Course Detail (Course Description By Faculty)

This class takes seriously the idea that, by virtue of their education, financial achievements, and social standing, Booth students will be extremely successful and highly visible members of society. As such, it will take up questions around the leadership they will implicitly and explicitly exercise as well as the power and privilege, as a group, they will enjoy. These questions include: What is the relationship between private wealth and the public good? What is the place of business in society? What is the role of elites? What are the responsibilities of individual success? And what is the broader social purpose, if any, of a business school education?

This class takes something of the "Great Books" approach that The University of Chicago is renowned for. As such, the readings are drawn from some of the greatest economists, philosophers, authors, and jurists of the past century, and my hope is that they will be mostly unfamiliar to you. I include them because they provide ways of framing and complicating the issues we cover in class, and, therefore, I believe they will be a spark, each week, for great discussion and debate.

Ultimately, the aim of this course is not to provide a single or preferred formula for citizenship, but to present contending ideas that will challenge students to clarify and refine their own belief systems as members of elite group in society. By the end of the class, all students should be able to provide a more detailed and confident articulation of their own views on citizenship and how they intend to apply them in the world beyond Booth.

Summer 2024 Class Dates:  Aug. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Summer 2024 Class Dates:  Aug. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

The readings have been assembled into a coursepack that I will send directly to students at the beginning of the class. I may also assign topical short readings as dictated by the discussion in the class and on the blogs.

50% of the grade will be determined by weekly contributions to the class blog. Students will blog in eight-person groups, and invitations to join these groups will be sent to your Booth email address after the first day of class. I will read these blogs, include observations posted there in our class discussions, and add my own observations.  Each student is expected to submit two posts and three responses to posts of other group members each week.

30% of the grade will be determined by in-class contributions. Please note that attendance is required for every class meeting, and students are expected to bring with them the readings for that day’s class. Also please note that, in order to facilitate discussion, I do not allow the use of computers or tablets in class.

The remaining 20% of the grade will be determined by a two-part take-home final exam.

Grades

Restrictions