Provisional University Bulletin (2024-2025)

• Minor in Business
• Minor in Finance
• Major in Business (BA)

Louis Brandeis was among the first to define business as a profession worthy of pursuit. Before his appointment to the Supreme Court, he practiced commercial law. He was fascinated both by the way business worked and the impact it had on society. While the business world of his day differed in many respects from that of our own, many of his insights still have the ability to open up new perspectives and stimulate debate.

At Brandeis, we believe that a business education consists of much more than the acquisition of a set of practical skills. We emphasize critical thinking, broad perspective, and multicultural understanding. In this way, we hope to prepare students to be responsible and thoughtful citizens in the business world of tomorrow.

The Business Program introduces undergraduates to the functions, opportunities, and challenges of business enterprises, and helps students acquire skills and perspectives essential to a business career. Administered by the Brandeis International Business School and the College of Arts and Sciences, the curriculum allows students to combine ideas and methods from liberal arts disciplines with an intensive education in business thinking and practice. The curriculum offers multiple paths for students to develop connections between their business studies and the "non-financial" measures of success they value – from concerns with global society and sustainability to innovation in science and art.

Students in the Business Program participate in the life at Brandeis International Business School. Business School professors teach undergraduate business courses, and students in the program regularly attend events and talks at the graduate school. Students also have the opportunity to take some graduate level courses.

Accelerated Graduate Programs

The Accelerated Master’s Program at Brandeis International Business School allows undergraduate students in the business program to earn a Master of Arts in International Economics and Finance (MA) degree in just one additional year starting in the summer after completing their BA if they have studied economics or business in a U.S institution. The Accelerated MA Program curriculum combines graduate business coursework and practical learning in both international economics and finance – giving students expanded knowledge across both subjects and enabling them to succeed in the global job market across a wide range of opportunities.

Dual Degrees (Accelerated)

The International Business School offers opportunities for undergraduates at Brandeis University and Wellesley College to enhance liberal arts experience with substantial, skills-driven business courses. Brandeis undergraduates may pursue these dual degree programs as an International Business Scholar or by applying during their undergraduate program.

BA/MA

The BA/MA is a five year program that teaches students how to tackle economic and financial challenges. Students complete a BA or BS in any major and then earn the Master of Arts in International Economics (MA) degree in one additional year.

BA/MSBA

The BA/MSBA is a five year program that teaches students how to understand statistical, programming, data visualization and econometric methods of analyzing data. Students complete a BA or BS in any major and then earn the Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) degree in one additional year.  

BA/MBA

The BA/MBA is a five and a half year program that teaches students both quantitative and qualitative coursework to fast track global business and leadership success. Students complete a BA or BS in any major and then earn the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in one and a half additional years.

The Five Learning Goals of the Major

1. Fundamental Concepts: Students will understand the fundamental concepts of business.
2. Business Disciplines: Students will have knowledge of key paradigms in core business disciplines.
3. Analytical Skills: Students will possess the quantitative, analytical, and critical thinking skills to evaluate businesses and the environment in which they operate.
4. Communications Skills: Students will have competence in a range of essential business communications skills.
5. Ethical Awareness: Students will be aware of the ethical, societal, and environmental implications of business decisions.

Fundamental Concepts: Students will understand the fundamental concepts of business.

Knowledge

1. Ability to use the language of business and management.
2. Ability to describe the structure of a business and its component parts.
3. Ability to describe the major factors influencing business formation and operations.

Courses: BUS 6a, BUS 10a

Business Disciplines: Students will have knowledge of key paradigms in core business disciplines.

Knowledge

1. Knowledge of key principles in finance, organizational behavior, and marketing.
2. Ability to apply appropriate frameworks to problem-­solving in those areas.

Courses: BUS 120a, BUS 152a, FIN 103a

Analytical Skills: Students will possess the quantitative, analytical, and critical thinking skills to evaluate businesses and the environment in which they operate.

Core Skills

1. Ability to prepare and interpret basic financial statements.
2. Ability to use analytical techniques to assess the financial well-being of a business.
3. Ability to use business school case studies to understand a management or industry issue.

Courses: BUS 6a, BUS 10a, BUS 51a, BUS 152a, FIN 103a

Communications Skills: Students will have competence in a range of essential business communications skills.

Core Skills

1. Ability to give a persuasive business presentation.
2. Ability to write a convincing business memo.
3. Ability to effectively advocate an idea.

Courses: BUS 10a, BUS 47a. BUS 51a, BUS 120a, BUS 152a

Ethical Awareness: Students will be aware of the ethical, societal, and environmental implications of business decisions.

Social Justice

1. Ability to identify the ethical, societal, or environmental aspects of a business situation.
2. Ability to evaluate these factors when making business decisions.

Courses: BUS 6a, BUS 10a, BUS 120a, BUS 152a, FIN 103a

The major and minor welcome all students who wish to augment their liberal arts education with a brief but sophisticated overview of business issues. Students interested in learning about the major or minor should first consult the Business website. To declare the major or the minor, students must have completed ECON 2a or ECON 10a with a grade of C or higher. They also must have completed BUS 6a and/or BUS 10a with a grade of C or higher or be currently enrolled. Students may then complete either the major or minor declaration form found on the Business Program webpage.

Daniel Bergstresser, Chair
(International Business School)

Jane Ebert
(International Business School)

Maura Jane Farrelly
(American Studies; Journalism)

Richard Gaskins
(American Studies; Legal Studies)

JC Makolo
(International Business School; Business; Finance)

Nidhiya Menon
(Economics)

Andy Molinsky
(International Business School; Business)

Aldo Musacchio
(International Business School; Business)

Hagit Weihs, Undergraduate Advising Head
(International Business School; Business)

Daniel Bergstresser
Municipal finance. Corporate governance. Household financial behavior.

Stephen Cecchetti
Macroeconomics. Monetary policy. Central banking. Financial regulation.

Sandra Cha
Leadership. Identity in organizations. Organizational behavior.

Jane Ebert
Consumer judgment and decision-making. Temporal discounting. Health promotion.

Divya Khaitan
Financial accounting. Managerial accounting. Intermediate accounting. Financial statement analysis. Cost accounting. Auditing and assurance services.

Sida Li
Market microstructure. High-frequency trading. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Maching Learning.

JC Makolo
Firm innovation and entrepreneurial finance. Corporate finance. Investments. Venture capital. Industrial organization.

Andrew Molinsky
Cross-cultural interaction. Organizational behavior.

Aldo Musacchio
State capitalism. Business strategy in emerging markets. Business history.

Gizem Nemutlu
Stochastic Modeling. Date-informed decision-making and optimization in healthcare. Health economics and outcomes research. Healthcare analytics.

Carol Osler
Market microstructure. Exchange rate dynamics. Behavioral finance. Open economy macroeconomics. 

Matthew Petit
Managerial accounting.

Quazi Sadruzzaman
Real estate investment and management.

Shubhranshu Shekhar
Data Mining. Machine-Learning. Health Care. Social Justice

Yang Sun
Financial Institutions. Corporate Finance. Household Finance. Applied Microeconomics.

Sharon Thomas
Marketing. Business strategy. Communications.

Erin Vicente
Business communication. Organizational communication and leadership. Effective speaking. Public relations. Media literacy.

Xavi Vidal-Berastain
Quantitative marketing. Demand estimation. Machine learning. Big data.

Hagit Weihs, Undergraduate Advising Head
Financial planning. Financial accounting. Managerial accounting. Intermediate accounting. Financial statement analysis.

Philippe Wells
Entrepreneurship. Private equity. Hedge funds. Sustainable investing. Investment management.

Grace Zimmerman
Marketing. Sales. Strategy. Entrepreneurship.

1. ECON 2a or ECON 10a, BUS 6a, and BUS 10a.
2. One non-ECON "Business and Society" course: refer to the "Thematic Electives in Business and Society" section.
3. Any one BUS course numbered above BUS 10a or LGLS 189a, except BUS 98a.
4. One additional course: any Business & Society elective or Business Administration elective, except BUS 98a, BUS 98b, or any finance (FIN) course numbered above FIN 103a.
5. No course, except as noted, with a final grade below C, and no course taken pass/fail, can count toward fulfilling the requirements for the minor in business. The exception is that C- is the minimum grade for Business and Society courses.
6. Students undertaking the Economics major and Business minor may only double count ECON 2a or ECON 10a for the Business minor.

Prerequisites

Prior to declaring the minor, students must complete the following two prerequisites and have earned a grade of C- or higher in each:

1. MATH 10a (or a score of at least 4 on the AP Mathematics AB test, or at least 3 on the AP Mathematics BC test, or at least 5 on the IB Math AA text, or a qualifying score on the Economics calculus exemption exam). 
2. BIOL 51a, BUS 51a, ECON 83a, or POL 52a (or a score of 4 or 5 on AP Statistics).

Minor Requirements

Six semester courses are required for the finance minor.

A. Core Requirement (three courses):

1. BUS 6a
2. FIN 103a or ECON/FIN 171a
3. FIN 104a or FIN 204a.

B. Core Electives (any two courses): 

• BUS 109a
• BUS 180a
• FIN 105a
• FIN 234a
• FIN 240a
• FIN 261a
• FIN 270a

C. General Elective (any one course):

• ECON 142b
• ECON 151a
• ECON 172b
• HIST 114b
• Any Core FIN Elective not taken for that requirement.

D. No course with a final grade below C, and no course taken pass/fail, can count toward fulfilling the requirements for the minor in Finance.

E. Business and Economics majors and minors may double count only two courses toward the Finance minor.

To declare the major or the minor, students must have completed  ECON 2a or ECON 10a with a grade of C or higher. They also must have completed BUS 6a and/or BUS 10a with a grade of C or higheror be currently enrolled in them. Students may then complete either the major or minor declaration form found on the Business Program webpage.

1. ECON 2a or ECON 10a.
2. BUS 51a. May be exempted by the following quantitative courses: BIOL 51a, ECON 83a, MATH 36a and MATH 36b, or PSYC 51a, or an appropriate score of 4 or 5 on AP Statistics.
3. BUS 6a, BUS 10a, BUS 120a, BUS 152a, and FIN 103a.
4. Two "Business and Society" electives, and three "Business Administration" electives.
5. Foundational Literacies: As part of completing the Business major, students must:
   • Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing BUS 47a or ECON 26b (co/pre-requisite is ECON 82b).
   • Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing BUS 47a or ECON 25a  (co/pre-requisite is ECON 80a).
   • Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing one of the following: BUS 6a, BUS 10a, BUS 51a, or FIN 103a.

No course, except as noted, with a final grade below C, and no course taken pass/fail, can count toward fulfilling the requirements for the major in Business. The exception is that C- is the minimum grade for Business and Society courses.

Students undertaking the economics major and the business major are subject to additional restrictions. Business majors may double count no more than two courses for the Economics major. Excluded in this calculation are: ECON 2a or ECON 10a, ECON 83a to exempt from BUS 51a, and ECON/FIN 171a to exempt from FIN 103a. Please note that ECON/FIN 171a cannot be counted as both a Business Administration elective and an upper-level Economics elective.

For Business and Economics double majors, BUS 10a (required for the Business major) will count as a lower level elective for Economics and ECON 20a (required for the Economics major) will count as a Business and Society elective for Business. As a result, no further "double-counts" are allowed for the Business major, except as noted in the requirements for the Business Major.

Specialization is achieved by taking three courses on one of the nine designated themes (see III.A and III.B). This specialization does not appear on the transcript, but may be reported in a resume.

Honors Program

Qualified seniors are invited to participate in the business honors program, which involves completing a thesis under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Candidates for honors must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 in their BUS courses (excluding BUS 98a) and be on track to complete at least 20 credits of BUS courses (excluding BUS 98a) by the end of the first semester of their senior year. If accepted to the program, students enroll in BUS 99a and later in BUS 99b and receive course credit for their completed work; however, this will not count towards the requirements for the major. For more information, see the program website.

Courses taken during a Brandeis-approved study abroad may be used as substitutes for BUS courses in the program with prior approval from the Study Abroad Liaison. Students who are studying abroad will not be permitted to take substitutes for BUS 6a, BUS 10a, BUS 120a, and BUS 152a. The same rule of prior approval applies for summer study at another university, with the exception of BUS 6a, which may be considered if taught in the United States to US GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles). Any exemption to the previously listed rules requires prior approval by petition. See the program administrator or the Undergraduate Advising Head.

Transfer students may apply to the Undergraduate Advising Head for courses taught elsewhere to fulfill the requirements for the major or minor, with the provision that at Brandeis they must take a minimum of five other full semester BUS courses for the major, or two other full semester BUS courses for the minor. In addition, for both the major and minor, transfer students must take at least one course at Brandeis in Section III.A Business and Society. Please see the “How to Become a Major or Minor” section of this bulletin.

BUS 98a or BUS 98b does not provide credit towards the business major or minor, but it is a four-credit course that counts as one of a student’s thirty-two courses.

Business internships do not count toward the major requirements, but may earn general numeric credit. Students interested in completing a business internship for general university credit should consult the description and enrollment information for INT 89 in the university bulletin.

Thematic Electives in Business and Society (III.A)

Communications, Commerce, and Culture Courses

AMST 103b Advertising and the Media
ANTH 26a Communication and Media
ANTH 70a Business, Culture and Society
ANTH 163b Economies and Culture
CHIN 106b Business Chinese and Culture
CLAS 121b Money, Markets, and Society in the Ancient Mediterranean
ENG 188b Capitalism and Culture
FREN 124a French Cultural Perspectives on Work and Business
HBRW 124a Hebrew for Business, Doing Business in Start-Up Nation
PSYC 34b Social Psychology
SOC 150b Culture of Consumption
THA 138a The Business of Show Business

Environment, Health and Social Policy Courses

ECON 57a Environmental Economics
ECON 76b Labor Economics
FA 181a Housing and Social Justice
ENVS 131b Political Economy of Global Climate Governance
HS 104b American Health Care
HS 110a Wealth & Poverty
HSSP 104b Health Economics
HSSP 106a Managing Medicine
HSSP 107b Health Care Technology: Evaluating Emerging Medical Services, Drugs and Devices
SOC 112b Social Class and Social Change
SOC 175b Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships

Law and Government Courses

AAAS 126b Political Economy of the Third World
AMST/LGLS 188b Louis Brandeis: Law, Business & Politics
ECON 20a Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECON 35b The History of Taxation
ENVS 131b Political Economy of Global Climate Governance
HIST 160b American Legal History II
LGLS 114a American Health Care: Law and Policy
LGLS 127b International Economic Law
LGLS 138b Science on Trial
NEJS 150b Israeli Civil Society: Diversity, Democracy, and Justice
POL 172b International Political Economy

Applied Methods

COSI 12b Advanced Programming Techniques in Java
COSI 21a Data Structures  and the Fundamentals of Computing
ENGR 11a Introduction to Design Methodology
MATH 15a Applied Linear Algebra
MATH 37a Differential Equations
MATH 126a Introduction to Stochastic Processes and Models

Thematic Electives in Business Administration (III.B)

To complete a specialization, you need to complete 3.00 courses within it. Specializations do not appear on your transcript but you may note them on your resume. All 200-level courses listed below are for seniors only and require instructor approval.

Accounting and Finance

1.  At least one accounting course:

• BUS 113a Intermediate Financial Accounting
• BUS 114a Managerial Accounting

2.  At least one finance course:

• FIN 103a or FIN 204a Corporate Finance
• FIN 105a Investment and Portfolio Management
• ECON/FIN 171a Financial Economics

3.  Other electives to choose from:

• BUS 109a Human Psychology and Financial Decision Making
• BUS 135a Real Estate and Society
• BUS 180a The Financial System
• ECON 161a International Finance
• ECON 172b Money and Banking

Human Resources and Leadership

BUS 222f Global Dexterity (0.5 course credits) 
BUS 227a Influence, Power and Identity
BUS 297c Leadership Internships in Social Impact Organizations (full year course)

Innovation and Strategy

BUS 130a Entrepreneurship and Innovation
BUS 160a Competitive Strategy
BUS 233a Entrepreneurship and Rapid Prototyping
Bus 295a Field Project: Social Impact Innovation
ECON 135a Industrial Organization
ECON 141b Economics of Innovation

Management

BUS 111a Business Analytics
BUS 114a Managerial Accounting
BUS 172a Operations Management
LGLS 189a Business Law

Marketing

BUS 111a Business Analytics
BUS 153a Marketing Research
BUS 154a Branding Strategy
BUS 160a Competitive Strategy
BUS 255a Consumer Behavior
BUS 257f Social Media and Advertising
BUS 258f Sales and Sales Management
BUS 292a Marketing Field Project

BUS 6a Financial Accounting
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a with a grade of C or higher.

Develops basic concepts and accounts and applies them to income measurement, capital values, and costs. Through the use of cases, develops the basis for rational choice and control of business activity. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

BUS 10a Business Fundamentals
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a. BUS 6a may be taken concurrently with BUS 10a.

Introduces the internal complexity of modern businesses and the various roles they play in society. First examines the internal workings of firms--marketing, operations, finance, and other functions. Subsequently, the relationships between businesses and their context--the economy, social issues, and government are studied. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

BUS 47a Business Communication
[ oc ss wi ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Enrollment limited to Business Majors.

Success in today's competitive corporate world stems from an individual's strong communication skills. As a future professional, you will be asked to organize, develop, and deliver concise presentations and write business specific that meet a range target audiences' needs in a variety of business contexts. This course will help you prepare and develop your written, oral, visual, and digital communication skills, as well as your critical and analytical thinking skills. Emphasis will focus on real business cases, my personal business experiences, and communication styles and techniques represented in the business community. By the end of this class, you will understand how to communicate professionally using various business communication techniques and applications based on the audience you are communicating with and in what context through practice and feedback from both professor and peers will be an important part of this course. Usually offered every year.

BUS 51a Introduction to Data Analytics with Excel
[ dl qr ss ]

Prerequisite: Bus 6a. May not be taken for credit by students who took BUS 51b in prior years.

Teaches students how to analyze data, how to create data visualizations, and how to use data for basic inference. The course is taught using Microsoft Excel, thus allowing students to also learn the most common piece of software used in the workplace to analyze business data. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 98a Independent Study

Does not meet the requirements for the major or minor in Business. Signature of the instructor required.

Normally available for a student who has taken a course and wishes to pursue further reading or research in that field or study a subject not listed among the department course offerings. Usually offered every year.

BUS 98b Independent Study

Does not meet the requirements for the major or minor in Business. Signature of the instructor required.

Normally available for a student who has taken a course and wishes to pursue further reading or research in that field or study a subject not listed among the department course offerings. Usually offered every year.

BUS 99a Senior Research

Independent research and writing under faculty direction for the purpose of a senior Business honors project. Usually offered every fall.

BUS 99b Senior Project

Completion and submission of a senior Business honors project. Usually offered every spring.

BUS 109a Human Psychology and Financial Decision Making
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 2a or 10a, and either BUS 71a or ECON 171a

Behavioral Economics and Finance applies insights from psychology to understand the observed behavior of people and markets. It is traditional in economics and finance to assume that economic agents are 'perfectly rational,' meaning they make decisions in accordance with logic and statistics textbooks, they see the world accurately, they have perfect recall, and they are perfectly selfish. This approach has provided insights of great practical value and explains a lot of what we know about financial markets and corporate decisions, but it leaves much of the real world unexplained. Why do stock prices, house prices, and exchange rates sometimes go through bubbles, rising far higher than justified by fundamentals and then crashing? Why do retail investors trade too much, and why don't they diversify enough? Why don't people save enough for retirement? Usually offered every other year.

BUS 111a Business Analytics
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: BUS 6a, BUS 10a and BUS 51a.

This course is about analyzing and interpreting data about markets and customers. It has been designed for managers who will be using data analytics, and so is intended for students wanting to go into marketing, finance, consulting, entrepreneurship, business strategy and operations management. Students who take this class will learn about the sorts of business decision problems in which research information is most useful, including problems related to pricing, target market selection, and new product introduction. Usually offered every year.

BUS 113a Intermediate Financial Accounting
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a.

Expands the understanding of accounting theory and evaluates the impact of alternative accounting procedures on financial statements. Topics covered include revenue recognition, accounting changes/errors, inventory measurement and valuation, long-lived assets acquisition, disposition, and impairment. Usually offered every year.

BUS 114a Managerial Accounting
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a.

Introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of managerial accounting, including internal reporting used in planning, control, and decision making. Learn how organizations use this information to measure and control resources used in producing goods and providing services. Usually offered every year.

BUS 120a Organizational Behavior in Business
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have taken PSYC 150b.

Covers the fundamentals of organizational behavior, including topics like leadership, work motivation, organizational culture, organizational structure, group dynamics, perception, and decision-making in a global environment. Assignments include individual and group project analyses focused on topical business issues using course concepts. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 130a Entrepreneurship and Innovation
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a.

Explores why, when, and how to start a new business venture. Includes identifying opportunities, gaining access to resources, and assembling a team with key skills. Uses lectures, case discussions, and outside speakers to introduce issues in both theory and practice. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 135a Introduction to Commercial Real Estate
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a.

Provides students with the fundamentals of real estate investment analysis and examines major trends and current issues: affordable housing; preservations, conservation, and environmentalism; green construction; new urbanism and smart growth; and the meltdown in the capital markets. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 140a Sports Analytics
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BIOL 51a, BUS 51a, ECON 83a, MATH 36a and Math 36b, or PSYC 51a, or equivalent.

The global sports industry has skyrocketed to a one-half trillion-dollar industry from the insatiable
appetite for spectators to consume, media to broadcast, leagues to produce, and merchandisers to
sell sports-related products. In addition, a social community has evolved through fantasy sports
leagues, group leagues, team-based fan experiences and social media. Finally, with the recent
legalization of sports betting, spectators can now actively wager on specific event outcomes and
individual performance. Usually offered every year.

BUS 152a Marketing Management
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Corequisite: BUS 51a.

An introduction to key concepts in competitive strategy and marketing, which are used to help firms create, sustain, and capture value. Topics include industry analysis, competitive advantage, market identification, and marketing policies. Incorporates case studies, discussion method, team projects, and business research. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 153a Marketing Research
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 152a.

Marketing research is critical to business success in today's information economy. We will learn quantitative marketing research models and techniques for analyzing consumer behavior and marketing information. Topics include marketing segmentation, targeted promotion strategies, brand positioning, new produce design, and customer profitability. Usually offered every year.

BUS 154a Branding Strategy
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 152a with a grade C or higher, or BUS 252a with a grade of C+ or higher.

Examines the value of building, sustaining, and communicating a company's brand and its value
proposition through promotional activities and channels of distribution. A competitive, online
simulation is used to enhance case studies. Usually offered every year.

BUS 160a Competitive Strategy
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. BUS 152a is recommended.

Allows students to examine the challenges and opportunities of doing business globally using a few simple frameworks developed at Harvard Business School. Students will use such frameworks to think about the design and execution of successful strategies, in the US market, in emerging markets, in entrepreneurial firms and in social platforms. Usually offered every year.

BUS 172a Operations Management
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Corequisite: BUS 51a.

Operations Management is the scientific study and optimization of the processes that organizations use to create the products/services purchased by their customers. Topics include process analysis, the impact of variability on process performance, quality management (lean production and six sigma), project management, inventory management, supply chain coordination, revenue management and operations strategy. Usually offered every year.

BUS 180a The Financial System
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 20a and either BUS 71a or ECON 171a.

Financial systems are centered on key institutions, instruments, and markets, but they also involve governments and public policy. If you have financial responsibilities in a private corporation or a consulting firm, or you are working directly in the financial systems for a commercial bank, investment bank, or an asset manager, it is essential that you understand how the entire financial system works. With that in mind, this course lays out the organizational structure of finance, what functions it serves and why. Usually offered every year.

FIN 103a Financial Management
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a. Corequisite: BUS 51a. This course cannot be counted as an elective toward the Economics major or minor. Cannot be taken for credit by students who have taken Bus 71a in previous years.

Introduces students to topics and methods in the field of finance. Covers how firms secure financing via equity and debt markets, valuation of stocks and bonds, fundamental analysis techniques, capital budgeting techniques, relationship of risk and return, and the time-value-of-money. Usually offered every semester.

FIN 104a Corporate Finance
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 71a or ECON 171a. Cannot be taken for credit by students who have taken Bus 117a in previous years.

Develops greater depth of financial skills and logical thought processes necessary to formulate and implement business decisions in a global environment. Topics include firm valuation, capital structure and security issuances, payout policies, and corporate restructuring. Usually offered every year.

BUS 6a Financial Accounting
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a with a grade of C or higher.

Develops basic concepts and accounts and applies them to income measurement, capital values, and costs. Through the use of cases, develops the basis for rational choice and control of business activity. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

BUS 10a Business Fundamentals
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a. BUS 6a may be taken concurrently with BUS 10a.

Introduces the internal complexity of modern businesses and the various roles they play in society. First examines the internal workings of firms--marketing, operations, finance, and other functions. Subsequently, the relationships between businesses and their context--the economy, social issues, and government are studied. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

BUS 51a Introduction to Data Analytics with Excel
[ dl qr ss ]

Prerequisite: Bus 6a. May not be taken for credit by students who took BUS 51b in prior years.

Teaches students how to analyze data, how to create data visualizations, and how to use data for basic inference. The course is taught using Microsoft Excel, thus allowing students to also learn the most common piece of software used in the workplace to analyze business data. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 120a Organizational Behavior in Business
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have taken PSYC 150b.

Covers the fundamentals of organizational behavior, including topics like leadership, work motivation, organizational culture, organizational structure, group dynamics, perception, and decision-making in a global environment. Assignments include individual and group project analyses focused on topical business issues using course concepts. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 152a Marketing Management
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Corequisite: BUS 51a.

An introduction to key concepts in competitive strategy and marketing, which are used to help firms create, sustain, and capture value. Topics include industry analysis, competitive advantage, market identification, and marketing policies. Incorporates case studies, discussion method, team projects, and business research. Usually offered every semester.

ECON 2a A Survey of Economics
[ qr ss ]

Intended for students who are not Economics majors or minors. May not be taken for credit by students who took ECON 10a in prior years. Concurrent enrollment in ECON 10a is not allowed.

Introduces economic analysis with policy applications. The economist's approach to social analysis is systematically elaborated. Usually offered every semester.

ECON 10a Introduction to Microeconomics
[ qr ss ]

Intended for Economics majors and minors or students who intend to take more than one Economics course. Students who have taken ECON 2a and received a B+ or better cannot receive credit for this course, and concurrent enrollment in ECON 2a is not allowed. May not be taken for credit by students concurrently with or after they have taken ECON 80a.

Introduces the field of microeconomics, which is the study of how individuals and firms make decisions and how these decisions interact. Usually offered every semester.

FIN 103a Financial Management
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a. Corequisite: BUS 51a. This course cannot be counted as an elective toward the Economics major or minor. Cannot be taken for credit by students who have taken Bus 71a in previous years.

Introduces students to topics and methods in the field of finance. Covers how firms secure financing via equity and debt markets, valuation of stocks and bonds, fundamental analysis techniques, capital budgeting techniques, relationship of risk and return, and the time-value-of-money. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 6a Financial Accounting
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a with a grade of C or higher.

Develops basic concepts and accounts and applies them to income measurement, capital values, and costs. Through the use of cases, develops the basis for rational choice and control of business activity. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

BUS 10a Business Fundamentals
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a. BUS 6a may be taken concurrently with BUS 10a.

Introduces the internal complexity of modern businesses and the various roles they play in society. First examines the internal workings of firms--marketing, operations, finance, and other functions. Subsequently, the relationships between businesses and their context--the economy, social issues, and government are studied. Usually offered every semester in multiple sections.

BUS 51a Introduction to Data Analytics with Excel
[ dl qr ss ]

Prerequisite: Bus 6a. May not be taken for credit by students who took BUS 51b in prior years.

Teaches students how to analyze data, how to create data visualizations, and how to use data for basic inference. The course is taught using Microsoft Excel, thus allowing students to also learn the most common piece of software used in the workplace to analyze business data. Usually offered every semester.

FIN 103a Financial Management
[ dl ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a. Corequisite: BUS 51a. This course cannot be counted as an elective toward the Economics major or minor. Cannot be taken for credit by students who have taken Bus 71a in previous years.

Introduces students to topics and methods in the field of finance. Covers how firms secure financing via equity and debt markets, valuation of stocks and bonds, fundamental analysis techniques, capital budgeting techniques, relationship of risk and return, and the time-value-of-money. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 47a Business Communication
[ oc ss wi ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Enrollment limited to Business Majors.

Success in today's competitive corporate world stems from an individual's strong communication skills. As a future professional, you will be asked to organize, develop, and deliver concise presentations and write business specific that meet a range target audiences' needs in a variety of business contexts. This course will help you prepare and develop your written, oral, visual, and digital communication skills, as well as your critical and analytical thinking skills. Emphasis will focus on real business cases, my personal business experiences, and communication styles and techniques represented in the business community. By the end of this class, you will understand how to communicate professionally using various business communication techniques and applications based on the audience you are communicating with and in what context through practice and feedback from both professor and peers will be an important part of this course. Usually offered every year.

ECON 25a Oral Communication in Economics Practicum
[ oc ]

Prerequisite: ECON 80a. Course may be taken as a corequisite. Yields half-course credit.

Introduces students to techniques of public speaking in economics using microeconomic applications. Teaches students to explain real-world economic problems to an audience using economic reasoning. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 47a Business Communication
[ oc ss wi ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Enrollment limited to Business Majors.

Success in today's competitive corporate world stems from an individual's strong communication skills. As a future professional, you will be asked to organize, develop, and deliver concise presentations and write business specific that meet a range target audiences' needs in a variety of business contexts. This course will help you prepare and develop your written, oral, visual, and digital communication skills, as well as your critical and analytical thinking skills. Emphasis will focus on real business cases, my personal business experiences, and communication styles and techniques represented in the business community. By the end of this class, you will understand how to communicate professionally using various business communication techniques and applications based on the audience you are communicating with and in what context through practice and feedback from both professor and peers will be an important part of this course. Usually offered every year.

ECON 26b Writing in Economics Practicum
[ wi ]

Prerequisite: ECON 82b. Course may be taken as a corequisite. Yields half-course credit.

Introduces students to how economists communicate research and policy analyses to the public through writing exercises on macroeconomic policy and economic indicators. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 51a Introduction to Data Analytics with Excel
[ dl qr ss ]

Prerequisite: Bus 6a. May not be taken for credit by students who took BUS 51b in prior years.

Teaches students how to analyze data, how to create data visualizations, and how to use data for basic inference. The course is taught using Microsoft Excel, thus allowing students to also learn the most common piece of software used in the workplace to analyze business data. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 109a Human Psychology and Financial Decision Making
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 2a or 10a, and either BUS 71a or ECON 171a

Behavioral Economics and Finance applies insights from psychology to understand the observed behavior of people and markets. It is traditional in economics and finance to assume that economic agents are 'perfectly rational,' meaning they make decisions in accordance with logic and statistics textbooks, they see the world accurately, they have perfect recall, and they are perfectly selfish. This approach has provided insights of great practical value and explains a lot of what we know about financial markets and corporate decisions, but it leaves much of the real world unexplained. Why do stock prices, house prices, and exchange rates sometimes go through bubbles, rising far higher than justified by fundamentals and then crashing? Why do retail investors trade too much, and why don't they diversify enough? Why don't people save enough for retirement? Usually offered every other year.

BUS 111a Business Analytics
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: BUS 6a, BUS 10a and BUS 51a.

This course is about analyzing and interpreting data about markets and customers. It has been designed for managers who will be using data analytics, and so is intended for students wanting to go into marketing, finance, consulting, entrepreneurship, business strategy and operations management. Students who take this class will learn about the sorts of business decision problems in which research information is most useful, including problems related to pricing, target market selection, and new product introduction. Usually offered every year.

BUS 113a Intermediate Financial Accounting
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a.

Expands the understanding of accounting theory and evaluates the impact of alternative accounting procedures on financial statements. Topics covered include revenue recognition, accounting changes/errors, inventory measurement and valuation, long-lived assets acquisition, disposition, and impairment. Usually offered every year.

BUS 114a Managerial Accounting
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a.

Introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of managerial accounting, including internal reporting used in planning, control, and decision making. Learn how organizations use this information to measure and control resources used in producing goods and providing services. Usually offered every year.

BUS 130a Entrepreneurship and Innovation
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a.

Explores why, when, and how to start a new business venture. Includes identifying opportunities, gaining access to resources, and assembling a team with key skills. Uses lectures, case discussions, and outside speakers to introduce issues in both theory and practice. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 135a Introduction to Commercial Real Estate
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a.

Provides students with the fundamentals of real estate investment analysis and examines major trends and current issues: affordable housing; preservations, conservation, and environmentalism; green construction; new urbanism and smart growth; and the meltdown in the capital markets. Usually offered every semester.

BUS 140a Sports Analytics
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BIOL 51a, BUS 51a, ECON 83a, MATH 36a and Math 36b, or PSYC 51a, or equivalent.

The global sports industry has skyrocketed to a one-half trillion-dollar industry from the insatiable
appetite for spectators to consume, media to broadcast, leagues to produce, and merchandisers to
sell sports-related products. In addition, a social community has evolved through fantasy sports
leagues, group leagues, team-based fan experiences and social media. Finally, with the recent
legalization of sports betting, spectators can now actively wager on specific event outcomes and
individual performance. Usually offered every year.

BUS 153a Marketing Research
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 152a.

Marketing research is critical to business success in today's information economy. We will learn quantitative marketing research models and techniques for analyzing consumer behavior and marketing information. Topics include marketing segmentation, targeted promotion strategies, brand positioning, new produce design, and customer profitability. Usually offered every year.

BUS 154a Branding Strategy
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 152a with a grade C or higher, or BUS 252a with a grade of C+ or higher.

Examines the value of building, sustaining, and communicating a company's brand and its value
proposition through promotional activities and channels of distribution. A competitive, online
simulation is used to enhance case studies. Usually offered every year.

BUS 160a Competitive Strategy
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. BUS 152a is recommended.

Allows students to examine the challenges and opportunities of doing business globally using a few simple frameworks developed at Harvard Business School. Students will use such frameworks to think about the design and execution of successful strategies, in the US market, in emerging markets, in entrepreneurial firms and in social platforms. Usually offered every year.

BUS 172a Operations Management
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: BUS 6a and BUS 10a. Corequisite: BUS 51a.

Operations Management is the scientific study and optimization of the processes that organizations use to create the products/services purchased by their customers. Topics include process analysis, the impact of variability on process performance, quality management (lean production and six sigma), project management, inventory management, supply chain coordination, revenue management and operations strategy. Usually offered every year.

BUS 180a The Financial System
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 20a and either BUS 71a or ECON 171a.

Financial systems are centered on key institutions, instruments, and markets, but they also involve governments and public policy. If you have financial responsibilities in a private corporation or a consulting firm, or you are working directly in the financial systems for a commercial bank, investment bank, or an asset manager, it is essential that you understand how the entire financial system works. With that in mind, this course lays out the organizational structure of finance, what functions it serves and why. Usually offered every year.

BUS 222f Global Dexterity

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

To be a global worker and a true "citizen of the world" today means you are able to adapt your behavior to conform to new cultural contexts without losing your authentic self in the process. Work on developing "global dexterity" skills to accomplish this. Usually offered every year.

BUS 227a Influence, Power and Identity

Examines how many aspects of your career--landing a job, a promotion, or a new client--require you to influence other people and to affect how they think, feel, and behave. Students will explore and apply the latest research on successful influence strategies. Usually offered every year.

BUS 231a Entrepreneurial Finances and Business Plans

Open only to IBS students.

Introduces techniques for preparing business plans and explores the process of using a business plan to acquire funding. Requires students to prepare a business plan for a new venture and to present this plan in front of a critical audience. Usually offered every year.

BUS 233a Entrepreneurship and Rapid Prototyping

Recommended prerequisites: BUS 152a and BUS 232f.

Focuses on prototyping/lean startup, minimum-viable products, design thinking, project management, and product/service development. Today, the most important skills entrepreneurs need to have are not necessarily learned in the traditional classroom environment. The work of an entrepreneur and project manager of any kind requires mastering the art of rapid experimentation/prototyping with multiple iterations to improve systems, products or services. This course is designed to allow students learn those tools in a hands-on, immersive approach, allowing students to launch one actual product or service in the course of a semester. Usually offered every year.

BUS 255a Consumer Behavior

Focuses on fundamental theories and concepts in consumer psychology and exciting new findings to enhance students' understanding of how and why people choose, use and evaluate goods and services the way they do. This knowledge will come from lectures, readings and discussions in class, but also from hands-on experiential learning through involvement in a semester-long group project. Usually offered every year.

BUS 261a Managing Technology and Innovation

Focuses on skills and strategies needed to develop businesses based on new technologies. Through discussion of cases and concepts, the course explores innovation and technology management, strategy, marketing, financing, and performance of new ventures in entrepreneurial or existing firms. Usually offered every year.

BUS 262a Alliance, Acquisition, and Divestment Strategy

Business combinations are central to competitive strategy. Inter-firm alliances of various sorts (e.g., joint ventures) are particularly valuable in rapidly changing industries and in unfamiliar markets. Mergers and acquisitions can add value when scale and scope are keys to success. Surveys the strategic and organizational issues involved in business combinations. Discusses ideas from research, and applies them to managerial decisions using case studies and projects. Jointly taught by researcher and experienced consultant. Usually offered every year.

BUS 292a Marketing Field Project

Students work in teams on marketing projects for external sponsors. This course provides an opportunity for students to apply their skills and knowledge to solving real-world problems under the supervision of a faculty member. The course culminates in a final presentation to the sponsor before the end of the semester in which it is undertaken. Field Projects serve as a transition point for students from education to professional practice. Requires a strong foundation in marketing, along with good presentation and teamwork skills. Usually offered every year.

BUS/ECON 265f Business and Economic Strategies in Emerging Markets

Formerly offered as BUS 265a.

Studies the economic strategies followed by emerging markets and examines the differences in the business environment in emerging and developed markets. We then zoom in and study the strategies of firms that successfully (and unsuccessfully) do business in emerging markets. We analyze strategy in large and small entrepreneurial firms, particularly social enterprises that target the base of the pyramid. Usually offered every year.

ECON 135a Industrial Organization
[ qr ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.

Microeconomic analysis of firm behavior under alternative market structures and implications for market outcomes. Topics include strategic interaction, entry and exit, collusion, predation, price discrimination, product differentiation, vertical relations, imperfect information, advertising, and patents and innovation. Usually offered every year.

ECON 141b Economics of Innovation
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.

Studies innovation and technological change as the central focus of modern economies. Topics include the sources of growth, economics of research and development, innovation, diffusion and technology transfer, appropriability, patents, information markets, productivity, institutional innovation, and global competitiveness. Usually offered every year.

ECON 161a International Macroeconomics and Finance
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 82b. Corequisite: ECON 184b or permission of the instructor.

Applications of international economic theory--regarding trade, the balance of payments, investments, and exchange rates--to the management of import/export firms and multinational corporations. Usually offered every year.

ECON 172b Money and Banking
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 82b and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.

Examines the relationship of the financial system to real economic activity, focusing especially on banks and central banks. Topics include the monetary and payments systems; financial instruments and their pricing; the structure, management, and regulation of bank and nonbank financial intermediaries; and the design and operations of central banks in a modern economy. Usually offered every year.

ECON/FIN 171a Financial Economics
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.

An introduction to financial economics. Topics include the selection of assets, portfolio choice under uncertainty, equilibrium asset pricing models, the efficient markets hypothesis, futures, and options markets. Usually offered every year.

FIN 104a Corporate Finance
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: BUS 71a or ECON 171a. Cannot be taken for credit by students who have taken Bus 117a in previous years.

Develops greater depth of financial skills and logical thought processes necessary to formulate and implement business decisions in a global environment. Topics include firm valuation, capital structure and security issuances, payout policies, and corporate restructuring. Usually offered every year.

LGLS 189a Business Law
[ ss ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took AMST 189a in prior years.

Surveys core legal institutions of property, contracts, and corporations. Examines how law promotes and restrains the development of capitalism and market society in America, from the era of mass production through the age of global trade and digital commerce. Usually offered every year.

AMST 103b Advertising and the Media
[ ss ]

Combines a historical and contemporary analysis of advertising's role in developing and sustaining consumer culture in America with a practical analysis of the relationship between advertising and the news media in the United States. Usually offered every second year.

AMST/LGLS 188b Louis Brandeis: Law, Business and Politics
[ ss ]

Brandeis's legal career serves as model and guide for exploring the ideals and anxieties of American legal culture throughout the twentieth century. Focuses on how legal values evolve in response to new technologies, corporate capitalism, and threats to personal liberty. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 70a Business, Culture and Society
[ ss ]

In a diverse and rapidly changing global marketplace, it is crucial to understand local traditions, customs and cultural preferences. In this course, we adopt anthropological approaches to understand their impact on business practices, products, services, clients and ideas. Usually offered every second year.

ANTH 163b Economies and Culture
[ djw nw ss ]

Prerequisite: ANTH 1a, ECON 2a, ECON 10a, or permission of the instructor.

We read in newspapers and books and hear in everyday discussion about "the economy," an identifiably separate sphere of human life with its own rules and principles and its own scholarly discipline (economics). The class starts with the premise that this "common sense" idea of the economy is only one among a number of possible perspectives on the ways people use resources to meet their basic and not-so-basic human needs. In the course, we draw on cross-cultural examples, and take a look at the cultural aspects of finance, corporations, and markets. Usually offered every second year.

CHIN 106b Business Chinese and Culture
[ fl nw wi ]

Prerequisite: CHIN 40b or equivalent. Does not meet the requirement in the school of humanities.

An advanced Chinese course where students develop their language proficiency and cultural knowledge in professional settings such as the workplace. The course is conducted entirely in Chinese and is designed for students who want to sharpen their language skills and reach a higher level of proficiency in which they are able to read newspapers, magazines, or professional documents, as well as to improve their communicative ability and enhance their self-confidence in Chinese workplaces. Usually offered every second spring.

COSI 12b Advanced Programming Techniques in Java
[ dl sn wi ]

Prerequisite: COSI 10a or successful completion of the COSI online placement exam.

Studies advanced programming concepts and techniques utilizing the Java programming language. The course covers software engineering concepts, object-oriented design, design patterns and professional best practices. This is a required foundation course that will prepare you for more advanced courses, new programming languages, and frameworks. Usually offered every year.

COSI 21a Data Structures and the Fundamentals of Computing
[ dl sn ]

Prerequisite: COSI 12b. Graduate students may take this course concurrently with COSI 12b with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies.

Focuses on the design and analysis of algorithms and the use of data structures. Through the introduction of the most widely used data structures employed in solving commonly encountered problems. Students will learn different ways to organize data for easy access and efficient manipulation. The course also covers algorithms to solve classic problems, as well as algorithm design strategies; and computational complexity theory for studying the efficiency of the algorithms. Usually offered every year.

ECON 20a Introduction to Macroeconomics
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a with a B+ or higher or ECON 10a. May not be taken for credit by students concurrently with or after they have taken ECON 82b.

Introduces the field of macroeconomics. Macroeconomics is the study of the overall or aggregate economic performance of national economies. Usually offered every semester.

ECON 35b History of Taxation
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Traces taxation from the origins of coinage (560 BCE) to the proposed global minimum corporate tax (2021+). We examine taxes within the supply-and-demand model, including discussions of deadweight loss and allocative efficiency. Additionally, the course focuses on the political economy, welfare, and equity impacts of taxation. Usually offered every second year.

ECON 57a Environmental Economics
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Investigates the theoretical and policy problems posed by the use of renewable and nonrenewable resources. Theoretical topics include the optimal pricing of resources, the optimal use of standards and taxes to correct pollution problems under uncertainty, and the measurement of costs and benefits. Usually offered every year.

ECON 76b Labor Economics
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Analysis of competitive and less-than-competitive markets. Rationale for alternate methods of paying workers (e.g., hourly wages, piece rates, bonuses). Sources of wage differentials among jobs and workers. The U.S. labor movement, the process of collective bargaining, and the economic effects of unions. Effects of government interventions in the labor market, such as the minimum wage and occupational safety regulation. Extent and effects of discrimination in the labor market. Inequality in the distribution of wages. Usually offered every second year.

ENG 188b Capitalism and Culture
[ hum oc ]

How does capitalism influence the culture of advanced economies? How are the arts, dreams, and everyday lives of capitalist cultures organized? What traces of pre- or non-capitalist cultures survive? When, if at all, do we imagine worlds after capitalism? Usually offered every third year.

ENGR 11a Introduction to Design Methodology
[ sn ]

Prerequisite: Instructor permission required.

An introduction to the engineering design process, with a focus on human-centered design. Students work in teams to solve authentic design problems under the theme of “design to repair the world.” Students are guided through a highly scaffolded process in which they form an idea, sketch it, and develop it through multiple iterations leveraging quick feedback loops and the Design Thinking methodology. Students will become fluent in basic additive and subtractive manufacturing, including 3D printing, laser cutting, and CNC machining. Usually offered every year.

ENVS 131b The Political Economy of Global Climate Governance
[ djw ss ]

Climate finance and investment are usually treated primarily in the field of finance and led by international financial institutions. However, despite the promotion of large-scale investments in climate mitigation, adaptation and loss and damages, the larger political economy of climate governance and social justice implications are largely overlooked, as are perspectives and proposals from the global South. This course will map, compare, and systematize different proposals based on the green economy to public ownership and control over common goods proposals like just transition and buen vivir. Students are encouraged to discuss and apply concepts to their own creative proposals for social interventions, developing their practice and skills for climate activism, engagement, and leadership. Usually offered every year.

FA 181a Housing and Social Justice
[ ca deis-us dl ss ]

Employs housing as a lens to interrogate space and society, state and market, power and change, in relation with urban inequality and social justice. It trains students to become participants in the global debates about housing. In doing so, it teaches students about dominant paradigms of urban development and welfare and situates such paradigms in the 20th century history of capitalism. It will explicitly adopt a comparative and transnational urban approach to housing and social justice, showing how a globalized perspective provides important insights into local shelter struggles and debates. Usually offered every second year.

HBRW 124a Hebrew for Business, Doing Business in Start-Up Nation
[ dl fl wi ]

Prerequisite: Any 30-level Hebrew course or permission of the instructor. Does not meet the requirement in the school of humanities.

Provides students with tools and competence to deal with the Israeli business community. For advanced-intermediate Hebrew students who wish to gain cultural understanding and business language speaking skills. Usually offered every second year.

HIST 160b American Legal History II
[ deis-us ss ]

Survey of American legal development from 1865 to the present. Major topics include constitutionalism and racial inequality, the legal response to industrialization, progressivism and the transformation of liberalism, the rise of the administrative state, and rights-based movements for social justice. Usually offered every year.

HS 104b American Health Care
[ ss ]

Examines and critically analyzes the United States healthcare system, emphasizing the major trends and issues that have led to the current sense of "crisis." In addition to providing a historical perspective, this course will establish a context for analyzing the current, varied approaches to health care reform. Usually offered every year.

HS 110a Labor, Work, and Inequality
[ ss ]

Examines what economic and social factors drive inequality in terms of conditions at work, from wages to discrimination to worker voice, and how these conditions are connected to business decisions, government policies, union and worker advocacy, and worker norms and beliefs. Usually offered every year.

HSSP 104b Health Economics
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a.

Emphasizes the concepts and tools of health economics applicable to both developed and developing countries. Topics include: cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, the demand for health services, insurance and risk, managed care, provider reimbursement, national health insurance, and an overview of health care systems in other countries. Usually offered every second year.

HSSP 106a Managing Medicine
[ ss wi ]

Recommended prerequisite: HS 104b or LGLS 114a.

Overview of the principles of management within health care, and how public policy decisions can influence the choices of individual healthcare organizations. Through case studies of real hospitals, insurers, and firms, the class examines choices of clinicians and managers aimed at improving health care quality, delivering patient satisfaction, and containing costs. Usually offered every year.

HSSP 107b Health Care Technology: Evaluating Emerging Medical Services, Drugs and Devices
[ ss ]

Recommended prerequisite: HS 104b or permission of the instructor. Priority given to HSSP majors and minors.

An overview of the role of medical technology in the U.S. health care system, with a focus on the impact of prescription drugs on the health care system, their promise for the future, and inherent risks. Usually offered every year.

LGLS 114a American Health Care: Law and Policy
[ ss ]

Closed to first-year students.

Focuses on individual rights, highlights how our laws and policies affect American health care. Traces the evolution of the doctor-patient relationship; explores access issues, including whether health care is or should be a fundamental right; assesses the quality of care and the impact of malpractice; and examines the cost of having (or not having) adequate health insurance. Concludes with options and prospects for meaningful reform. Usually offered every year.

LGLS 138b Science on Trial
[ qr ss ]

Surveys the procedures and analytic methods by which scientific data enter into litigation and regulation/policy making. Introduces basic tools of risk analysis and legal rules of evidence. Case studies of tobacco litigation and regulation; use of DNA and other forensic evidence in the criminal justice system; the Woburn ground-water contamination case; and other topics to be selected, such as genetics in the courtroom, court-ordered Cesarean sections, polygraph testing, alternative medicine, and genetically modified foods. Usually offered every second year.

MATH 15a Linear Algebra
[ sn ]

Prerequisites: MATH 5a and permission of the instructor, placement by examination, or any mathematics course numbered 10 or above. Students may take MATH 15a or 22a for credit, but not both.

Matrices, determinants, linear equations, vector spaces, eigenvalues, quadratic forms, linear programming. Emphasis on techniques and applications. Usually offered every semester.

MATH 37a Differential Equations
[ sn ]

Prerequisites: MATH 15a or 22a and MATH 20a or 22b.

A first course in ordinary differential equations. Study of general techniques, with a view to solving specific problems such as the brachistochrone problem, the hanging chain problem, the motion of the planets, the vibrating string, Gauss's hypergeometric equation, the Volterra predator-prey model, isoperimetric problems, and the Abel mechanical problem. Usually offered every spring.

MATH 126a Introduction to Stochastic Processes and Models
[ sn ]

Prerequisites: MATH 15a, 20a, and 36a.

Basic definitions and properties of finite and infinite Markov chains in discrete and continuous time, recurrent and transient states, convergence to equilibrium, Martingales, Wiener processes and stochastic integrals with applications to biology, economics, and physics. Usually offered every second year.

NEJS 150b Israeli Civil Society: Diversity, Democracy, and Justice
[ djw hum ]

Civil society sustains democracy. It is where alternative futures are imagined, social boundaries are forged and contested, and identities are negotiated. As societies are becoming increasingly diverse and divided, and less stable and safe – civil society is where people organize, dream, and act. The Israeli civil society offers a fascinating case study for understanding the links between identity, organizations, and society. Through the Israeli context, we explore how national, ethnic, gender, cultural,  differences are constructed and managed in diverse and divided societies; understand how civic engagement shapes the future of democracy; and learn about the complexity and diversity of Jewish identity, in Israel and the diaspora. Usually offered every second year.

PSYC 34b Social Psychology
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: PSYC 10a.

An introduction to theory and research on the psychological processes that relate the individual to the larger social world in terms of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Topics include attitudes, social perception, prejudice and discrimination, attraction, behavior in groups, and the role of culture. Usually offered every year.

SOC 112b Social Class and Social Inequality
[ oc ss ]

Presents the role of social class in determining life chances, lifestyles, income, occupation, and power; theories of class, inequality, and globalization; selected aspects of social class and inequality; and connections of class, race, and gender. Usually offered every second year.

SOC 150b Culture of Consumption
[ ss ]

Examines the historical development and social significance of a culture of consumption. Considers the role of marketing in contemporary society and the expression of consumer culture in various realms of everyday life, including leisure, the family, and education. Usually offered every year.

SOC 175b Environmental Movements: Organizations, Networks, and Partnerships
[ ss ]

Studies environmental movement organizations and field strategies, national advocacy organizations, as well as community-based and civic approaches to environmental problem solving. Case studies draw from sustainable and climate resilient cities, watersheds, coastal adaptation, forests, ecosystem restoration, environmental justice, renewable energy, and the greening of business. May be combined with internships and action research. Usually offered every year.

THA 138a The Business of Show Business
[ ca ]

Provides students with an overview of the many different facets of what it takes to produce live theater in America today. With an emphasis on non-profit theater, students will learn about organizational structure, aesthetic and artistic goals, facilities management, budgeting and revenue streams, public relations/marketing/advertising and communication. From brainstorming to barnstorming, this course will give students the step-by-step process of delivering live, professional theater. Usually offered every second year.

BUS 109a Human Psychology and Financial Decision Making
[ ss ]

Prerequisites: ECON 2a or 10a, and either BUS 71a or ECON 171a

Behavioral Economics and Finance applies insights from psychology to understand the observed behavior of people and markets. It is traditional in economics and finance to assume that economic agents are 'perfectly rational,' meaning they make decisions in accordance with logic and statistics textbooks, they see the world accurately, they have perfect recall, and they are perfectly selfish. This approach has provided insights of great practical value and explains a lot of what we know about financial markets and corporate decisions, but it leaves much of the real world unexplained. Why do stock prices, house prices, and exchange rates sometimes go through bubbles, rising far higher than justified by fundamentals and then crashing? Why do retail investors trade too much, and why don't they diversify enough? Why don't people save enough for retirement? Usually offered every other year.

BUS 180a The Financial System
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 20a and either BUS 71a or ECON 171a.

Financial systems are centered on key institutions, instruments, and markets, but they also involve governments and public policy. If you have financial responsibilities in a private corporation or a consulting firm, or you are working directly in the financial systems for a commercial bank, investment bank, or an asset manager, it is essential that you understand how the entire financial system works. With that in mind, this course lays out the organizational structure of finance, what functions it serves and why. Usually offered every year.

FIN 234a Social Impact Investing

Prerequisites: FIN 201a, FIN 202a, FIN 203a or ECON 171a.

Looks at the intersection of finance and a social conscience both from the perspective of investors, and the perspective of corporate decision makers. Investors and businesses face many ESG (environment, social and governance) concerns, including climate change, income inequality, discrimination, and worker welfare, to name only a few. Students will learn about the growing field of ESG investing, and the closely related field of Impact Investing. We will examine how ESG factors can be integrated with other investment criteria such as diversification and risk. In the second part of the course we will examine ESG decisions from the perspective of corporate decision makers, often referred to as CSR (corporate social responsibility). We will look at investments in green technology, investments in the community and involvement in social causes. We will examine these investments both from a social and a financial perspective. Usually offered every year.

FIN 240a Venture Capital and Financing Innovation

Prerequisites: FIN 201a or FIN 203a and FIN 202a or FIN 204a.

Emphasizes financial decision making skills for entrepreneurs. The structure will follow the firm's life cycle, with modules on contracting, valuation, and financial planning in the entrepreneurial context, raising capital, security choice, and the structure and valuation of exit decisions in the presence of information uncertainty. Usually offered every year.

FIN 261a Fixed Income Securities

Prerequisites: FIN 201a or FIN 203a, or permission of the instructor.

Studies fixed income securities; cash flow structures, pricing risk measures; features of major fixed income sectors; valuation of fixed income securities with embedded options; portfolio management and performance measurement; interest rate derivatives and applications to asset/liability management. Usually offered every semester.

FIN 270a Options and Derivatives

Prerequisites: FIN 201a, or permission of the instructor.

Introduces students, using a reasonably formal mathematical approach, to a broad range of topics related to the traded securities, markets, pricing, and applications of financial derivatives. Special focus is placed on how replication is used to price financial derivatives. Derivatives studied include those defined on commodities, currencies, equities and equity indexes, with an introduction to fixed income derivatives. Usually offered every semester.

ECON 142b Behavioral Economics: European Case Studies
[ ss ]

Prerequisite: ECON 2a or ECON 10a. Students must earn a C- or higher in MATH 10a, or otherwise satisfy the calculus requirement, to enroll in this course. Corequisite: ECON 80a. Course to be taught at Brandeis program in Copenhagen.

Behavioral economics rethinks the standard economic model of human behavior by integrating experiential learning and psychological research into economic theory. This course is based on behavioral economic theory and cases from Denmark and Europe examining choices of individuals. Usually offered every year.

ECON 151a Statistical Modeling with R for Economics and Finance
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Prerequisite: ECON 83a.

Introduces students to statistical modeling using R, with applications to real-world issues in economics and finance. Topics include: describing data; computing of probability; data generation; Markov-Monte Carlo methods and Bayesian linear regression. Teaches the basics of programming in R, including how to write functions, store and manage data, and produce data visualizations. Usually offered every second year.

ECON 172b Money and Banking
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Prerequisites: ECON 82b and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor.

Examines the relationship of the financial system to real economic activity, focusing especially on banks and central banks. Topics include the monetary and payments systems; financial instruments and their pricing; the structure, management, and regulation of bank and nonbank financial intermediaries; and the design and operations of central banks in a modern economy. Usually offered every year.

HIST 114b Histories of American Capitalism
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Explores the history of American capitalism as it developed from the colonial period to the near present. We will follow three main analytical themes through the centuries: racial capitalism; the role of the state in shaping economic development; and the function of social reproduction and other unwaged work in commercial societies. As we engage central historiographic debates about the timing and location of the transition to capitalism in the United States, we will use the concept of capitalism as a tool to better understand and differentiate the wide range of economic systems that have existed in the nation’s history. Topics include: the rise of wage labor and the expansion of markets; slavery and emancipation; territorial conquest; technological and infrastructural development; the rise of big business and organized labor; alternative labor regimes and the experience of work; the economic dimensions of gender, race, and other categories of social difference; social welfare policy; and recent developments in deindustrialization, globalization, and income inequality. Usually offered every year.