General Info

Course Structure

The course has the following elements:

• Guest lecture series
• Case packet/ readings
• Student committees
• Group projects
  • Project proposal
  • Preliminary research in U.S.
  • Field research in country
  • Final report and presentation

Class Meetings: The course will meet 10 times; the first class will be held in late November/early December. The remaining 9 meetings will take places in the winter quarter. There will be an ALL GIM session held the first week of the winter quarter that will have a mandatory attendance. The remaining GIM classes will be held on Wednesdays from 3:15 until 6:15pm. The workload will be comparable to other Kellogg courses. Students are expected to read all the assigned materials before class and to come prepared to discuss pertinent issues. Class attendance is required.

Readings: Student leaders in conjunction with the faculty advisor will develop readings that will be assigned for the course. The readings will illuminate the history, culture, politics, and business climate, as well as specific industries that the class has identified as areas of focus.

Student Committees: Participation of all students is necessary to the successful development and implementation of the course. Class and trip committees will be formed to handle curricular, logistic, financial, and public relations tasks. Additional committees may be formed to cover other requirements of the year's trip: e.g., current events, cultural events, etc. Every student will participate in at least one committee, and participation will be considered part of the final grade.

Group Research Projects: A central part of the course is the group research project. Groups of 4 or 5 students will choose a business or economic issue to examine in depth. The report has deliverables and other components outlined below, which are set by the faculty advisor. After returning from the field trip, students will prepare a final written report and an oral presentation of their findings. Final projects will be written and presented during the first five weeks of spring quarter.

Project Proposal: Each project group will develop a proposal that identifies questions to be asked and answered while in country. The group proposal will detail what the group hopes to learn on the trip and through their background research in the U.S.  (The project proposal due date will be arranged with the faculty advisor.)

Field Trip: The field research trip is an integral part of the course. During the winter quarter, each project team will create a schedule for their business meetings in country. During the field trip, they will make site visits to meet with leaders in their industry. Overall group meetings will also be scheduled with government, industry, labor, and political figures. These meetings are mandatory for the entire class. Cultural and social events will be available to complement the academic experience. Participation in the field trip is mandatory. If there are foreseeable obstacles to the travel portion of the course, the student should not take the class or should drop it as soon as the obstacle becomes apparent. Exceptions to this policy can only be made under extraordinary circumstances and at the discretion of the faculty advisor. In the event that factors beyond the school's control necessitate canceling the trip, or where a family or personal crisis makes it impossible for a student to take the trip, an examination and independent project on a course subject that can be researched in the Northwestern Library will substitute for the group project grade.

Written Report: The final report should be a significant contribution to learning in the field. It should include research objectives, background information, research findings and analysis, as well as detailed conclusions and recommendations. Two paper copies of each project and a copy on disk will be turned in to the faculty advisor on the agreed upon date. (Report length, due dates, and other criteria will be determined in consultation with the faculty advisor.)

Oral Presentation: Each group will present its findings to the class at a special session scheduled during the first half of spring quarter. These will be formal business presentations, with overheads of major findings, etc.

Faculty Advisor: The primary responsibility of the faculty advisor is to provide broad oversight and serve as a resource. The faculty advisor does not teach this course in the conventional sense. In-country, the advisor's role is to be an official representative of the school, which means acting as the head of a delegation. The advisor will not be chaperoning the class, but will be concerned about the welfare of the students and safety, as well as the success of the trip for the students and the school. In the event of an emergency, the advisor is authorized to assume control of the class. The faculty advisor also will evaluate and grade the team's research projects.