, and enable us to assess our own leadership potential. To achieve these course goals, we will analyze real-world examples of good and poor leadership from around the world, compare across leadership cases, and assess leadership examples against theories of leadership in business, political science, history, and psychology. Class discussions, in-class simulations, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform our learning experience while reflection papers, individual research projects, individual oral presentations, and class participation will help gauge student learning.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1233
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Course Description
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Nonprofit and civil society organizations of all types play a crucial and growing role in the economy. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States today. According to the Global Journal, there are more than 10 million nongovernmental organizations worldwide. As the nonprofit sector has grown in scope and size, both domestically and internationally, the boundaries between for-profit, governmental, and charitable organizations have become intertwined. In this course we will learn about the economics, history, governance, law, and structure relating to the nonprofit sector (also known as the Third Sector).
Terms Taught
Requirements
Sports, Management, and Society
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
AMST 0203
Media, Sports, & Identity
Course Description
Media, Sports, & Identity
In this course we will examine the relationship between media, sports, and the formulation of one’s identity. We will examine issues pertaining to gender identification, violence, and hero worship. Reading critical essays on the subject, studying media coverage of sporting events, and writing short analytical essays will enable us to determine key elements concerning how sports are contextualized in American culture. Student essays will form the basis of a more in-depth inquiry that each student will then present, using media, at the end of the course. (Not open to students who have taken WRPR 1002)
Terms Taught
Requirements
AMST 0215
Football and Higher Education
Course Description
Football and Higher Education
Football originated on US campuses, and its 150-year history reflects the vibrant, uneasy relation between sports and higher education. The first "big time" college sport in the United States, football became a media spectacle in the 1890s, and since then critics have debated the game's violence, educational merits, commercial trappings, and bearing on college admissions policies. The course will move from the 19th century to the present, tracing the sport's cultural meanings, its relation to class identity and gender roles, and its educational mission, including the sport's regulation by the NCAA. We will take an interdisciplinary approach to these issues, and readings may include literary and secondary works by Steve Almond, Owen Johnson, Dave Meggyesy, and Michael Oriard. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
ECON 0485
Current
The Economics of Sports
Course Description
The Economics of Sports
This is a survey course of topics illustrating how microeconomic principles apply to the sports industry. Topics covered will include the industrial organization of the sports industry (notably, issues of competitive balance and the implications of monopoly power), the public finance of sports (notably, the impact teams have on host municipalities), and labor issues related to sports (including player worth and discrimination). The prerequisites for this course are meant to ensure that students can both understand fundamental economic concepts and present the results of econometric research as they apply to the sports industry. (ECON 0111 (formerly ECON 0210) and ECON 0211 and ECON 0255) 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
FYSE 1068
Baseball and Race
Course Description
Segregation in America: Baseball and Race
In this course, we learn essentially about life in baseball's Negro Leagues, and the great Black players and teams, and consider how this institution reflected American values and history. We address important questions about sports and their cultural significance. What do sports tell us about ourselves and our past? Can we understand our cultural heritage by looking through the lens of sports, baseball in this case, and Black baseball specifically? We also examine the relationship between art and sports by reading works of fiction and poetry, and also consider the visual arts.
Terms Taught
Requirements
FYSE 1070
Soccer and Society
Course Description
Soccer and Society
Whether it goes by soccer, football or futbol, the beautiful game is not only the world’s most popular sport but it is also intertwined with social, economic, political and cultural forces. In this course, we will use soccer as our lens to examine important sociological questions. We will study soccer’s relationship to nationalism and collective identity, globalization and migration, commercialization and labor rights, issues of race, class, gender and sexuality, and the role of soccer in social change and movements for social justice. Reading academic studies about soccer’s players, fans, leagues, mega events and governing bodies, students will develop skills to think critically about the role of sports in contemporary society, and they will conduct their own research project about one aspect of the beautiful game.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0130
Upcoming
Business Ethics
Course Description
Business Ethics
Capitalism and competitive markets are often considered the most efficient system of simultaneously maximizing private wealth and public good. In the real world, however, truly competitive markets do not exist. Imperfect markets have been made to work efficiently while protecting public good through systems of public intervention, i.e., laws and regulations, and voluntary self-restraint by business organizations in response to societal expectations. In this class we will consider the role of ethics in business, with students analyzing the process by which ethical norms and strongly held moral beliefs guide the conduct of economically driven business organizations. Students will reflect on business managers’ responsibility to their owners, i.e., shareholders, other stakeholders, and society-at-large. 3 hrs. lect./dsc
Terms Taught
INTD 0205
Current
Marketing
Course Description
Marketing: Formulation, Methods, and Research
Marketing is both a qualitative and a quantitative discipline. It is one of the rare business fields that actively draws upon and integrates the creative and analytical components of the liberal arts tradition. In this course students will be exposed to a broad overview of marketing principles, focusing on the application of marketing theory to for-profit, not-for-profit, and the public sectors. Cause marketing and social marketing techniques will also be discussed to determine their utility in combating social ills and promoting favorable public health behaviors and outcomes. As the implementation of marketing programs is undergoing a massive transformation from conventional to digital media, students will be exposed to digital designing and marketing, which are driven by a sound understanding of consumer segmentation, brand positioning, distinct product benefits, and relevant in-market executions. (INTD 0120) Introductory statistics course recommended. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
INTD 0233
Current
Ethnography of Organizations
Course Description
Ethnography of Organizations
In this course we will explore how ethnography contributes to the understanding of organizational life and organizational forms. We will explore ethnographic case studies and readings of different types of organizations (e.g., for-profit, not-for-profit, and governmental agencies) from the cultural and artisan, faith-based, sports, healthcare, high tech, prisons/asylums, and finance domain. Students will develop a strong grounding in the theories of ethnography of organizations. Class discussion, short lectures, individual research writing assignments, and oral presentations will inform student learning experience.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0407
Current
Leadership
Course Description
Leadership
What is leadership, and what does good leadership require? In this course we will investigate these important questions, focusing on today’s world context. Examples from politics, business, and community organization around the world will guide our inquiry, help us evaluate the quality of leadership affecting us and others, and enable us to assess our own leadership potential. To achieve these course goals, we will analyze real-world examples of good and poor leadership from around the world, compare across leadership cases, and assess leadership examples against theories of leadership in business, political science, history, and psychology. Class discussions, in-class simulations, short lectures, individual research projects, and oral presentations will inform our learning experience while reflection papers, individual research projects, individual oral presentations, and class participation will help gauge student learning.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1017
Upcoming
Sports and Society
Course Description
Sports & Society: How Sports Transcend Their Sidelines
Politics, religion, and sports are the common denominators of any society. It could be argued, however, that sport is the only one that unites communities rather than divides them, drives economies rather than diminishing them, and offers tools to expand horizons rather than dogma that limits them. In this class, students explore the premise that sports are much more than the games they watch on TV. They are a multi-billion dollar industry impacting all facets of everyday life. Unlike most businesses sport sits uniquely within the public trust, with the ability to effect change, offer hope and transform the essence of who we are as individuals. The lessons from sport echo throughout life, and this class will examine them firsthand.
Mike Leonard is Middlebury’s Head Baseball Coach, joining the team in 2016 and leading them to a NESCAC championship in 2022. A standout player at the University of Connecticut, Coach Leonard spent several years in the Boston Red Sox system before obtaining his Masters in Education and beginning his coaching career in 2009.
Scott Langerman (Middlebury ’87, P ’19.5 & ‘22) has spent more than 25 years in the sports and entertainment industries, most recently as Founder and CEO of ACE Media, the content arm of the NFL Player’s Association, and the Founder and EVP of Hall of Fame Village Media, the content arm of the Pro Football Hall of Fame./
Terms Taught
Requirements
SOCI 0218
Current
Sociology of Sport
Course Description
Sociology of Sport
In this course we will explore sport-related issues and sport-society issues from a sociological perspective. Through lectures, films, class discussions, and student presentations we will examine the roles of sport within contemporary social systems, and ways in which sport reflects and enhances individual, collective, and national agendas and identities. We will also critically analyze various topics, including violence, cheating, and technology while focusing on “mega sporting events,” the media, and eSport. Additionally, by using sport as a lens to examine class, gender, and race we will illuminate the manners in which sport is entangled in socio-cultural, political, and economic forces. (formerly SOAN 0218) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
WRPR 0203
Current
The Rhetorics of Sports
Course Description
The Rhetorics of Sports
In this course we will examine the relationship between media, sports, and the formulation of one’s identity. We will examine issues pertaining to gender identification, violence, and hero worship. Reading critical essays on the subject, studying media coverage of sporting events, and writing short analytical essays will enable us to determine key elements concerning how sports are contextualized in American culture. Student essays will form the basis of a more in-depth inquiry that each student will then present, using media, at the end of the course. (Not open to students who have taken WRPR 1002)
Terms Taught
Requirements
International Business
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
ECON 1023
Upcoming
Extending Financial Services
Course Description
Extending Financial Services to the Unbanked
In this course we will explore different interventions and tools used for poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, and the extension of financial services to the unbanked poor in emerging markets. Using examples drawn from the field, we will look at the use of microfinance, microinsurance, and digital financial services to achieve these goals in developing countries. In addition to articles, the practitioner will draw on special guest speakers to represent case studies and themes from the course outline.
Elizabeth Toder began her international development adventure as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand 30 years ago and most recently served as the US Treasury Department’s Resident Advisor in Madagascar, advising the Ministry of Finance and Central Bank on financial inclusion./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0203
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
Course Description
Purpose, Profit, and Planet
In this course students will explore a question with deep implications for our society: do businesses have an ethical or social responsibility to move beyond the profit-maximization principle? If so, to what extent should businesses act as social institutions that shape the basic rules of society rather than simply reacting to them? By drawing on materials from social sciences, humanities, and the legal field, students will consider to what extent business should become part of the sustainable and planetary solution and what their ethical responsibility is to minimize their own harmful actions.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0212
Soc Innovation Social Change
Course Description
From Social Innovation to Social Change
In this course we will study what spurs social innovation and produces change. Our inquiry into the world of changemaking will entail theoretical and conceptual exploration, studying cases of social innovation around the world, and personal introspection. Theories from a variety of disciplines such as economics, political science, psychology, and sociology will frame our understanding of social change. Concepts examined include social problems, social innovation, social enterprise, and social impact. By the end of this course, students will understand what social innovation and social impact require. This course is primarily intended for students participating in the Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship program. Open to others by approval (approval only) 3 hrs. sem.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0213
Current
Nonprofits & Civil Society
Course Description
Nonprofit Management & Civil Society
Nonprofit and civil society organizations of all types play a crucial and growing role in the economy. According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the United States today. According to the Global Journal, there are more than 10 million nongovernmental organizations worldwide. As the nonprofit sector has grown in scope and size, both domestically and internationally, the boundaries between for-profit, governmental, and charitable organizations have become intertwined. In this course we will learn about the economics, history, governance, law, and structure relating to the nonprofit sector (also known as the Third Sector). (Not open to students who have taken INTD 1233.)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0219
Corporate Governance
Course Description
Corporate Governance
In this course, students will learn about the topic of corporate governance with a focus on large publicly traded corporations. At the firm level, the importance of corporate governance is justified by the complexity of the contractual environment where owners (shareholders), executive managers, board of directors and other stakeholders interact. We will cover topics in ownership and control, managerial monitoring and compensation, the structure and diversity of the board of directors, and shareholder engagement and activism. Also, in the wake of various corporate scandals worldwide, the role of corporate governance codes and regulation in setting new standards and best practices is evident. We will look at the evolution of these corporate governance standards, both in the U.S. and internationally. (INTD 0120 and/or INTD 0217)
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0222
Current
Upcoming
Sustainable Finance
Course Description
Sustainable Finance
In this course we will posit the rationale for Sustainable Finance, which aims to facilitate business propositions and accelerate capital allocation to initiatives that benefit society, the environment, employees, customers, and investors alike. The starting point will be the traditional building blocks of finance. From these foundations, we will assess the impact of Sustainable Finance decisions on different societal crisis points (climate change, health pandemic, social inequality and injustice, financial crisis, etc.) The course will question what the individual can do, in the face of the sustainability crisis, through innovative (finance-driven) initiative. The course offering will be deeply anchored around project based learning principles, exploring innovative finance and sustainable framework solutions away from the singular focus of short-term financial profit maximization. (ECON 0265, INTD 0120, INTD 0217, or by instructor approval) 3 hrs. lect., 3 hrs. lab.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 0304
Upcoming
GlobalChallengesOpportunities
Course Description
Global Challenges and Opportunities
In this course we will learn to identify, describe, classify, analyze, solve, and make predictions about the world’s most pressing problems. Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework, we will select specific issues and learn to compare and connect across them to establish their interconnectedness and complexity. Students will then conduct independent research, collaborate with classmates across disciplines, and use a variety of approaches to come up with innovative solutions to issues most pressing to them. Lectures, class discussions, in-class group work, and oral presentations will guide students’ learning while self-study reports, group oral presentations and issue papers, individual written reflections, and class participation will be used to gauge student learning. By the end of the course, students will be proficient in collaborative problem assessment and problem solving across a variety of global issues.
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1007
Upcoming
Supply Chain & Global Commerce
Course Description
Supply Chain, Logistics & Transportation: The Backbone of Global Commerce
In this course, students will learn about the basics of supply chain, including activities such as planning, sourcing & procurement, manufacturing, transportation & freight, reverse logistics and supporting technologies. We will explore and go deeper into industries or aspects that students find a connection to (ex: “the supply chain of sports” or “the sustainable supply chain” or “GenAI-powered autonomous supply chains”). We will hear from guest speakers from companies such as Accenture, Nike, Patagonia and Amazon, etc. and discuss career opportunities in supply chain, and related areas (finance, marketing, operations, consulting, etc.). Weather and time-permitting, we will look to have a field trip to a warehouse or distribution center (TBD). The class will conclude with a project that asks the students to fuse what they’ve learned with an innovative new idea. (Open to Juniors and Seniors only.)
John Atherton graduated from Middlebury College in 1993 with a major in geography, and a minor in studio art. After coaching athletics at the college level, and teaching at a boarding school, he found his way into the world of global supply chain, and has been a practitioner for over 20 years. John has worked for a major global container shipping line, grew a tech start-up from nothing to something, and is now with the biggest consulting firm on the planet. In 2018, John was inducted into the Middlebury College Athletic Hall of Fame (Soccer, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse and Football)./
Terms Taught
Requirements
INTD 1022
Upcoming
Beyond Bretton Woods
Course Description
Beyond Bretton Woods: A Critical Global Financial Architecture Review
In this course we will discuss the ongoing international financial architecture review (IFAR) process, from the angle of the polycrisis (amongst others, climate change, global health pandemic, social and racial injustice, geo-political tensions and global financial instability) challenges. Students will be offered foundational knowledge about the existing global financial architecture constellation, which emerged from the 1944 Bretton Woods conference in New Hampshire. The course will canvas the core purposes, principles and design intentions to critically analyze and judiciously engage in the core IFAR themes and proposals. The 80-year developments and ensuing challenges will be contextualized with the evolving strands of the current polycrisis. The main course objective is to impart an innovative solutions mindset. The course material will provide a solid introduction to the upcoming May 2024 conference organized on a similar theme at Bread Loaf.
Terms Taught
Requirements