Comparative Literature 397R - ST- Read Stories, Make Money

From the letters of Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett, to mission statements of companies such as Google and Facebook, the business world is filled with texts that reveal the forces and people shaping that world today. This course is designed for students from all majors who are interested in learning about the importance of creating and possessing compelling narratives in the world of business. Students will acquire the skills to read texts critically and apply newly gained perspectives to current news in the business press, going around and beyond the conventional mathematical approaches. The course will also consider the matter of ethical and social responsibility in business practice and different ways that business ethics has been portrayed in film and fiction. The course will be team taught and include invited guest speakers from the business world. The course is made up of weekly reading assignments, writing tasks, and for their final assignment students will present a group project in class. Key texts include: Narrative and Numbers: The Value of Stories in Business (2017) Aswath Damodaran; The Essays of Warren Buffet 4th Edition; Warren Buffet's Letters to Shareholders; Amazon CEO Letters (1997-2016); Business Ethics: Decision-Making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility (2010) Laura Hartman and Joseph Des Jardins; and selected fiction and films.

Faculty Team:
Professor Moira Inghilleri (Comparative Literature) and Professor Barry Spence (Film Studies)
Consulting Professor: Anurag Sharma (Isenberg School of Management)
Research specialists: Shastri Akella and Krzysztof Rowinski (Comparative Literature)