Global Arc

This course will build on the foundational design-thinking curriculum of EGR 392. The goal is to extend students' understanding of creativity and innovation, so as to productively apply it to cross-disciplinary problem solving. The course will emphasize empathic methodologies for breaking down complex organizational challenges and for developing meaningful solutions within experience design, brand strategy, storytelling and communications.

Autonomy, flexibility, confidence and rigor are essential qualities for effectively working with design thinking in real life and dealing with challenges that emerge from chaos, ambiguity and lack of structure. This course is both an in-depth experience for students who completed ENT200 or Tiger Challenge, and an opportunity to use design thinking skills to tackle problems within domains and interests they are passionate about. Students will learn designers' mindsets and a wider range of research and design methods to start working more independently as designers.

This course looks at longstanding societal challenges through the lens of socially-minded entrepreneurship and innovation. We will explore whether and how social-benefit venture models - for-profit or non-profit - can help address comparable issues in underserved urban and rural communities across America. How can these communities become more self-reliant and prosperous against a backdrop of increasing inequality in our society? We will explore potential models for durable social ventures, engage with frontline entrepreneurs, and most importantly develop your own solution ideas for the problems and communities you care about.

Shaping cities, buildings and objects to exploit the potentials of inevitable technological change is an important path to transform the world where we live. This class will lead students through a complete design thinking cycle (empathizing, reframing, ideation, prototyping, testing, proposing) focused on proposing potentially real entities, products, services, structures, activities, or widely acceptable changes to policy for the adoption of new technology.

This hands-on course introduces students to analysis and actions required to launch and commercialize a tech company, through the use of Harvard Business School cases, visits from entrepreneurs, and two "field assignments". You will learn conceptual frameworks and analytical techniques for evaluating technologies, markets, and commercialization strategies. Additionally, you will learn how to attract and motivate the resources needed to start a company (e.g. people, corporate partners and venture capital), prepare business plans, structure relationships, refine product-market fit, and create and grow enterprise value.

Radical innovation solves big problems and alters the way we live, colliding with government polices as the effects ripple across national frontiers. Where do these innovations come from, how do they work, and what policy problems do they cause? This class examines the impact of technical innovation on a global scale. Students learn how innovations in areas such as satellite imaging, global positioning, internet search engines, and pandemic vaccines have a profound impact on foreign policy. Students learn to think about innovation from the standpoint of business managers, government regulators, social entrepreneurs, in very practical terms.

The Leadership Development for Business course deals with the strategic, organizational and leadership challenges that global corporations face. The course provides students with a unique perspective on leadership vision, and how leaders recognize and capitalize on opportunities. We will focus on how leaders achieve results and make things happen working with and through others. This course presents innovative, practical and field tested methods used by successful business leaders to achieve sustained results. Classes will consist of a mix of classroom lecture, case study discussions and guest speakers.

Covers topical issues highlighting the impact of engineering on society through entrepreneurship. Topics and course format vary from year to year.

The mission of the class is to enable students to successfully create and lead enterprises by teaching the basic skills required to be a successful entrepreneurial leader. This class compliments EGR 491 "High Tech Entrepreneurship" which focuses on 'giving birth to a company', by focusing instead on enterprise 'early child rearing'. The basic skills taught fall into three major categories: how to create and manage powerful relationships, how to know and manage yourself, in addition to understanding how organizations work as they evolve from the idea stage to become value producing, self-sustaining enterprises.

Covers topical issues highlighting Social Entrepreneurship. Topics and course format vary from year to year.