Summer Session 2 Courses

Organizational Behavior and Leadership

This course studies the internal environment of firms and organizations, namely how to organize and manage people in order to implement strategic plans effectively. Topics include: organizational structures and change, human resources, leadership, group dynamics and teamwork, motivation, and multicultural management. Special attention will be given to the study of leadership, which plays a critical role in increasingly complex and multicultural organizations. The readings and class discussions include both theoretical concepts, case studies and practical exercises. (Junior status recommended)

Language and Culture

This course examines the intersection of language and culture: how language shapes our perception of the world and vice versa. Students will reflect on their own experiences with language and view that experience in light of readings that engage themes such as technology, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, bi/multilingualism, dialect, and political power. Readings will include essays from major publications, ethnographic studies, memoirs, and literary texts.

Principles of Macroeconomics

This entry-level course in economics covers the fundamentals of macroeconomics and is aimed at students who choose it as an elective or plan to continue their studies in economics. Together with ECN 101, it provides the necessary prerequisites for any other upper-level course in economics. The course is a program requirement for the majors in International Banking and Finance, International Economics, International Relations, International Management, and Environmental Science. It is also a prerequisite for Economics as a combined major as well as a minor. This course introduces students to the study of economics as a field of knowledge within the social sciences. In the first part, focus will be on the definition, the explanation, and the significance of national income, business fluctuations, the price level, and aggregate employment. In the second part, special attention is devoted to the functioning of a payment system based on currency and bank money. Finally, students will discuss the instruments and the functioning of public policy aimed to stabilize prices and maintain high levels of output and employment within the current macroeconomic context. Current economic news will be regularly scrutinized.

Psychology of Immigration

Immigration has long been seen only as a sociological issue. However, psychology, with its focus on groups and individuals, has much to say on how different groups understand and interact with each other. This course will review key psychological theories with regard to cultural contact and discuss how acculturation, discrimination, and stereotypes can affect the daily lives of individuals. Students will discuss the various issues involved in the measurement of such psychological processes, as well as try and understand their effects on mental health. Special consideration will be given to understanding these experiences within the European context.

Financing Sustainable Development

In its most basic definition, sustainable development is described as “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” As countries around the world struggle to tackle the issues of climate disruption, water scarcity, resource exhaustion, population growth and socioeconomic conflicts, attention to methods of sustainable development is paramount, and financing those methods is increasingly important. In this context we posit the question: Is it possible for the current system of financial markets to facilitate the shift from an unsustainable world fueled by fossil hydrocarbons to a more desirable one powered by renewable energy? This course will examine how financial and capital markets operate on a transnational scale; and investigate the type of international governance over markets that would be needed to potentially produce fair and sustainable outcomes. The course will also examine the role individuals must perform as World Citizens motivated by a sense of responsibility towards the well-being of others beyond national boundaries.

Introductory Italian, Part II

This course is designed for students who have completed three semesters of Italian language study. The course provides a review and expansion of command of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students will be expected to be proficient in the written and spoken usage of intermediate linguistic structures. Students will be able to interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. They will be able to: a) understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization; b) produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options. Whenever possible, the written assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community.

International Environmental Politics

It has become increasingly apparent in recent years that environmental problems have been proliferating and nation-states are not able to cope with them individually. International cooperation is essential to finding and applying solutions. This course will first examine the nature and the sources of the main environmental problems affecting the lives of nations, such as climate change and its effects, including the ozone layer and the greenhouse effect, acid rain, desertification, pollution, disposal of radioactive and chemical waste material, etc. Students will investigate the environmental problems connected to trade globalization and the question of sustainable development and will study how states have tried to deal with these problems and the role of international organizations such as the UN and the EU and non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace, etc. The effectiveness of international treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the problems in their application will also be examined.

Three Faiths, One God: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

The three most influential religions of the world all originated within a small geographical area that we now call the Middle East. To many it is the Holy Land; to others still it is the root of modern wars. This course surveys the rise and historical development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from their modest beginnings to their global influence, with particular emphasis on the historical and intellectual forces that made these growths possible. Readings in primary and secondary sources will consider the ancient kingdom of Judaea, the Jewish origins of Christianity, the philosophies of medieval Christianity and Islam, the earliest conflicts between Christianity and Islam (including the Crusades), and the search for religious identity in a globalized and pluralistic modern world.

The Fashion of Form: Concept to Construction

In this hands-on class, students will develop a personal a motif or aesthetic through which to create a series of three-dimensional forms and fashion garments. Drawing on the world around them, students will examine 2D design concepts, drawing essentials, and the use of sustainable materials as part of their process. (There will be an additional fee for studio supplies.)

Global Information Systems

This course addresses the impact of modern information technology and data management concepts at the functional levels of international business, especially in the areas of finance, marketing, accounting and resource management. The computer‐based section of the course provides methodology and software tools, advanced Excel modeling, Microsoft Access, and DBMS, necessary to develop and evaluate Decision Support Systems, Management Information Systems, and Transaction Processing Systems. Case‐based learning is utilized to stress how international firms can gain a competitive advantage by leveraging information technology. (Recommended BUS 326)

Media Consumption, Fashion, and Identity

This course examines how people, particularly young people, consume media technologies and their contents in contemporary media-saturated life. Employing essential readings on media consumption, fashion, and identity as the theoretical backbone, students will engage in active site-based research project throughout the course. By offering an opportunity to undertake a field study in Milan, the course seeks to develop in-depth theoretical knowledge of the intersections of media consumption, fashion, and identity, as well as to cultivate critical reflection of students’ own consumption of media technologies. (Additional fee: 250 chf for transportation and related activities in Milan)

Introductory Italian, Part II

This course is designed for students who have completed one semester of Italian language study. The course provides an introduction to the essentials of Italian grammar, vocabulary, and culture. The acquisition of aural/oral communication skills will be stressed and, as such, the predominant language of instruction will be Italian. By the end of the course students will achieve proficiency at the A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Students will be expected to be proficient in the written and spoken usage of basic linguistic structures. Students will be expected to read and comprehend short passages in Italian and to draft simple compositions / dialogues. Whenever possible, the written assignments will be designed to foster practical communication skills and encourage efforts towards increased student integration in the local Italian-speaking community.

Introduction to International Relations

This course provides the basic analytic tools necessary for the understanding of international relations. After a brief introduction to the realist and liberal approaches to the study of international relations, the course covers various fundamental concepts, such as national power, foreign policy, conflict, political economy, international trade, and international organizations.

Advanced Academic Writing: Ethics at Work

This advanced writing course consolidates students’ academic communication skills through the theme of business and work ethics. Students will engage with philosophical texts and case studies dealing with various aspects of business and/or work ethics -- distributive justice, social responsibility and environmentally conscious business practices among others -- in order to improve critical reading, argumentative writing, and oral presentation/debating skills. The course helps students understand that academic communication primarily involves entering a conversation with others and particular emphasis will be placed on responding to other people’s arguments as well as developing their own arguments based on those responses. Using the broad theme of business and work ethics as a medium for discussion, students will not only explore what it means to join an academic community and their role in that community as purveyors of knowledge but also work towards entering the job/internship market with polished application materials. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirements.)

Adventures in Printmaking: Poland

(Dates: 2 August - 15 August 2020) This on-site, experimental course will enable students explore the creative possibilities of media which have largely been considered mechanical, reproductive while also discovering the art and culture of Poland. The course will begin in Warsaw, with lectures and tours that will introduce this fascinating country. The centrepiece is a two-week residence at the PATA printing workshops of the Akademia Sztuk Pięknych in Łodz, with a weekend trip to Krakow. During the workshops, students will be able to choose from an incredible array of printing processes, including relief and intaglio techniques, as well as collograph, silkscreen and textile printing and much more. The course has the following goals: to gain knowledge of printing materials, equipment and techniques; to produce prints using the techniques introduced during the course; to understand printing techniques in an art historical perspective and acknowledge of printing as a fine art; to construct a basic art vocabulary and develop the skills necessary to critical visual analysis. This Academic Travel course will also include visits to museums, print/drawing collections, and places where artists work and printmaking workshops are held, thus providing in-depth knowledge and an adventure in printmaking! (Course meets directly in Warsaw – students should make their own arrangements for arrival and departure. Contact Professor Zsanski for further details.) IMPORTANT: Registration and a non-refundable CHF 1,500 (USD 1,500) deposit are due by 15 May 2020.

Wilderness Medicine in a Changing Climate

(This course is offered 6 - 26 July 2020.) Designed for undergraduate students who wish to learn about wilderness medicine through a Wilderness First Responder certificate program this course is also suited for those interested in understanding how climate change affects human health. Set in the Swiss Alps students learn, - how to understand the context of wilderness and the particular challenges it presents for humans - how to assess and treat medical conditions that relate to the various body systems (e.g. nervous, circulatory, gastrointestinal, muscular-skeletal), wounds, injuries, and exposure to natural elements in wilderness settings - how to prepare for trips into the wilderness and how to manage emergencies. While in the Alps, students will also discover what the changing climate means for human health. Finally, students interested in careers in the health and medical sciences have the opportunity to examine future careers with the course instructors. There are pre-class readings and testing, on-campus lectures, labs, and scenarios, and field experiences that will take place in the Swiss Alps. Students who successfully complete the course will also obtain a Wilderness First Responder certificate.