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Academic Coursework

ECON238: Introduction to Entrepreneurship – Fall 2023

Taught by Ali Alizadeh ‘85

If you are thinking about starting a business or joining a company in the startup phase, you are in the right place. In this class, you will have the opportunity to learn from founders and presidents that have started, ran, navigated, and sold their companies. In addition, you will have a chance to learn what are the common denominators of successful start-ups. My hope is that by the end of this semester, you will learn:

  • What is a company?
  • What is culture, really?
  • What are the key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs / leaders?
  • How do you deal with uncertainty?
  • What are the key components of a successful start up?
  • What are the key components of an effective business plan?
  • How do you go about identifying your target market?
  • What is a minimum viable product?
  • How do you go about figuring out how much money you need?
  • How do you raise money?
  • What are key legal elements of your legal documents?

ANTH294: From Empathy to Action: Applied Anthropology and Human-Centered Design for Social Innovation – Spring 2024

Taught by Allan Martinez Venegas ‘14

Embark on a transformative journey at the intersection of tradition and innovation in this dynamic course. Applied Anthropology and Human-Centered Design unite to empower you with the knowledge and skills to address pressing social issues. From Anthropology, you will draw on essential and time-honored qualitative research methods such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups to unravel the intricacies of the human experience. But that’s just the beginning. As a change-maker, you will also embrace the practical world of Human-Centered Design (HCD). You will learn to generate insights, fostering creativity through brainstorming and crafting prototypes. These multidisciplinary skills will not only prepare you for making a meaningful impact with empathy and precision but will also position you for life after college with highly sought-after, job-market-relevant abilities to address real-world challenges. Throughout the course, you will refine your storytelling acumen, enabling you to effectively thread your research findings and design solutions into compelling narratives. It will all come together as you work in teams to research a local issue, design a solution for it, and present it in an innovative pitch at the end of the semester. Are you ready for this fusion of classic anthropology and HCD to set the stage for meaningful change and professional success? 

Instructor bio: Allan Martinez, an applied anthropology and human-centered design specialist, has extensive experience tackling global social challenges. Projects include recruiting Ebola treatment unit staff in Liberia, addressing mosquito-borne diseases in rural Panama, and launching public-private partnerships in Nigeria. Allan’s research work includes understanding COVID-19 and HPV vaccine hesitancy in Kenya, identifying safeguarding and protection risks in humanitarian operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, and tackling causes of school attrition in Liberia. With a strong teaching background, Allan is a trainer and facilitator for research teams worldwide. He instructs at the University of Turin and the United Nations International Training Center of the ILO, teaching in the Master’s in Social Innovation for Sustainable Development, Master’s of Technology and Public Policy, and the Master’s in Development Management. Additionally, Allan is a teaching team member at IDEO, a premier Human-Centered Design firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Anthropology with a concentration in Human Rights and Humanitarianism from Macalester College and a master’s degree in Social Innovation for Sustainable Development from the University of Turin and the United Nations International Training Center of the ILO.

ENVI192 – Sustainability Innovation Lab – Spring 2024

Taught by Megan Butler

Are you concerned about an environmental or social problem that you see in your community? Then this course is for you! Using a design thinking methodology, this course will guide participants through the hands-on experience of developing innovative interventions aimed at addressing problems in their community. Using the Macalester campus and the neighboring community as a living laboratory, students will combine theory and practice while working collaboratively to build ideas that are compelling, impactful and realizable. During the course of the semester, student teams will define a problem, identify and evaluate solutions, and develop, pilot and pitch implementation plans. Through collaborative activities, workshopping sessions and participatory lectures, students will practice empathy and systems-thinking and build skills that promote creative thinking, collaboration, negotiation and taking action. This course will involve group work and require participants to be highly interactive and share creative ideas in order to develop practical approaches to addressing real-world problems. The goal of this course is to help future leaders hone the skills they need to craft effective solutions for environmental and/or social challenges to create holistic approaches and integrated solutions. 

Instructor Bio: Megan Butler has a Masters of Development Practice degree from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs as well as a PhD in Natural Resource Science and Management from University of Minnesota. Her dissertation work focused upon the evolution of governance structures in communal enterprises. She is passionate about creating bridges between research and practice through her work and has experience working both locally and internationally to address pressing environmental and social issues.