Calvin Thrall

I learned about the political interactions between multinational corporations and governments.

I learned how to understand the decision making-processes of large businesses through different lenses on international relations as well as how to analyze the differing preferences of the various actors within the political economy sphere.

Learned a lot about the politics of the interactions between MNEs and other actors, primarily governments.

General knowledge of firms/multinational enterprises and how they operate. International political economy but not from a state perspective but more from a macro state and firm one. Lobbying and corporate tax avoidance.

definition of a firm, lobbying, taxation, foreign-direct investment, state-owned enterprises

The course could have been much more stimulating if it were less top-down and more based on student interactions, in line with other seminars. Especially since there are so many applicable examples, we all know off the top of our heads that we never get to bring up, debate, and discuss. Some of the course content is quite basic and entry-level, the type of general knowledge most people would have. The assignments were very interesting though.

The readings were usually a couple news articles so they were not too time consuming and were very interesting. The final project was a group podcast that was the most enjoyable final project that I've ever done, and I just think that this class was amazing.

This course gave me a solid understanding of how multinational enterprises (MNEs) operate as political actors. I learned about their structures, their influence on governments, and how they navigate challenges like regulation and public pressure. The class also sharpened my ability to analyze the relationships between businesses and governments, and to think critically about real-world issues like labor rights, corruption, and environmental impact.

I learned a lot about how business affects politics/policy and vice versa. From the various assignments and memos I learned how to label different actors in business and politics and describe and interpret their role in the internatinational system.

If you find the subject matter generally interesting than I think it's a great course.