Courses & Credits
Students can take 1 – 2 courses over the four-week program, which usually transfer as 3 – 6 U.S. semester credits. For scheduling reasons, students taking two courses must select one course from each cluster listed below.
Courses in Cluster 1 will be held in the morning, and courses in Cluster 2 will be held in the afternoon. Each course has 39 contact hours so depending on your home university, each course may be worth either 3 or 4 credits. Final credit allotment is at the discretion of each student’s home university, and is typically based off of the total number of contact hours for each course.
Please be sure to select at least one additional course per cluster so you have a back-up should a course fill up and meet capacity. All courses are limited to the first 45 students and are admitted on a first come, first serve basis.
Selecting your Courses
- Review the 2020 Summer Course Listings below.
- Click the linked title of the course to see the full syllabus from SMU.
- Enter your courses in order of preference in the TEAN Course Selection form in your TEAN Application
Courses
Cluster One 8:30-11:45am
MGMT312: ASIA PACIFIC BUSINESS
In the past decade, the U.S. economy grew by an average of 1.6% a year while Southeast Asia’s by 5.9%. The 21 economies of the largest trans-Pacific grouping, AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), account for nearly half of global trade. Yet despite the region’s celebrated economic progress and its further potential, there are clear strains and risks resulting from geopolitical and economic trends which impact businesses that operate here. This course’s lectures which will introduce students to: (a) economic, political and socio-cultural theories and frameworks for understanding the context of business in the Asia Pacific region; and (b) the application of international business theories and frameworks to understand the decision-making processes of companies investing in the region. Students will analyze and make presentations about challenges t relevant to companies operating in large emerging economies such as China, India, Taiwan, and South Korea as well as other economies, including Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
MGMT2207: INNOVATIONS FOR ASIA’S SMART CITIES
What makes a city “smart”? Through case studies and industry leaders, innovative city designers, tech experts and business development executives from local and international companies, as well as incorporating actual site visits to enhance experiential learning, students will learn the opportunities and challenges of the ‘smart city business’, and how to create a ‘smart’ city. This interesting and challenging course is led by highly decorated Prof. Thomas Menkhoff and Mr. Kan Siew Ning.
COR2613: SCREENING ASIA: HISTORY, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS IN FILMS
This course is designed to provide an interdisciplinary and visual approach to understanding Asia using films about Asia produced by Asians themselves as well as those films about Asia produced by non-Asian filmmakers. First, we will briefly explore the history of film in the Asian region and discuss various methods of reading films as texts. Second, we will critically examine what films reveal about the history of Asia – the period of colonialism, decolonization and nation-building, Cold War, and globalization in the Asian region. Next, we will explore contemporary topics and issues in Asia such as traditional and non-traditional security issues such as maritime issues, climate change, and migration, among others. Finally, we will assess the contemporary role and significance of films against the rapid technological disruptions taking place within Asia and beyond.
LGST234: THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT OF BUSINESS: AN ASIAN PERSPECTIVE
This is an introductory course designed to help acquaint students –who may be future business owners or managers –with the legal environment within which businesses operate and the common legal issues one may face when doing business in Asia, with a particular emphasis on Singapore. The course will entail not only classroom teaching and learning, but will also include invaluable sharing sessions guest speakers from various relevant fields, as well as field trips to legal institutions and/or offices in Singapore. A substantial part of the course will be dedicated to exploring, at a general level, various aspects of laws pertaining to doing business, with an especial focus on business organizations and commercial transactions. Because business relationships with commercial parties are primarily governed by contract, an understanding of how contracts work is important. Basic principles of contract law (e.g. the making and performance of contracts), as well as laws applying to specific situations (e.g. the sale of goods and services), will be taught in brief. Students will also be introduced to the law of torts and will, in particular, learn the essentials of the very pervasive tort of negligence, and the often-misunderstood tort of defamation.
IS446: MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONS WITH ANALYTICS: ASIAN INSIGHTS
So, you have collected customer data. Lots of it. What’s the next step? Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Analytics is an approach companies can take, to improve business relationships with customers. Discover and practice with current tools, and learn from best practices with case studies in the region, before developing customer relationship strategies with the help of business process management tools and customer analytics. Learn how to improve relationship intelligence with your customer to apply to your next job or business! This course is taught by SMU Faculty Mr. Rafael J. Barros.
Cluster Two 1:00-4:15pm
ACCT008: ACCOUNTING ANALYTICS IN ASIA
Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and analytics are transforming and disrupting the accounting and finance industry in unprecedented ways. AI/ML/Analytics now have the practical capabilities to carry out many tasks that are within the scope of accounting and finance professionals. However, rather than worrying that their jobs are at risk, accountants should embrace AI/ML/Analytics in their line of work.. This course aims to provide students with the foundational understanding of analytics through its four stages (descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive), focusing focus on applying analytics in accounting, including the use of R Programming to statistically analyze accounting data. Along with the critical analysis of successful use cases in Asia, the course will also cover misconceptions that Asian economies have about AI/ML/Analytics, the challenges faced during implementation and the ethical aspects of adopting these technologies.
LGST235: CHINA’S BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Initially two obscure projects (The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road) announced in 2013, over the past few years the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has quickly become the centerpiece of China’s economic diplomacy. Spanning across Asia, Europe and Africa, the project is often called the “Marshall Plan” of China as it aims to promote economic development the the less-developed countries found across the three continents. Taught by an advisor to the WTO and the Chinese government, this course will provide an in-depth analysis for the background for the BRI, the detailed strategy of China in each areas covered such as trade and investment, and how the BRI might result in an alternative economic order led by China.
MGMT315S: GLOBAL MEGA-TRENDS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR ASIA
Using real-life case studies and trends, this course helps students to understand the importance and developments of globally-evolving data patterns in 5 key domains: ecology, society, economy, geopolitics and technology. Opportunities, complexities and uncertainties are discussed in a business context, analyzing the effects of resource scarcity, environmental and societal stress, demographic change, diversity, globalization, the economic system, and key technology areas (AI, big data, biotech, nanotech, IT, internet security). The course will be taught by Dr. Frank Siegfried.
ECON113S: ECONOMICS GLOBALISATION IN ASIA
This course focuses on various aspects of economic globalization in general, but with specific reference to Asia. Students could learn both positive and negative aspects of the many globalization issues in Asia, such as “Choosing the Right Exchange Rate Regime for Small and Open Economies in East Asia”, “Trade liberalization and poverty in Asia” as well as “Singapore’s Drive to Form Cross-regional Trade Pacts”. The course will also explore various topics under international trade and international finance, and cover case studies such as “High Performance Asian Economies: Asian Economic Miracle”, and “ The Two Asian Giants: China and India”.
MGMT218S: ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN ASIA
Embedded at a key entrepreneurial hub of Asia young and fast-growing economic region, this course in SMU traces the steps that entrepreneurs likely encounter from a first recognition of a potential business opportunity to the nascent operation of the actual company. This course teaches students the basic ingredients of a business plan and a short ‘pitch’ for their ideas. Customized through the exposure to start-up communities in Asia and the use of relevant business cases, all underpinned by rigorous problem-based learning, this course helps students address various start-up issues and become more familiar with nuances of starting up in Asia.