ANT 480 - BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURES

College of Arts & Sciences

Credit(s): 3

The course introduces students to the various applications of anthropological theory and ethnographic research methods in contemporary institutional settings, including businesses, government, and non- governmental organizations. Students will investigate the concept of organization from an anthropological perspective in order to understand how organizational forms manifest in different social and cultural contexts and what cultural patterns and processes shape them. Students will learn about the growing field of business anthropology in which anthropologists apply their knowledge, skills, and research methods to improve business performance, competitiveness, and communication. Students will explore how business anthropologists help organizations develop culturally appropriate ways of working with suppliers, partners, and consumers and promote smooth working relationships among employees from different cultural contexts. Students will also critically examine the meaning and usage of core concepts such as culture, design, social organization, consumption, globalization, ethnography, business, branding and marketing. Students will have opportunities for hands-on, qualitative research involving interviews and participant observation. They will learn to effectively analyze their research data and relate it to the theoretical and analytical frameworks developed by business and organizational anthropologists.

Prereq: Admission to the Online Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree program in the College of Arts and Sciences; Anthropology 101, 160, 220; or consent of the instructor.
Approved for Distance Learning.