First-Year Seminars

First-year seminars are designed to elicit intense intellectual interchange, both written and oral, in a seminar setting in which all participate in critical thinking and analysis of arguments. Faculties from the various disciplines will frame discussions of entrepreneurship within their disciplines, from perspectives as wide ranging as the potential impacts on commerce, politics, the arts, the development of western thought, or scientific discoveries.

2008/2009 First-Year Seminars

Spring 2009

Harnessing Life's Molecular Machines: From AIDS Tests to Hydrogen Cars (Spring 2009)

--Professor Jed Macosko, Physics --

In this seminar students will explore the submicroscopic resources found inside living cells: tiny machines made up of amino acids and DNA. These molecular machines undergird every living system and nearly all biotechnological devices and methods. The goal of this class will be to learn how these machines perform their manifold functions and how biotechnologists harness them to make useful innovations. After culling ideas from Wake Forest University professors and off-campus entrepreneurs, students will draft proposals that leverage those ideas in order to create value. Particular emphasis will be placed on the value of “appropriate technology” — inexpensive AIDS tests for developing countries, for example—and on energy conscious technology, such as hydrogen producing molecular machines.

Click here for the Spring 2009 syllabus.

Fall 2008

Entrepreneurs in American History (Fall 2008)

--Professor Robert Whaples, Department of Economics --

This seminar will examine the motives, strategies and impacts of entrepreneurs in the past, as a way to understand the challenges facing entrepreneurs of today. It will cast a wide historical net, taking a broad view of entrepreneurship -- including entrepreneurs in business, finance and the policy arena, as well as those involved in social, religious and labor movements. The approach will blend biography with a broader view of the economy and society of each period and theories about entrepreneurship.

Click here for the Fall 2008 syllabus.

The Dirt on Development: Entrepreneurial and Environmental Approaches to Solving the World's Problems (Fall 2008)

--Professor Emily Wakild, Department of History --

Have you ever wondered how some individuals make a big difference? In this course, students will examine what strategies these difference-makers use to solve the world's problems and investigate how they can be applied elsewhere. To do so, we will analyze and debate problems of development regarding disease, hunger, finance, sustainability, and environmental change in various areas of the world including our own community.

Click here for the Fall 2008 syllabus.

2007/2008 First-Year Seminars

Spring 2008

Artists Inventing Markets (Spring 2008)

--Professor Bernadine Barnes, Department of Art --

While we naturally think of visual artists as the epitome of creativity, we do not often think of them as successful entrepreneurs —people who not only had innovative ideas, but who created new ways to put their ideas before the public in a meaningful way. In this First-Year Seminar, we will explore notions of creativity from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. We will then concentrate on particular artists (such as Raphael, Rembrandt, Courbet, andCassatt) as we discover how individual artists worked within — and broke through —limitations to their creativity, and how they found ways to let their ideas and inventions be known to a broader public. Finally, we will compare the experiences of these historic artists to artists of our own time.

Click here for the Spring 2008 syllabus.

Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines: From AIDS Tests To Hydrogen Cars (Spring 2008)

--Professor Jed Macosko, Physics --

In this seminar students will explore the submicroscopic resources found inside living cells: tiny machines made up of amino acids and DNA. These molecular machines undergird every living system and nearly all biotechnological devices and methods. The goal of this class will be to learn how these machines perform their manifold functions and how biotechnologists harness them to make useful innovations. After culling ideas from Wake Forest University professors and off-campus entrepreneurs, students will draft proposals that leverage those ideas in order to create value. Particular emphasis will be placed on the value of “appropriate technology” — inexpensive AIDS tests for developing countries, for example—and on energy conscious technology, such as hydrogen producing molecular machines.

Click here for the Spring 2008 syllabus.

Understanding Entrepreneurship: A Sociological Perspective (Spring 2008)

-- Professor Jeff Rosenthal, Sociology --

This course examines the growth of formal work in a capitalist economy, then focuses upon different explanations for entrepreneurship. It concludes with an in-depth analysis of the growth of wineries as small businesses in North Carolina and assesses the circumstances that have made such growth possible as well as the characteristics of the individuals involved.

Border Crossings: Creativity in the Mix and the Margins (Spring 2008)

-- Professor Lynn Book, Theatre and Dance --

This course is for adventurers, interlopers, thieves and the just plain curious. Venture into unknown and sometimes unruly territories on the frontiers of creativity. Here we will chart the incredible cross-fertilizations that have occurred over the last several years between and betwixt ideas and cultures. We will stake out our research from the perspective of the 'Big Four' of the Arts: Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts and Music, learning how they have dramatically metamorphosied, yielding new forms in the mix of disciplines and in the margins between them. What is it that makes someone creative and how do certain behaviors get designated as such? Gain a contemporary, critical overview of the striking array of transdisciplinary trends in the arts and encounter the notion that you, yourself can become a creative agent in everything that you do.

Professional Baseball: The Globalization of the National Pastime (Spring 2008)

-- Professor Charles (Hank) Kennedy, Political Science --

This seminar explores aspects of professional baseball in a multidisciplinary manner. During the course, students will be confronted with the history of the development of professional baseball in the United States, Latin America, and Japan. Students will also confront among other issues related to ethnicity and race, the globalization of business, and the legalities of Anti-Trust and union legislation.

Click here for the Spring 2008 syllabus.

2006/2007 First-Year Seminars

Spring 2007

Harnessing Life’s Molecular Machines: From AIDS Tests to Hydrogen Cars (Spring 2007)

-- Professor Jed Macosko, Department of Physics -- In this seminar students will explore the submicroscopic resources found inside living cells: tiny machines made up of amino acids and DNA. These molecular machines undergird every living system and nearly all biotechnological devices and methods. The goal of this class will be to learn how these machines perform their manifold functions and how biotechnologists harness them to make useful innovations. After culling ideas from Wake Forest University professors and off-campus entrepreneurs, students will draft proposals that leverage those ideas in order to create value. Particular emphasis will be placed on the value of “appropriate technology” — inexpensive AIDS tests for developing countries, for example—and on energy conscious technology, such as hydrogen producing molecular machines.

Click here for the Spring 2007 syllabus.

Professional Baseball: The Globalization of the National Pastime (Spring 2007)

-- Professor Charles (Hank) Kennedy, Political Science --

This seminar explores aspects of professional baseball in a multidisciplinary manner. During the course, students will be confronted with the history of the development of professional baseball in the United States, Latin America, and Japan. Students will also confront among other issues related to ethnicity and race, the globalization of business, and the legalities of Anti-Trust and union legislation.

Click here for the Spring 2007 syllabus.

Fall 2006

Biomimetics: Nature's Way (Fall 2006)

-- Professor William Conner, Department of Biology --

This seminar will explore “Nature’s Way” of solving real world problems and how Nature’s answers can provide the basis for new inventions and novel ways of thinking.

Click here for the Fall 2006 syllabus.

Border Crossings: Creativity in the Mix and the Margins (Fall 2006)

-- Professor Lynn Book, Department of Theatre and Dance --

This course is for adventurers, interlopers, thieves and the just plain curious. Venture into unknown and sometimes unruly territories on the frontiers of creativity. Here we will chart the incredible cross-fertilizations that have occurred over the last several years between and betwixt .elds, ideas and cultures. We will stake out our research from the perspective of the ‘Big Four’ of the Arts: Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts and Music, learning how they have dramatically metamorphosed, yielding new forms in the mix of disciplines and in the margins between them. What is it that makes someone creative and how do certain behaviors get designated as such? Gain a contemporary, critical overview of the striking array of transdisciplinary trends in the arts and encounter the notion that you, yourself can become a creative agent in everything that you do.

Games and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture (Fall 2006)

-- Professor Yue-Ling Wong, Department of Computer Science --

Computer games are an enormous entertainment business. They have touched so many of our lives. The computer game, itself, as well as the culture it produces, are worth serious study. The goals of this seminar are to analyze and to critique both the aesthetic qualities and the substance of these games, from (1) the computer science points of view, and (2) the aesthetic and humanist points of view. Students will also explore the history of computer games and take a closer look at the entrepreneurs who developed these products and the passion it took to make an innovative idea into reality.

Click here for the Fall 2006 syllabus.

2005/2006 First-Year Seminars

Spring 2006

American Indian Communities in Urban America: Toward Cultural and Economic Well Being (Spring 2006)

-- Professor Ulrike Wiethaus, Interdisciplinary Humanities --

This seminar will explore American Indian urban cultures and entrepreneurship from an interdisciplinary perspective. As participants in the innovative Kauffman initiative, students will collaborate with the Guilford Native American Association to study urban issues and to develop appropriate business plans.

Click here for the Spring 2006 syllabus.

Social Entrepreneurship: Doing Good While Doing Well (Spring 2006)

-- Professor Cynthia Skaar, Business and Accountancy --

Are you concerned about social problems like pollution, poverty, global warming, environmental and species destruction, education or civil rights and want to make a difference in the world? This course explores the emerging idea that it is possible for dedicated individuals to champion effectively social change by tapping into free market principles. Students will learn and put into practice entrepreneurial skills including how to evaluate ideas to solve social problems, write a business plan and obtain funding.

Click here for the Spring 2006 syllabus.

Fall 2005

-- Professor Lynn Book, Department of Theatre and Dance --

This course is for adventurers, interlopers, thieves and the just plain curious. Venture into unknown and sometimes unruly territories on the frontiers of creativity. Here we will chart the incredible cross-fertilizations that have occurred over the last several years between and betwixt .elds, ideas and cultures. We will stake out our research from the perspective of the ‘Big Four’ of the Arts: Theatre, Dance, Visual Arts and Music, learning how they have dramatically metamorphosed, yielding new forms in the mix of disciplines and in the margins between them. What is it that makes someone creative and how do certain behaviors get designated as such? Gain a contemporary, critical overview of the striking array of transdisciplinary trends in the arts and encounter the notion that you, yourself can become a creative agent in everything that you do.

Click here for the Fall 2005 syllabus.

Games and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture (Fall 2005)

-- Professor Yue-Ling Wong, Computer Science --

Computer games are an enormous entertainment business. They have touched so many of our lives. The computer game, itself, as well as the culture it produces, are worth serious study. The goals of this seminar are to analyze and critique both the aesthetic qualities and the substance of these games from (1) the computer science point of view, and (2) the aesthetic and humanist points of view.

Click here for the Fall 2005 syllabus.

Professional Baseball: The Globalization of the National Pastime (Fall 2005)

-- Professor Charles (Hank) Kennedy, Political Science --

This seminar explores aspects of professional baseball in a multidisciplinary manner. During the course, students will be confronted with the history of the development of professional baseball in the United States, Latin America, and Japan. Students will also confront among other issues related to ethnicity and race, the globalization of business, and the legalities of Anti-Trust and union legislation.

Click here for the Fall 2005 syllabus.

2004/2005 First-Year Seminars

Spring 2005

Biological Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Spring 2005)

-- Professor William Conner, Department of Biology --

This seminar will explore Biology's Greatest Hits and how they have influenced the world. How do innovative ideas originate? Is it inspiration or perspiration? How does one move from basic science to the business place? The students will interact with the local biotech industry to get hands-on experience with the transition from the laboratory to the real world.

Click here for the Spring 2005 syllabus.

Entrepreneurship in Commerce, Philanthropy, and Politics (Spring 2005)

-- Professor Daniel Hammond, Department of Economics --

In commerce, entrepreneurs provide the creative energy that supports growing income and wealth. More generally, and in the context of philanthropy and politics, the term entrepreneur is used for the role of one who marshals people and resources behind a creative vision. This seminar uses American history of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era to examine the social consequences of entrepreneurship in commerce, philanthropy, and politics.

Click here for the Spring 2005 syllabus.

Understanding Entrepreneurship: A Sociological Perspective (Spring 2005)

-- Professor Ian Taplin, Department of Sociology --

This course examines the growth of formal work in a capitalist economy then focuses upon different explanations for entrepreneurship. It concludes with an in-depth analysis of the growth of wineries as small businesses in North Carolina and assesses the circumstances that have made such growth possible as well as the characteristics of the individuals involved.

Click here for the Spring 2005 syllabus.

Fall 2004

Women Entrepreneurs in Literature and Life (Fall 2004)

-- Professor Anne Boyle, Department of English, Director, Women's and Gender Studies Program --

Reading fictional accounts representing both the domestic and the entrepreneurial world in 19th and 20th century America, students will analyze the variety of historic, cultural, and psychological forces that have propelled women to move away from or between an exclusively private domestic world and the public world where they own and manage their own businesses. We will explore the ways that gender ideology and performance inhibit and/or enhance the opportunities and the lives these women create for themselves. During the second part of the semester, students will research both American and international women entrepreneurs and explore the real life issues that inform the fictions and gender theories they have been studying.

Click here for the Fall 2004 syllabus.