Meets First Eight Weeks Only

A good understanding of international issues is essential in today's
business environment.  This course has been specifically tailored to meet
the needs of MBA students, but the topics to be covered will undoubtedly
be of interest to graduate students from other majors as well.
International Briefing is team-taught by specialists in the areas of
politics, culture, and society in the world areas of East Asia, Russia
and Central Europe, and Western Europe to provide an in-depth
understanding of each world area while remaining focused on how issues
effect world markets.  Topics to be covered include history, culture, and
demographics of the regions; European integration and the impact on
global markets, privatization and entrepreneurship in former-command
economies; and economic strategies for industrialization.  The class
format will be a mixture of lectures and class discussions based on the
weekly readings.  Student performance evaluation will be based on
participation and three take-home examinations.