REMU-UT 1203 Artists & Audiences in Historical Context (Offered Fall '23): A follow-up complement to the first year required Creative Entrepreneurs in Historical Context course that focused on trailblazing entrepreneurs and producers, Artists and Audiences, like the name implies, considers the history of 20th and 21st century popular music seen through the lens of iconic performers/recording artists, and their dynamic audiences.

IDSEM-UG 2024 (De)Tangling the Business of Black Women's Hair (Offered Fall '23): For many black women, their understanding of their race, gender, class and identity and notions of beauty are linked to hair. Divided into three sections, this course will first seek to understand the historical, structural, and economic dimensions of black women’s hair. We will cover topics such as labor, the service industry, and how the black beauty salon presents a rare opportunity for black women to become entrepreneurs. We will also discuss the multi-billion dollar industry and economy founded on black women’s hair, from dreadlocks and perms, to weaves and wigs.

IDSEM-UG 1740 Bridging Culture and Nature: An Introduction to Conservation Science (Offered Fall '23): This course is designed for those who wish to deepen our relationship to nature and then learn how to apply this understanding to the challenging work of conservation biology. The art and science of conservation biology brings together leading practitioners from biology, economics, anthropology, psychology, literature, art, and communications to conserve the diversity of life found on our planet. The fieldwork of the natural sciences is integrated with the applied work of the social sciences, education, business, humanities and arts to provide the tools we need to manage ourselves and create a relationship with nature that is mutually supportive. In this class we will discover how scientists, business leaders, financial institutions, entrepreneurs, social workers, and artists all play an integral role in creating and delivering practical conservation solutions.

IDSEM-UG 1993 The Detroit Cycle: 21st Century Reinvention(s): This course examines the ways in which Detroit has been imagined, represented and parsed in literature, documentary film, political discourse and historical narratives: first as the “Stove Capital” (1850s), as a “Coach and Carriage” center (1890s), as the “Motor City” in the early decades of the 20th century, as the “Arsenal of Democracy” during World War II, as “Motown” in the postwar period, as “The Murder Capital” in the 1970s, and as a “Third World” city on the brink of bankruptcy in the 1980s and 1990s. Today it is touted as “The Renaissance City,” but in what is the present-day optimism rooted? Is it “boosterism” and wishful thinking? Or will Detroit “rise again” through creative experimentation and entrepreneurial innovation?

PRACT-UG 1301 Practicum in Fashion Business (Offered Fall '23): The fashion industry’s need to navigate the complex demands of globalization and technology requires a creative approach that connects business, design, innovation and the customer. This course is designed to provide students interested in the fashion industry an understanding between the essential connections of brand development; creativity and innovation; competition and how to effectively navigate; changing customer expectations/needs and evolving spending habits; and cultural movements and customer trends.

IDSEM-UG 1527 Finance for Social Theorists: Why are some private, profit-making institutions “too big to fail?” Where is the Shadow Banking System? What is Minsky moment? The objective of this course is to provide students with conceptual, interpretive and analytical tools to understand finance. The approach is interdisciplinary and interpretive, drawing upon political theory, economics, psychology, basic statistics and accounting. For example, we use the subprime crisis to explore core concepts associated with credit, banking, business ethics, monetary policy and macro economics. We reference key ideas from familiar texts and also take up contemporary debates in finance. The aim is to help students become more literate and numerate as economic and social agents. Readings include Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations (excerpts); John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy (excerpts); Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk and Nassim Taleb, Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life, as well as journal articles and pieces from the contemporary financial press. There is also an entrepreneurial team project.

IDSEM-UG 1936 Entrepreneurs, Robber Barons, Salesmen & Frauds: The American Business Tradition: Throughout American history, the image of business has been fraught with social meaning. Businesspeople appear in the popular imagination as canny, practical geniuses; ruthless autocrats; master manipulators of consumer desire; and con artists, seeking to scheme a gullible public. This course will look at the ways that business people have thought about themselves, the ways that others have seen them and the various ways of considering the social role of business. We will proceed by looking at a different aspect of business history each week, usually through the lens of the biography of a particular individual or company. We will move from slavery and capitalism in the antebellum era, through the railroads of the late nineteenth century, to Henry Ford and mass production, and then consider Wal-Mart, the rise of finance and the business career of Donald Trump

CLI-UG 1479 Social Enterprising: Redefining Social Change: Social entrepreneurs around the world are redefining the way we tackle social problems using effective business acumen and human capital. For these renegades, it is not business as usual, they are breaking out of the old corporate model and are developing new organizational patterns and markets. This course teaches the fundamentals of turning a powerful problem solving idea into a responsible enterprise with a blended social and financial value. From conducting research, community organizing, developing a business plan, crafting a viral marketing and fund raising campaign, and measuring impact, advance students will learn about the essential tools, practices and challenges to develop the capacity and sustainability for a social enterprise. Students are expected to develop and present a project proposal.

IDSEM-UG 1855 Creativity, Innovation, Entrepreneurship: The course will help students explore images of the self, economic notions of the good life and of society implicit in different ways that CI&E get parsed. Students will examine the anatomy of start-ups as well as intrapreneurship — the fostering of an entrepreneurial internal culture.