Academics

JanPlan 2024 courses in collaboration with the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship:

248j  Better Capitalism: Startup Design in Waterville, Three credit hours. Kennon

Since the industrial revolution, capitalism has become the dominating apparatus within which humans exist across the globe. The acceleration of neoliberalism and the global financialization of capital have combined to create a generalized condition in which critics suggest – It is easier to imagine the end of the world than an end of capitalism. Given the accelerating global climate crisis, we may not have to imagine either. This course suggests the potential for an emergent form of value creation in the world of people and businesses, one perhaps understood as better capitalism. This course asks student teams to develop an in-market experiment in imagining and building a start-up business. Previously offered as 297j (Jan Plan 2023).

297Fj  Regenerative Entrepreneur: Transformative Innovation for Survival, Three credit hours.

Solve real business cases to learn to think like CEOs, understand finance, market strategies, and tools for creating regenerative cultures. Course includes a lab to create ventures designed to regenerate our planet and civilization by addressing a global issue to be presented to a panel of investors and experts. Develop confidence as a leader to identify cultural, social, and technological innovations and transformations that will bring human activity and the planet’s life support systems into a mutually supportive regenerative relationship rather than an erosive and destructive one. Guests include CEOs of regenerative companies.

297Kj  Qualitative Research Methods for Customer-Centric Design, Three credit hours.  Macke

This course is essential for entrepreneurs who want to create products and services that customers love. In todays market, customer-centricity is everything. You need to understand your customers needs, wants, and pain points in order to develop products and services that resonate with them. This course will teach you the qualitative research techniques that entrepreneurs use to design customer-centric solutions. You’ll learn how to conduct interviews, focus groups, usability testing and other methods to gather insights from customers. You’ll also learn how to analyze and interpret this data to develop user-centered products and services.

148j  From Idea to IPO: Business Strategy Basics for Next Gen Titans, Three credit hours.  Powis

This course poses a key question: why do some organizations succeed and others fail? Through the lens of recent and historic initial public offerings (IPOs) including Airbnb, Allbirds, Lyft, NetFlix, PayPal, Rivian Automotive, Robinhood, Snap, Uber and others, students will focus on the concept of sustainable competitive advantage. Beginning with the basics of strategy, students will assess how entrepreneurs take an organization from an idea to an IPO. The class will ponder the decisions made along the way and ask why some firms choose to complete an IPO, while others remain private. Through the use of case studies, students will work in teams and will analyze companies that have succeeded and failed in complex and dynamic environments. The course will conclude with student-led mock board presentations.

197j  History of Digital Culture, Three credit hours.

Digital culture moves extremely fast, causing exponential growth, massive breakthroughs, and ever-present interconnectedness. On the other hand, it leaves many of our historic societal norms fragile and makes us question if we can handle such a rapid pace of change. This course will examine key episodes of the history of digital culture, studying the trends, people, patterns and companies that have defined digital culture. We will unpack historic digital achievements, look for patterns, and become practitioners of our rapidly changing world, gaining a greater understanding of what technological innovation might unlock next for our society.

Additional JanPlan 2024 courses related to Innovation and Entrepreneurship:

297Gj  Social Entrepreneurship: Using Life to Change the World, Three credit hours. Asch

Students will explore how to use their lives to make the world a better, more just place. By studying historical figures and contemporary leaders of nongovernmental organizations, students will assess different ways to effect change in the world, examine the risks and rewards of engaging in public service, and learn about the challenges and opportunities of starting new nonprofit organizations. They will examine their own beliefs and values, as well as the kinds of changes that they hope to see in the world during their lifetimes. Students will develop their own proposals for a new nonprofit organization to address an unmet need in their community. Students will analyze and interpret written sources; critique films and other popular depictions of activists and public servants; and learn to write and speak more confidently, clearly, and concisely. Nongraded.

297Hj  Red Light/Green Light: The Complexities of Sustainability in the Corporate Environment, Three credit hours.

Students will learn about how world leading companies succeed to deliver value and change across a wide range of sustainability topics as well as understand the real world challenges that face most companies as they attempt to shift to be more sustainable. Utilizing an interactive discussion based format, we will focus on Apple as our target company and dive deep into what they are achieving and how they move thousands of supplying companies to become more sustainable in order for them to keep Apples business. Students will learn the following: an understanding the basics of sustainability terminology including diversity, equity, and inclusion; how corporations are structured; who are the key stakeholders and decision makers inside and outside companies; how local, regional, and international regulations impact sustainability projects and R&D; how to create real value with new ‘green’ products as a partner with the right customers; and how to ‘look for the good’ and create a culture of change in a group, a department, and in the company. At the start of the course, students will be randomly placed in groups to work outside the class and create a real sustainability project at Colby or in the Waterville area, develop a strategic plan with tactics and actions, then present their project in the final week to the class. They will implement learnings from our Apple case studies into their projects and integrate this learning as the month progresses. In the final week, students will get public speaking experience (in front of the class, and possibly Colby administrators) to present their project and learn how to succinctly create and deliver impactful oral and written presentations. Nongraded.

297Ij  Colby-Tuck Business Bridge Program,Three credit hours. Yarnell

This course provides students with essential business skills by combining an intensive classroom experience at a world-class business school and the hands-on training of an internship–all designed to help you launch a rewarding career. The Colby-Tuck Business Bridge Program delivers a comprehensive business curriculum taught by Dartmouth’s MBA faculty in a 3-week intensive that includes a capstone team project, recruiting services, and one-on-one career guidance—preparing students with the skills needed to land their next job or internship, or to start strong in a new role. Students will participate in a week-long post-Tuck program on campus to complete their January semesters work. Nongraded. Prerequisite: Sophomore or higher standing.

WD228j  Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Three credit hours.  Legg

Most people are terrified by the prospect of speaking in public, mainly because they are afraid of being judged, a fear exacerbated by the mistaken belief that the ability to communicate is innate. This course focuses on helping students appreciate the complex rhetorical work of communication, recognizing that communication is both context and audience dependent. By practicing the many skills involved in effective public speaking, including research, argument construction, and presentation preparation and delivery, this course will help students to become more confident public speakers in ways that will benefit them in subsequent courses as well as in their careers and civic lives.

251j Strategic Plans for Organizations/Business, Three credit hours.

This course will give students the fundamentals to understand strategy and business strategy with the intent of organizational effectiveness. The first half will address classical and modern strategic thought. The second half will discuss the practice of policy formation, concepts, and strategic theory as it applies to business and national and global competition (corporate level strategy). Through studying and assessing the current environment to develop analysis, trends, issues, opportunities, and threats. Individuals can identify, influence and shape what the organization chooses to do or not do. Properly applied strategic theory leads to good strategy seeking to influence and shape the future environment, opposed to reacting to it.

EC117j  Introduction to Financial Decision Making, Three credit hours. Largay

Five topical areas: (1) planning, including career planning, financial budgeting, and personal federal taxes, (2) consumer credit, costs of credit, and identity theft, (3) major purchasing decisions including housing and automobiles, (4) insurance such as property, health, disability, and life insurance, and (5) investing in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds for now and retirement. Does not count toward the economics majors or minors. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing.