CVA2002 African American History and Foodways (HIS)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThe course covers the major periods, movements, and events that have shaped African American history and foodways. These include: the African slave trade; antebellum period; the civil war and reconstruction; World War I and the great migration; Harlem Renaissance and Garveyism; Great Depression; Spanish Civil War and World War II; Civil Rights and Black Power movements; industrialization, the growth of the prison industrial complex, and the _war on drugs_. The course will also include content on African American foodways from the African slave trade to the Black Power movement. Classes discuss the assigned reading with lively student participation. Out-of-class work includes readings, online exams, attending lectures, artistic presentations, and films, as well as independent research.

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

CSP2002 African American History and Foodways (HIS)

(Formerly CVA2002)
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThe course covers the major periods, movements, and events that have shaped African American history and foodways. These include: the African slave trade; antebellum period; the civil war and reconstruction; World War I and the great migration; Harlem Renaissance and Garveyism; Great Depression; Spanish Civil War and World War II; Civil Rights and Black Power movements; industrialization, the growth of the prison industrial complex, and the _war on drugs_. The course will also include content on African American foodways from the African slave trade to the Black Power movement. Classes discuss the assigned reading with lively student participation. Out-of-class work includes readings, online exams, attending lectures, artistic presentations, and films, as well as independent research.

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

POL4601 Africa Rising?
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsThis interdisciplinary course on contemporary Africa examines political, economic and social developments in the context of the now common mantra "Africa Rising." It takes a historical look at Africa's relations with global development actors and how these have impacted individual states and the entire continent. It includes a comparative analysis of Africa's partnership(s) with the different regions of the world (broadly categorized into East and West, Global South and Global North) and time spans (broadly grouped into colonial and post-colonial). It also examines processes, actors, events and partnerships within independent Africa and how they have contributed to the present state of the continent, which observers have described as rising. The course interrogates this observation. How truly is "Africa rising"? What is the cost of the rise? What does it mean for individuals, states and the entire continent? Why/how does it matter? The course focuses on these (and other important) questions, considering examples from various sectors, events, countries, bilateral and multilateral arrangements with African states and in relation to the rest of the world. It uses a variety of materials including texts, news and journal articles, as well as electronic and internet-based resources.

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

LTA2010 African American Literature
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts CreditsThis course will introduce students to the African American literary tradition starting with the slave narrative and concluding with contemporary literary production. Along the way, we will consider the move from oral to written literatures, the aesthetic forms created and adapted by African American writers, and the role of African American letters in chronicling and shaping the experience of African American people. Our study will be informed by major historical moments -slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Great Migration from south to north, the Civil Rights and post-Civil rights eras-and we will read work by writers such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Nella Larsen, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, Gwendolyn Brooks, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison.

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

HSS2032 African American History and Foodways
4 Intermediate Liberal Arts: African History and Foodways will cover the major subjects, movements, and events that have shaped Africa since the 1400s. These include: African crops and animals, African political institutions and wars, gender, the spread of Islam, slavery, European colonization, and African independence movements. One learns how to publish a blog and create podcast episodes with show notes. Deliverables, regular contributions to class discussions, public speaking, research, and group work are essential course components. Cooking are a part of live classes.

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

OIM3565 Agile Experimentation
(Formerly MIS3565)
4 Advanced Management Credits

**Students who took this as MIS3565 cannot take this course**

Business leaders and entrepreneurs should be Agile digital experimenters, capable of innovating by combining available technologies and services into digital experiences. In this course, students will learn about Agile digital entrepreneurship and follow an Agile methodology to conceive and create an internet of things (IoT) solution with a clear value proposition.

Agile Experimentation (AgileEx) is an experiential course in which teams of students use agile methodologies to design and prototype viable innovations combining hardware and software elements. The course involves:
- Practicing Agile project management methodologies and software, and learning how to scale Agile environments from small startups to large organizations
- Designing and building IoT devices with sensors and actuators, and programming hardware (i.e., Arduino microcontrollers)
- Designing digital interfaces (e.g., interactions, app mockups, information flows) with software tools
- Running experiments and surveying customers to test hypotheses and improve the prototype
- Building an innovation that is a feasible and responsible market solution
- Presenting your work in a final pitch that showcases your prototype and its market viability
- Learning about emerging technologies

The course aims to train business graduates who are confident life-long learners of technology, can work in Agile environments, and can participate in the development of innovative and responsible technological solutions.

Prerequisites: SME2012

OIM7525 Agile Experimentation
(Formerly MIS7535)
1.5 Elective Credits

If you took and passed MIS7525, you cannot register for OIM7525, as these two courses are equivalent

Agile Experimentation (AgileEx) is an experiential course in which teams of students use agile methodologies to design and prototype viable Internet of Things (IoT) innovations combining hardware and software components. The course involves:

- Practicing Agile/SCRUM project management methodologies and software, and learning how to scale Agile environments from small startups to large organizations
- Designing and building IoT (or wearable) devices with sensors and actuators, and programming hardware (i.e., Arduino boards)
- Designing digital interfaces and processes (e.g., app mockups, process diagrams) with software tools
- Running experiments and surveying customers to test hypotheses and iterate in the development of a prototype
- Building an innovation with a clear value proposition
- Learning about emerging technologies
- Presenting your work in a final pitch that showcases your prototype and its market viability

The course aims to train business graduates who are confident life-long learners of technology, can work in Agile environments, and can participate in the development of innovative technological solutions that integrate hardware and software components.

The course does not require programming, Agile, or software/hardware prototyping experience.

Prerequisites: None

SEN1312 Algorithmic Trading Strategies Using MATLAB

(Senior Instructor: Philip Dunay) Trading stocks can be a mentally stimulating and highly rewarding experience. However, with the rise of cheap computer processing power and speed, algorithms have overtaken humans regarding entering trades in the markets. This course will teach students how to develop trading algorithms using MATLAB code. Students will simulate trades by buying and selling equities, tracking portfolio performance, analyzing data and managing risk. No prior experience in MATLAB is necessary, nor is the completion of MCE/SME, although these will be useful courses to have taken.

Course Schedule:
Class 1 - Wednesday, January 27
Class 2 - Wednesday, February 3
Class 3 - Wednesday, February 10
Class 4 - Wednesday, February 17
Class 5 - Wednesday, February 24
Class 6 - Senior Seminar Showcase: Tuesday or Wednesday evening, 3/1 or 3/2. Details to be confirmed by first day of class.

SEN1308 Alternative Finance in the 21st Century; Islamic Finance, Microfinance and Socially Responsible Investing

(Senior Instructor: Ryan Diplock) You may be interested in finance, but did you know:
- As of today, over $2 trillion of assets are under management by over 300 banks and 250 mutual funds that are "Sharia Compliant" (15% of the world's total invested assets)?
- A concept pioneered less than 30 years ago to help raise families out of poverty now impacts the lives of 80 million borrowers worldwide?
- $3.74 trillion in assets currently sit in socially screened investment funds?

Islamic Finance, Micro Finance, and Socially Responsible Investing are all projected to grow at annualized rates of 15-20% over the next decade. This seminar will delve deeply into the principles of all three types of alternative finance, teaching the basics and exploring the controversies in each field. Group discussions will be augmented with guest speakers from each of the three industries, and in-class competitions. Winners of each competition will be entitled to a free lunch or dinner with the guest speaker for that particular topic. If you are interested in learning how Islamic finance gets around interest rates and the derivatives market, how microfinance has become so successful despite political headwinds, or how socially responsible investing is impacting the greater business community this seminar is for you.

Course Schedule:
Class 1 - Tuesday, January 27
Class 2 - Tuesday, February 3
Class 3 - Tuesday, February 10
Class 4 - Wednesday, February 18 (as February 17 is a Babson Monday)
Class 5 - Tuesday, February 24
Class 6 - Senior Seminar Showcase: Tuesday evening, 3/3 or Friday afternoon, 3/6. Details to be confirmed by first day of class.

FIN4545 Alternative Investments S

4 Advanced Management Credits

This course provides an overview of alternative investments along with several non-traditional investment strategies. It is intended not only for finance and investment professionals, but also for those with an entrepreneurial and disruptor spirit. The course begins with a brief review of traditional investments of publicly traded stocks and bonds along with their limitations and imperfections. Students will then consider alternative investment vehicles such as private equity, venture capital, commodities, income producing real properties, licensing and royalty rights, cryptocurrencies, and social impact investing. We will also consider the move toward ESG investments (environment, social and governance) and their emphasized role in the alternative sphere. Students will analyze case studies involving The Endowment Model for Investing, Fund of Funds, Peer-to-Peer Lending, and Social Impact Investing, culminating in a team based capstone project. The course materials will challenge students to recognize investment anomalies that the marketplace has not recognized. The course will also provide an overview of the material for the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Program (CAIA) professional certification. Students will develop a robust knowledge base for careers in portfolio management, investment product development, compliance, consulting, and risk management.

Prerequisites: SME 2021 or FIN2000