SEN1315 The Black Body Subjected: The Complexity of Being a Black Man in America

(Senior Instructor: Shatiek Gatlin) Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. Eric Garner. These are few among the many names of Black men who have recently been killed by police officers across the United States. We also can't forget Trayvon Martin, unarmed teenager shot by George Zimmerman. The deaths of these men have sparked a national conversation about race in America, in the era of the first black male President. Conversations have sparked on Babson's campus as well. What made the bodies of these black men subject to such peril, with no charges being brought to their executioners? From what historical realities and hierarchies did ideas associated with being a black man in America emerge? How do Americans act when they encounter a black man who doesn't fulfill the negative stereotypes? This course will explore the complexity and vulnerability of being a black man in America, particularly as it pertains to the origins, perpetuation, and implications of negative stereotypes. We will also consider the intersections of socio-economic class, sexuality, gender, etc. in our seminar conversations. In the seminar we will be reading articles, watching media clips, and fostering conversation using both.

Course Schedule:
Class 1 - Tuesday, January 26
Class 2 - Tuesday, February 2
Class 3 - Tuesday, February 9
Class 4 - TBD. Tuesday February 16 is a Babson Monday so this class date is TBD.
Class 5 - Tuesday, February 23
Class 6 - Senior Seminar Showcase: Tuesday or Wednesday evening, 3/1 or 3/2. Details to be confirmed by first day of class.

SEN1325 The Business of Film(Senior Instructor: Isaiah Williams) Film is an inherently entrepreneurial industry, and leaders within the industry must show not only a keen eye for talent, creativity, and opportunity, but also a firm understanding of traditional business functions. This seminar, taught by a student film producer, will explore the practical business models and language of the U.S. film industry all the way from pitching an idea to selling or distributing a film. Through interactive lectures, case studies, and guest speakers, students will dive into the timeline of producing a film, study successful film producers/studios, read script excerpts, understand modern film finance, and explore the competitive industry landscape. Ultimately, the course goal is to provide students with the necessary foundations to begin thinking about film production and/or starting a studio as viable career option.

Course Schedule:
Class 1 - Wednesday, Jan 30
Class 2 - Wednesday, Feb 6
Class 3 - Wednesday, Feb 13
Class 4 - Wednesday, Feb 20
Class 5 - Wednesday, Feb 27
Class 6/Showcase - Wednesday, March 6

Senior-Led Seminars are free, non-credit courses that are taught by seniors at Babson. Upon successful completion of a seminar, students will receive a grade of non-credit pass (NCP) and the course will appear on your transcript at the end of the semester.

SEN1316 The Business of Luxury Fashion

(Senior Instructor: Sasha Israni) Fashion: an industry that dates back to the beginning of global civilization. Fashion is constantly evolving. In the 1920's Coco Chanel altered women's fashion to incorporate trousers and blazers. In 2016, Kanye West merged his fashion line, Yeezy Season 3, with his music album, The Life of Pablo. Though most observers focus on the constantly changing trends, designs, and media of fashion, there's fast-paced change concurrently occurring behind the scenes. In this course, we will be studying the business of luxury fashion. We will be exploring four specific areas: demand, the supply chain, technology, and sustainability. Through articles, videos, guest speakers, and industry professionals we will explore how luxury fashion works today and brainstorm future possibilities.

Course Schedule:
Class 1 - Wednesday, Feb 1
Class 2 - Wednesday, Feb 8
Class 3 - Wednesday, Feb 15
Class 4 - Wednesday, Feb 22
Class 5 - Wednesday, March 1
Class 6/Showcase - Wednesday, March 8 (6 - 7:30)

Senior-Led Seminars are free, non-credit courses that are taught by seniors at Babson. They are graded non-credit pass or fail (NCP or NCF) and will appear on your transcript at the end of the semester. These courses are made possible by a generous gift of the Donald W. White, Sr. '50 Family.

HUM4615 The City as Text: Mapping Cultural Histories in Barcelona and Madrid
4 Advanced Liberal Arts (Elective Abroad) CreditsProgram fee is paid to Glavin Office - program fee includes: accommodations, breakfast, metro passes in Madrid and Barcelona, airport and train transports in country, program planned meals, and cultural excursions. Not included: tuition, international flight, visa costs, additional meals and personal expenses.

This course is framed as "City as Text" because the city becomes our laboratory and our classroom - an extended text not limited to what is housed in a library; rather we will learn first-hand through direct encounters with each city's public places and often more hidden histories. Approaching these two cities from a design thinking perspective, each day includes explorative mapping of the city as a source and outgrowth of invention and creativity. In this course, we will consider the social and political history of both cities by actively examining the characteristics and innovations of their urban spaces. Why is each city designed as it is? How has it changed, and in response to what factors? We will delve critically into how Barcelona and Madrid have sought to market or "brand" their images, and - delving into the cityscape - what constitutes genuine tradition versus touristic or nationalistic myths. Students will conduct field research in various neighborhoods, using strategies like trendspotting and coolhunting to consider how the use of urban space and its potential are being redefined through restaurants and food markets, art and architecture, fashion and culture, and smart uses of technology. A key part of this course for students will be the opportunity participate in their own choice of what to "read" -- neighborhood mapping; observation decision making; which foods to try; interesting pathways.

Prerequisites: 3 Intermediate liberal arts courses (CVA, LVA, HSS, CSP, LTA in any combination) and admission into the course

LIT4611 East and West: Writings of Trespass
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis course explores the captivating and dangerous ways in which writers construct foreign worlds of "East" and "West"-i.e. how they trespass, distort, and dream the border between themselves and other civilizations. From the Argentinian Borges' depictions of Arabian labyrinths to the Syrian Adonis' depictions of New York City alleyways, from the French Baudelaire's meditations on Oriental opium-dens to the Persian Hedayat's meditations on the madmen of Paris, from Camus' staging of the apocalypse in Algeria to Darwish's staging of the apocalypse in the migration of Palestinian refugees to European capitals, we will see how such authors represent unknown and outsider cultures. Ultimately, then, the course will interrogate the experience of radical otherness and its use as a complex force of creativity, consciousness, and imagination.

Prerequisites: 3 Intermediate liberal arts courses (CVA, LVA, HSS, CSP, LTA in any combination)

EPS3536 The Entrepreneurial Innovator
4 Advanced Management CreditsIn the Entrepreneurial Innovator, transdisciplinary teams will identify multiple entrepreneurial innovation opportunities, through user engagement and extensive prototyping, over the course of two separate design sprints. This experimental, hands-on seminar will be held in the Weissman Foundry and offer broad exposure to prototyping processes and capabilities. The seminar is open to 3rd and 4th year Babson, Olin and Wellesley (BOW) community students.

Innovation can be defined as creativity that is new and useful, combining elements of novelty and some compelling utility to an end user or target customer. Entrepreneurship considers ways to generate and monetize innovations, making value-creation profitable and sustainable. Working in transdisciplinary teams, BOW students roll up their sleeves to investigate and define unmet needs and innovation possibilities for two different user groups/customer groups. Participation in the seminar requires an action-orientation, frequent off-campus trips, user engagement, physical prototyping, as well as visual representations of user problems and innovative solutions.

Prerequisites: Open to all Babson, Olin, Wellesley (BOW) community students in their 3rd or 4th
year of study

ECN3625 Economic and Political Integration in the European Union
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Elective CreditsThe European Union is the most important experiment in liberal democracy since the founding of the United States almost three hundred years ago. The question is, will it ultimately succeed in its goals of eliminating trade barriers and increasing political unity in order to promote economic growth and ensure peace. From the "Brexit" movement in the UK, to the rise of right-wing populism in Hungary, Poland and Italy, to the massive influx of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East, the EU faces potentially shattering challenges to its authority and its institutions. Students will learn about the history of the EU, the institutional structures, the democratic nature of decision-making and legislation, the economic foundations of the single market and the impact of adopting a single currency, the Euro. With this knowledge in hand, students will examine the current crises and the future challenges for the success of the European Union experiment.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Spring

Prerequisites: (SME2031 or ECN2002) and ECN2000

SEN1332 The Greatest American Scandals

(Student Instructor: Elizabeth D'Agostino) Monica Lewinsky, Richard Nixon, and O.J. Simpson all have one thing in common: they were the subjects of journalistic scrutiny. In this course, we will focus on groundbreaking U.S. scandals of the past century to examine the role of journalism and its complex relationship with democracy. Students will explore politics, history, business, crime, and ethics, and questions about truth through interactive lectures, guest speakers, and media analysis. We will discuss how journalism informs facets of American culture, including gender roles, race relations, political battles, and institutions of power. After learning about historical events like Watergate, Clinton's impeachment, and the O.J. Simpson trial, students will be able to contextualize current events and ultimately answer the key question of this course: why does journalism matter? Course materials include podcasts, films, and TV shows such as "Slow Burn," "Catch and Kill", and "O.J.: Made in America."

Tuesdays: 6:30-9:00pm

HIS4670 The History and Ethics of Capitalism
(Formerly History of Capitalism)
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis course deals with the history of capitalism from early modern times to the present. It is concerned not just with the story of capitalist enterprise but with the cultural values and social institutions accompanying capitalism. It addresses the tension as well as the affinity between capitalism on the one hand and, on the other, contextual cultural values and social institutions. It especially focuses on the way that capitalist power subverts as well as supports the free market economy and democratic political processes with which it is often identified.

This course is typically offered in the following semesters: Spring

Prerequisites: 3 intermediate liberal arts courses (CVA, LVA, HSS, CSP, LTA in any combination)

LTA2080 The Literature of Guilt: I'm Sorry for Apologizing so OftenN
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThis course will examine guilt and how it affects us, both personally and societally. Through both literary and cultural texts, we will study guilt in a number of settings including familial guilt, generational guilt, survival guilt, and societal guilt. Students will be challenged to look at guilt in both its helpful and harmful forms, investigating why we feel the emotion and the effects it can have on us. We will read works by Dante Alighieri, Joseph Conrad, J.M. Coetzee, and Jane Smiley, among others. We will also watch Beloved and We Need To Talk About Kevin as well as the first season of Rectify.

Prerequisites: (FCI1000 or AHS1000) and (WRT1001or RHT1000)