Alumni Short Courses - Fall 2012
SST 295 Strategy, Leadership & Business Decision-Making
Dan Finkelman '77
Exploration of the interplay between strategy, leadership and how business decisions get made. The articles, examples and illustrations will be from the perspective of for-profit business. Reading materials will focus on a few of the seminal academic articles as well as popular press pieces. We will use the current financial crisis and leadership reaction to that crisis as a case study. We will finish with an exploration of how decisions get made in a business that also has a social mission. The reading materials will be supplemented by contemporary expert commentary via TED talks and other sources. Overall, the intent of the program is to provide students with a basic understanding of how strategy and leadership influence decision-making -- and that the lessons learned are applicable to both business and non-business environments. Dates: October 29 to November 14, 2012. Short course deadlines apply.
Faculty Courses - Fall 2012
SST/ANT 295 Social Enterprise and Innovation
D. Douglas Caulkins
This course, sponsored by the Donald L. Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, takes a case-study approach to developing social enterprise, using case studies by alumni visitors. Innovations include changes in products, processes, and organizational structures, in such fields as environmental management, education, biotechnology, community action organizations, web-based businesses, medical, and high technology firms. Alumni will participate throughout in the course, giving their experience of managing innovation in a variety of organizations. Fridays, 2:15-4:05 Sept 28 to Nov 16, 2012.
Alumni Short Courses - Spring 2012
SST 295.01 Women Leaders in the Private Sector: Practical Career Advice
Linnet Harlan '72 and Sydney McQuoid '73.
This short course will present practical career advice for women contemplating career paths as leaders in the private sector. While women are graduating from college in higher percentages than men, women still have not achieved parity with men. Drawing heavily on the experience of the two instructors, this course will explore ways in which women can examine and perhaps change their own outlooks and behaviors to improve their chances of attaining and retaining leadership positions. It will also provide practical strategies for coping with challenges that continue to face women. This course will focus on women, though some topics in it will be of interest to men. While the instructors' experiences are in the private sector (law, corporations and cable television), much of the advice relating to leadership will also be applicable to public and non-profit work.Dates: April 3 to April 19, 2012. Short course deadline apply.
Faculty Courses - Spring 2012
SST 295.03 Managing Enterprise and Innovation
Douglas Caulkins
Special Topic: Managing Enterprise and Innovation This course, sponsored by the Donald L. Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, takes a case-study approach to the management of innovations, using case studies by alumni visitors. Innovations include changes in products, processes, and organizational structures, in such fields as social enterprise, education, biotechnology, community action organizations, web-based businesses, conservation organizations, and high technology firms. Alumni will participate throughout the course, giving their experience of managing innovation in a variety of firms and NGOs. Prerequisites: 2 courses in the social studies division. Cross-list: SST-295
Alumni Short Courses - Fall 2011
SST 295.02 The International Commercial Lawyer in the Age of Global Finance
Dale Furnish '62
This short course will show Grinnell students how they may best pursue a career in international commercial law. First, we will explore the legal framework—public and private—of global commerce as it stands today and as it is likely to develop in the next generation. Second, we will analyze the nature of legal education, the controls on entry into the legal profession, and the organization of international law practice. Finally, each student will be asked to draw on the course readings, supplemented by their own independent research, to write a paper defining how a student might best go about pursuing a career as an international commercial lawyer. Each student’s paper will focus on a career in a specific area of international commerce, chosen in a conference with the teacher. While the course focuses principally on law, it is also relevant to careers in the international aspects of business, economics, diplomacy, and public administration.
SST 295.01 Creative Careers: Learning from Alumni
Douglas Caulkins
This course, sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, focuses on the idea of career, as the construction of one's identity within the context of communities. We will examine cases studies of 5-8 Grinnell alumni who have developed significant careers and made a difference in the government, non-profit, and business sectors. These alumni, with diverse majors in all three divisions, will visit class to tell their own stories so that we can learn about their opportunities, decisions, and learning as they constructed their careers. Dates: Feb 4 March 11.1/2 semester course deadlines apply. Prerequisite: One social studies division course (Chosen from the departments of Anthropology, Education, History, Economics, Sociology or Political Science).
Alumni Short Courses - Spring 2011
SST 295.03 Microfinance in the United States: An Introduction
Amelia Lobo ’99
This short course will examine the practice of microfinance in the United States. Microfinance is well-established as a tool for the alleviation of poverty in the developing world. Lobo will explore the role of microfinance in the United States and discuss the challenges microlenders face. Students will learn the basics of underwriting microloans through real world examples. They will also learn about the career possibilities in the field. Prerequisite: None. Dates: February 8 to February 24. Short course deadlines apply.
SST 295.01 The Law and the Lawyer: A Career and a Commitment
Fred Little ’53 and Harvey Nixon ’53
This short course will be presented in the context of corporate securities law. However, the concepts apply broadly to all areas of the law. Little/Nixon will use the intellectual framework of that field to discuss what lawyers actually do and what they are not supposed to do. In response to corporate misconduct this field has dramatically expanded in recent years from the law books to the front pages of the national press. Conveniently it is also the field in which your instructors have spent their working days and many of their week-ends and nights. Discussion will cove some rules of professional conduct to illustrate the process of the practice of law-- a process that should be followed whatever substantive body of law--corporate, securities, environmental, and so forth-- is being practiced. If we were baking a cake, the substantive law tells us the ingredients and the rules of professional conduct tell us the process we follow in combining and cooking them. The objective of this course is not to teach you in twelve hours how to be a lawyer or even whether to be a lawyer. This is not a survey course and is not designed to explore any area of the law in depth. Rather it is intended to give you the flavor of the practice of law from a practical rather than a theoretical standpoint. If in the process you begin to think as a lawyer, even a little bit, we will consider this course to be a success. Prerequisite: Third or fourth-year standing. Dates: April 5 to April 21. Short course deadlines apply.
Faculty Courses - Spring 2011
SST 295.02 Creative Careers: Learning from Alumni
Douglas Caulkins
This course, sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, focuses on the idea of career, as the construction of one's identity within the context of communities. We will be examined in cases studies of 5-8 Grinnell alumni who have developed significant careers and made a difference in the government, non-profit, and business sectors. These alumni, with diverse majors in all three divisions, will visit class to tell their own stories so that we can learn about their opportunities, decisions, and learning as they constructed their careers. Dates: February 4 to March 11, Lecture Friday 02:15PM - 04:05PM. 1/2 semester course deadlines apply. Prerequisite: One social studies division course (Anthropology, Education, History, Economics, Sociology or Political Science).
Alumni Short Courses - Fall 2010
SST 295.01 The Financial Meltdown: from Roots to Resolution
Barry Zigas '73
This course examined how our economy went from boom to bust last year, and how venerable Wall Street institutions disappeared literally overnight. In particular the course considers the role of homeownership and mortgage lending in precipitating the “Great Recession”. Finally, it looked at the history of America’s (sometimes conflicting) regulatory policy toward capital, and students will devise their own plan for reforming Federal regulation. Zigas is Principal of Zigas and Associates LLC which provides strategy, program, and organizational development services for private and non-profit organizations. He is also Director of Housing Policy, for the Consumer Federation of America, a national consumer advocacy organization. Recent publications include “Preventing Foreclosures”, in Retooling HUD for a Catalytic Federal Government: A Report to Secretary Shaun Donovan, published in 2009 by the Penn Institute for Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania. Short Course: September 28 - October 14, 2010.
SST 295.04 Dilemmas of US Healthcare 2010
Ron B.H. Sandler, MD '62
This course examines the healthcare system of the United States prior to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. The US has by far the most expensive healthcare system on Earth, costing $2.3 trillion in 2008, about 16% of GDP. Is our system, therefore, the best? This course examines the strengths and weakness of the US health care system, especially in comparison with those of other countries. It considers how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed by the President in March of this year, will affect that system. Sandler, a recently retired orthopedic surgeon, served as Chair of the Department of Surgery and President of the Medical Staff at Mesa Lutheran Hospital in Arizona. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and a life trustee of Grinnell College. Short Course: October 26-November 11, 2010.
Alumni Short Courses - Spring 2010
SST 295.01 Non-Profit Management: How Can I Change the World?
Ellen R. McDonald '81
This course will explore the nexus of thoery and practice of nonprofit leadership through the use of class discussion, selected readings and case studies, as selected by the students. A brief but intensive review of nonprofit administration and selected theories of nonprofit leadership will be used as a forum for students' exploration into this possible career path. Students who ask, "How can I change the world?" or "What does it take to run a NPO?" will find an exciting and challenging space to explore these questions. Ellen McDonald '81 founder and partner of Mershon & McDonald, a nonprofit capacity building consultancy. Dates: April 6-April 22, 2010. Short course deadlines apply.
Intellectual Property Law and Policy: The Intersection of Public Policy and Legal Regulations
David Rosenbaum '78
This course will examine the nexus between governmental policy making and federal legislation. U.S. economic and trade policies over the last fifty years will be reviewed and contrasted with the development and change of U.S. intellectual property laws during the same period. The effect of intellectual property legislation in achieving gShiftovernmental economic and trade policies will be studied together with comparable foreign trade policies and legal developments. David Rosenbaum '78, is a distinguished intellectual property attorney. Dates: April 5 - April 21, 2010. Short course deadlines apply. Preprequisites: SST 295, Intellectual Property and its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts (SP07, FA07, FA08, FA09), POL101, 216, 219, ECN111, 230 or 233.
Faculty Courses - Spring 2010
SST 295.01 Non-Profit Management: How Can I Change the World?
Douglas Caulkins
ANT 395.02 Organizational Anthropology: Learning Theoretical Practice (65954)
A critical preview of cutting-edge anthropological research on organizational culture and social ecology of organizations, including NGOs, social enterprise organizations, corporations, and multinational organizations. Student apprentice-scholars will review the draft of Companion to Organizational Anthropology, a new book-in-progress containing approximately 25 chapters by an international array of distinguished anthropologists. Students will experience the production of anthropological knowledge for the scholarly community. The class will draft a conference paper on the theories of organizational sustainability, drawing on readings and ideas from alumni visitors. Sponsored by Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. Prerequisite: ANT-280.
Alumni Short Courses - Fall 2009
SST 295.xx Temperament and Teamwork: Personality type and social interaction in the successful organization
Nord Brue '67
A team, by definition, contains multiple people and therefore multiple personalities. Different personality "types" will respond differently to identical situations. This is why roughly 90% of Fortune 500 companies administer personality tests to management trainees. The most popular test is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI TM). This class will follow the framework popularized by the MBTI to examine how various amalgams of personal characteristics create varying responses to the kinds of circumstances encountered every day on a job site, in a classroom, or in a home. It will explore how understanding, and accepting, differences in personality type is important to team building. Nord Brue '67 holds a J.D. from Washington University, St. Louis. He is a lawyer/entrepreneur in Burlington, Vermont, and co-founder of Bruegger's Bagel Bakeries. Mr. Brue is a trustee of Grinnell College and is on the board of directors of a number of corporations and civic organizations. Dates: September 22-October 8. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: One Social Studies Division Course (Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Political Science, or Sociology).
SST 295.xx From Bench to Bedside: Developing a New Anti-Cancer Drug
Craig Henderson '63
This short course offers a case study in the development of a new anticancer drug. It considers both the scientific aspects of inventing a new drug and the social science aspects of investing in its development. First it discusses identification of a candidate drug, one that successfully treats the disease while providing an acceptable return to investors. Next the course examines at the process of clinical trials designed to demonstrate the drug's effectiveness. Finally, it considers how the developer must navigate the complex regulatory process for new drugs, and how the medicine is marketed to the medical community.
Craig Henderson '63, a Grinnell Trustee, is a nationally known cancer expert. He received his MD from Columbia University 1970. A member of the Harvard Faculty of Medicine for 18 years, he has authored or co-authored more than 200 publications in scientific journals. In the 1990's served as CEO and Chair of SEQUUS Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company that developed a new highly successful anticancer drug. Dates: October 27 -November 12. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: One Social Studies Division Course (Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Political Science, or Sociology).
SST 295.xx Intellectual Property Law and Its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts
David Rosenbaum '78
This short course will examine historical concepts of intellectual property and the development of modern concepts of property rights in patents, trademarks and copyrights. The nexus between technology development and intellectual property rights will be discussed to convey an understanding of the relationships between social, economic and legal developments. The impact of global treaties affecting intellectual property and the adoption and implementation of intellectual property laws and enforcement systems in China and India will be examined in the context of current global socioeconomic shifts.
David Rosenbaum '78, a distinguished intellectual property attorney. Dates: October 5 -October 28. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: One Social Studies Division Course (Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Political Science, or Sociology).
Alumni Short Courses - Spring 2009
SST 295.04 Intelligence Assessments: Iraq and Iran (64459)
Greg Thielmann '72
This short course will be taught by Greg Thielmann '72, former Office Director in the State Department's Intelligence Bureau and former Director of Research and Analysis on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Thielmann will explore intelligence analysis as an art form by examining in detail the two most significant intelligence assessments of the U.S. Government in the 21st century: the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraqi WMD Programs and the November 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's Nuclear Program. Students will compare and contrast these documents in terms of the professional tradecraft used in their drafting and coordination, the political impact of their publication, and the lessons the experience suggests for the production and use of future intelligence assessments. The objective of the course will be to expose students to the elements of collection and analytical thinking inherent to the intelligence process and to provide them an opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of both recent history and critical current events. Lectures by the instructor will be supplemented by student group presentations; the assigned readings for the second week will be divided between the groups. Dates: February 3 to February 19. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: One Social Studies Division Course (Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Political Science, or Sociology).
SST 295.03 Refugee Relief (64458)
Neil Otto '72
This short course will be taught by Neil Otto, '72, Managing Director of the Otto Family Foundation, is an overview of the art and science of preserving human life. Today fourteen million refugees and 25 million internally displaced people struggle daily to survive, sometimes with the assistance of the United Nations, national entities, and non-government organizations. The level of assistance is codified in the Sphere Standards which cover not only the delivery of essential humanitarian needs, but also establishes a basic process for providing those needs while emphasizing the Humanitarian Charter, transparency, and the essential dignity of all human beings. Using a multi-disciplinary approach this course will 1) outline the political and economic organization of relief activities, 2) examine the management, logistics, and cultural implications inherent in the delivery of the basic needs of water, sanitation, nutrition, health, shelter, and protection, and 3) briefly explore both successful and failedhumanitarian missions using case studies to identify process failures. Dates: February 16 to March 4. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: One Social Studies Division Course (Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Political Science, or Sociology).
SST 295.05 Today's Media and the Changing Face of News (64460)
Kim Eckart '92
This short course will explore the role of the media: understanding how news is gathered, the various and evolving means by which it is disseminated, and how the very definition of news is changing in a tech-driven society. This is a class not only for students interested in journalism as a career, but also for the media "consumer" who wants to knows the whys and hows of what he or she reads, sees and listens to. The course will combine readings and viewings of print, online and visual media; readings of selected texts will expound on the growing role of "citizen journalists" and bloggers, and how the mainstream media is trying to adapt. Dates: March 31 to April 16. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: One Social Studies Division Course (Anthropology, Economics, Education, History, Political Science, or Sociology).
SST 395.02 Intellectual Property Law and Policy: The Intersection of Public Policy and Legal Regulation (64461)
David Rosenbaum '78
The course will examine the nexus between governmental policy making and federal legislation. U.S. economic and trade policies over the last fifty years will be reviewed and contrasted with the development and change of U.S. intellectual property laws during the same period. The effect of intellectual property legislation in achieving economic and trade policies will be studied together with comparable foreign trade policies and legal developments. Dates: April 7 to April 23. Short course deadlines apply. Prerequisites: SST-295, Intellectual Property and its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts (SP07, FA07 & FA08), POL-101, 216, 219, ECN-111, 230 or 233 or permission of instructor.
Faculty Courses - Spring 2009
SST 295.01 Creative Careers: Learning from the Alumni (64170)
Douglas Caulkins
This course will examine case studies of 8-10 Grinnell alumni who have developed significant careers and made a difference in the government, non-profit, and business sectors. These alumni, with diverse majors in all three divisions, will visit class to tell their own stories so that we can learn about their opportunities and decisions as they constructed their careers. Dates:Â January 23 to March 13. 1/2 semester deadlines apply. Prerequisite: One social studies division course (Anthropology, Education, History, Economics, Sociology or Political Science).
ANT 395.02 Advanced Special Topic: Managing NGO's and Businesses: Local and Global Perspectives (64442)
Sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. An analysis of management issues in both non-profit and for-profit organizations, whether the organizational action is local or international, including problems of meshing organizational cultures with local cultures. Also, a survey of the most important organizational innovations for the 21st century. Alumni will visit class to talk about their experience in NGOs and businesses. Student reports will gather case studies of organizations from internships or other extended participation in NGOs or businesses. This course examines the concept of organizational culture from a critical pluralist perspective in anthropology and sociology, first focusing on the role of voluntary organizations and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in creating social capital, sustainable economic development, and local/world culture. Integrated into this pluralist perspective is the empirical work of business management theorist Jim Collins, who asks what makes "great" effective organizations, both for-profit businesses and non-profits. Recommended particularly for students preparing for or returning from internships. Prerequisite: ANT-280 recommended; at minimum, one 200-level course from a department in the Social Studies Division.
Alumni Short Courses - Fall 2008
Intellectual Property and its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts
David Rosenbaum '78
This course is being sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and will be taught by David Rosenbaum '78 a distinguished intellectual property attorney. This short course will examine the historical concepts of intellectual propery and the development of modern concepts of property rights in patents, trademarks and copyrights. The nexus between technology development and intellectual property rights will be discussed to convey an understanding of the relationships between social, economic and legal developments. The impact of global treaties affecting intellectual property and the adoption and implementation of intellectual property laws and enforcement system in China and India will be examined in the context of current global socioeconomic shifts. David Rosenbaum '78 is a distinguished intellectual property attorney. Dates: October 27 - November 12, 2008. MW 2:15-4:05 in Steiner 106.
The Process and Perils of Entrepreneurship
Adam White '95
This course is being sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and will be taught by Adam White '95. This class will provide a cursory look at the entrepreneurship process through group participation, student debate, case study and lecture. Student groups will come up with their own new business concepts and develop them to the point of presenting an executive summary. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the business's value proposition and unique operating processes as well as crafting an appropriate organizational structure and go to market plan.Dates: September 1-September 17th, 2008. MW 2:15-4:05 in Steiner 106.
Servant Leadership: Leading Without Authority- Fall 2007
Babak Armajani '68
This course is being sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and will be taught by Babak Armajani '68. Armajani has been the CEO of The Public Strategies Group since 1990. During his service in Minnesota state government he led two large state agencies through transformational change. Over the past 16 years, Babak has consulted with numerous agencies of state, local and federal government around the world. With Harvard professor Michael Barzelay he published Breaking Through Bureaucracy a book based on these experiences. Babak graduated from Grinnell in 1968, and earned an MPA at Princeton in 1973. Dates: September 24-October 10th, 2007. MW 2:15-4:05 in ARH 131. This is a short course that explores concepts of leadership and skills involved in leading others. It is not about how to be the one in charge; rather how to help others go where they would not otherwise go themselves. Robert Greanleaf's Servant Leadership is the principal text. The course will be unusual in that most of the learning will be based on the students' own experience class activities (rather than based on text or lecture). Students will work in groups on various tasks and study leadership behavior exhibited in their group. Students will have an opportunity to use professionally developed instruments to help them understand their own leadership style.
Intellectual Property and its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts - Fall 2007
David Rosenbaum '78
This course is being sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and will be taught by David Rosenbaum '78 a distinguished intellectual property attorney. This short course will examine the historical role of technology development and intellectual property protection in socio-economic growth and the role of intellectual property in the trends supporting the current shift in global economic power. The impact of global treaties affecting intellectual property and the adoption and implementation of intellectual property laws and enforcement system in China and India will be examined. David Rosenbaum '78 is a distinguished intellectual property attorney.. Dates: November 5 to November 21, 2007. MW 2:15-4:05 in ARH 102.
Faculty Courses - Fall 2008
SOC 350.01 NGOs Organizing To Do Good
Chris Hunter
People often join together in nonprofit and non- governmental organizations to accomplish good for themselves or others. This seminar focuses on how such organizations are structured and how they operate. We will explore how NPOs and NGOs resemble, and differ from, other organizational forms in mission, leadership, organizational change, environmental constraints, and effects on members. Attention to practical managerial challenges. Cases may include human service organizations, community action agencies, foundations and funding organizations, fraternal organizations, nonprofit colleges, and international humanitarian NGOs. Prerequisites: At least two 200-level Sociology courses and 3rd year standing or permission of the instructor. Not open to those who have taken SOC-390 (Organizing Social Good).
Faculty Courses - Spring 2008
ANT 295.02 Business Anthropology: Organizational and Regional Development
Doug Caulkins
Sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. An exploration of the uses of anthropology to reform culturally insensitive organizational practices in the contemporary workplace and to identify culturally appropriate preferences to guide the innovation of new goods and services in non-profits and businesses. In addition, we will consider applications of Richard Florida's model for regional development, found in "The Rise of the Creative Class," to attract creative people to developing metropolitan areas. Case studies include (1) research carried out by Caulkins and students and (2) examples of organizations or innovations managed by Grinnell alumni. Business Anthropology Syllabus.doc
ANT 295.03 Organizational Management: A Liberal Arts Perspective
Doug Caulkins
Sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. This course will focus on a close reading and critique of Jim Collins, Good to Great, the most widely read organizational management book of the past decade. In addition to mastering the book, we will develop a theoretical critique in a manuscript for publication. Two-credit students will do some outside reading in management literature to broaden the analysis of theory. All members of the class will be required to discuss how they would apply the theory in a real organization. ANT 295 New Organizational Management syllabus.doc
SST 295.02 Creative Careers: Learning from Alumni
Doug Caulkins
This course, sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, focuses on the idea of career, as the construction of one's identity within the context of communities. We will be examined in cases studies of 8-10 Grinnell alumni who have developed significant careers and made a difference in the government, non-profit, and business sectors. These alumni, with diverse majors in all three divisions, will visit class to tell their own stories so that we can learn about their opportunities, decisions, and learning as they constructed their careers. Spring dates: January 25 to March 14. 1/2 semester course deadlines apply. New Social Studies 295 Creative Careers Syllabus.doc
SOC 350.01 NGOs Organizing To Do Good
Chris Hunter
People often join together in nonprofit and non- governmental organizations to accomplish good for themselves or others. This seminar focuses on how such organizations are structured and how they operate. We will explore how NPOs and NGOs resemble, and differ from, other organizational forms in mission, leadership, organizational change, environmental constraints, and effects on members. Attention to practical managerial challenges. Cases may include human service organizations, community action agencies, foundations and funding organizations, fraternal organizations, nonprofit colleges, and international humanitarian NGOs. Prerequisites: At least two 200-level Sociology courses and 3rd year standing or permission of the instructor. Not open to those who have taken SOC-390 (Organizing Social Good).
Faculty Courses - Fall 2007
SOC 295.01 Opportunity, Decisions, and Learning
Doug Caulkins
This course focuses on the idea of career, as the construction of one's identity within the context of communities. We will examine in case studies of 10 Grinnell alumni who have developed significant careers and made a difference in the government, non-profit, and business sectors. These alumni, with diverse majors in all three divisions, will visit class to tell their own stories so that we can learn about their opportunities, decisions, and learning as they constructed their careers. Updated Syllabus Social Studies 295.01 Opportunity, Decisions, Learning2.doc
Alumni Short-Courses 2006-07
Intellectual Property and its Role in Global Socioeconomic Shifts - Spring 2007
David Rosenbaum '78
This course is being sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and will be taught by David Rosenbaum '78 a distinguished intellectual property attorney. This short course will examine the historical role of technology development and intellectual property protection in socio-economic growth and the role of intellectual property in the trends supporting the current shift in global economic power. The impact of global treaties affecting intellectual property and the adoption and implementation of intellectual property laws and enforcement system in China and India will be examined. David Rosenbaum '78 is a distinguished intellectual property attorney.. Dates: April 9 to April 25, 2007. MW 2:15-4:05 in ARH 318.
Ethics in Business and in Life - Fall 2006
Clinton Korver '89
This course is being sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and will be taught by Clinton Korver '89 and current Grinnell College Trustee. A professional who uses their knowledge in support of any individual, organization, or government has some ethical responsibility for the consequences. This course raises awareness to ethically sensitive situations and provides a set of principles and tools for forming coherent ethical judgments. This course does not promote a particular ethical point of view. Rather students will use the principles and tools to create their own personal ethical codes. These codes will be tested through class discussion and homework against a wide range of examples from business and life. Particular attention will be paid to issues of deception including lies, secrets, cheating, promises and other ethically sensitive activities that underlie the formation of human relationships. Dates: September 26 to October 19,TTH 2:15-4:05 in Steiner 106.
Faculty Courses - Spring 2007
ANT 295 Innovation & Enterprise: Case Studies from Grinnell Alumni
Enterprise, which has been described as the "creative destruction" of old practices and institutions and the innovation of new organizations, products, and processes will be examined in case studies of 10 Grinnell alumni who have made a difference in non-profit NGOs, government, and business. These alumni, with diverse majors in all three divisions, will visit class to tell their own stories. The course will focus not only on the innovations of these Grinnell activists, but alson on the ways in which they constructed their productive careers. Appropriate for any student interested in an activist career. A 10 week course sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. January 26 to April 14, 2007.
ANT 295 Managing Organizational Cultures
This course is sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. Everyone spends most of their working lives in organizational cultures, whether they are in businesses, non-profit organizations, or governmental agencies. This course examines the concept of organizational culture from a critical pluralist perspective in anthropology and sociology. Integrated into this pluralist perspective is the empirical work of business management theorist Jim Collins, who asks what makes "great" effective organizations, both for-profit businesses and non-profits. Recommended particularly for students preparing for or returning from internships.
ANT 395 Action Research: Optimizing Social Change
This course is sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership. Action research involves local community members as well as social scientists in seeking to improve the life of the community. Examples will be taken from a variety of development projects In addition to developing the Action Research paradigm, the course will consider the imperative for a more engaged social science and will explore career possibilities, using visiting alumni careers as case studies.
PSY 222.01 Industrial Psychology
David Lopatto
An investigation of individual differences, learning, and motivation in the context of the work setting. Topics include testing theory, training techniques, and motivational theories.
SOC 390.01 Advanced Studies in Sociology: Organizing for Social Good: Nonprofit and Non-Governmental Organizations
Chris Hunter
This seminar is sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, and how nonprofit (and non-governmental) organizations are structured and how they operate, with a particular interest in how some nonprofit organizations are able to sustain an entrepreneurial spirit, high levels of participation by their members, and an organizational culture that fosters internal change, despite continuing financial and other external constraints. Attention to issues of power, funding, decision-making, leadership, and the interrelations of the organization and its environment. Cases, depending on student interests, may include human service organizations such as welfare departments, community action agencies, and mental health centers; unions; foundations; neighborhood associations; grassroots pressure groups; national service organizations; international NGOs.
POL-239-01 The Presidency
Barbara Trish
Consideration of the modern presidency as an institution and the president as a critical political actor in politics. Topics include leadership, institutional change, executive-legislative relations, decision-making, and presidential selection
Alumni Short-Courses 2005-06
Making Documentary Films - Fall 2005
Kirsten Tretbar '89, an award-winning documentary director and independent filmmaker will be teaching a short course on "Making Documentary Films: From Concept to Marketing," during the fall semester(ANT 295, T TH 2:15-4:05). A 4-week course on the process of making ethnographic and documentary films, fromconception to completion and marketing. The course is not about film theory or the history of film but deals with the practical aspects of making documentary/ethnographic films and covers the following topics: Finding the subject, Researching the subject, writing a proposal, creating a budget, fund raising, filming, editing, fund raising again, marketing (at Film Festivals, screenings, events, websites), and distribution. Even more importantly, the course deals with the motivation and determination needed to bring an idea to life. An Enterprise in the Arts short course sponsored by the AlumniVisitor program of the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership, she has taught for the Wilson Program three times previously. Kirsten Tretbar is the creator of Zenith, an award-wining and nationally televised documentary about the impact of the farm crisis on a small town in Kansas and the town's response and spiritual revitalization.
Local Activists and Local Government - Spring 2006
Jim Diers '75 will teach a short course on "Local Activists and Local Government" (ANT 295, T TH 2:15-4:05). This course will explore three ways in which Americans are coming together to exercise power at the community level. Through Alinsky-style community organizing, low-income residents are demanding justice from external forces impacting their neighborhoods. Practitioners of asset-based community development are strengthening their neighborhoods by mapping and mobilizing internal resources. And, in increasing numbers of cities, neighborhood organizations are partnering with local government to accomplish what neither could do on its own. Through case studies found in readings, lectures, videos, slides, and their own research, students will learn how empowered communities can strengthen the social fabric, multiply resources for community development, foster innovation and change, promote holistic and sustainable practices, and produce development consistent with the community's character and culture.
Faculty Short Courses - Fall 2005
Organizational Cultures: Working in Businesses and NGOs
Professor Caulkins (ANT 295.01, T TH 8:00 - 9:50) Everyone except hermits spends most of their working lives in organizational cultures, whether they are in business, non-profit organizations, or governmental agencies. This course examines the concept of organizational culture from a crtical pluralist perspective in anthropology and sociology, first focusing on the role of voluntary organizations and NGOs(non-governmental Organizations) in creating social capital, sustainable economic development, and local/world culture. Integrated into this pluralist perspective is the empirical work of business management theorist Jim Collins, who asks what makes "great" effective organizations, both for-profit business and non-profits.
Enterprise and Innovation - Spring 2006
Professor Caulkins, (Monday/Wednesday, 2:15 to 4:05) ANT 295 Managing Enterprise and Innovation: Making a Difference in Businesses and NGOs. A case-study approach to the management of innovations-changes in products, processes, and organizational structures-in such fields as education, biotechnology, community action organizations, web-based businesses, conservation organizations, high technology firms, and sustainable food technology. Attention will be given to the sources of innovation, often the "creative class," and the importance of international students and graduates to US economic and social growth. A consideration of policies that encourage socially responsible innovations and how innovations can go wrong. Alumni will participate in the course, giving their experience of managing innovation in a variety of firms and NGOs. Starting Up Right
Community Organizing: Empowering People, Effective Change
Professor Hunter: Tutorial: "Organizing," writes activist Si Kahn, "is people working together to get thingsdone." This tutorial examines community organizing--efforts by people working together to improve their neighborhoods, their communities, and their workplaces. We will focus our attention on the organizer and on the organizing effort itself, asking such questions as: Why do people become community organizers, union organizers, or social activists? How does their activism affect them? What are the skills and roles of a good organizer? Since people have a lot of other things to do in their lives, how do effective organizers and leaders build organizations and get people to participate actively? What kinds of organizing are there? We will try to answer such questions by analyzing a wide range of material on organizing, including autobiographical writings, manuals for activists, case studies of organizing attempts, and documentary films.
Advanced Studies in Sociology: Organizing for Social Good: Nonprofit and Non-Governmental Organizations - Spring 2006
Prof. Hunter (SOC 390.01, T TH 2:15-4:05) This seminar examines how nonprofit (and non-governmental) organizations are structured and how they operate, with a particular interest in how some nonprofit organizations are able to sustain an entrepreneurial spirit, high levels of participation by their members, and an organizational culture that fosters internal change, despite continuing financial and other external constraints. Attention to issues of power, funding, decision-making, leadership, and the interrelations of the organization and its environment. Cases, depending on student interests, may include human service organizations such as welfare departments, community action agencies, and mental health centers; unions; foundations; neighborhood associations; grassroots pressure groups; national service organizations; international NGOs.
