More than 40 students tuned in on September 15th for the Business, Ethics, and Society (BES) minor application workshop. The BES Team worked with the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) to develop the workshop in response to the high levels of student interest in the minor. As Professor Hess said, “We wanted the students to understand how the minor works, and to have a chance to explore the many different opportunities it can provide.”
Professor Hess, the advisor for the minor, started the session by explaining the purpose of the minor and emphasizing that each of the three topics in the minor (business, ethics, and society) is equally important. Professor Knight, director of CIS, provided helpful information and personal insights about the application process for the minor. Christina Casey ‘22 and David Sullivan ‘22, both recently accepted to the minor, shared their experiences during their respective internships as well as how they came to create a story with the BES minor. After this, both professors went on to explain the main components of the minor.
There are three basic courses that are taken by all students who complete the BES minor: one course in 1) economics and 2) accounting and 3) a half-credit offering on business fundamentals to help students learn to “speak business” and introduce them to the basic mechanics of a business. Another course, Capitalism in Context, helps students develop a political, historical, and philosophical perspective on the institution of business and the structures that sustain it. After that, students pursue their own programs through their chosen internships and electives, finishing with a capstone course in which they develop and argue cases based on their coursework and experiences. As our BES students begin to understand and analyze some of the dynamics behind today’s headlines, their work in the minor will introduce them to the broader context which has given us our particular version of the institution of business and prepare them to take their place in it and to engage in the on-going debate about what it should become.
