The ethics of AI in marketing. The outcomes of increased online gambling on addiction. The cultural juggernaut that is Taylor Swift… Changes in society impact marketers’ situational analyses and inform their new strategies. But why? And moreso, how? This highly topical course is designed to get you understanding how societal events, trends, and issues directly relate to marketing. This course takes place in three parts: first, we’ll be discussing and evaluating the relationship between markets and society, paying special attention to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Second, we’ll be analyzing and debating a series of societal topics as they relate to the way marketers think. And finally, we’ll have some fun with cultural trends in society—how they become big and how marketers leverage them for good and for tacky. By the end of this course, you’ll have sharpened your critical thinking skills as a marketer, and be able to apply those skills to developing marketing strategy.

What should you be able to know after successfully completing this course?

News Literacy and Business Press: As upper-level business students, you are expected to build daily news literacy by reading reputable outlets (e.g., WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, NYT, ProPublica, HBR) and coming to every class ready to critique current events using course frameworks.

POLICY: I WILL NOT ROUND FINAL GRADES. (Unless I’ve erred in calculation, do not ask for your 89.99999 to be an A-.) All assigned work will be graded based on guidelines provided. Late work will not be graded and instead, will be given an automatic “zero” (0) grade.

Market Dynamics Journals (10 Entries @ 3% = 30%)

To sharpen news literacy in service of understanding market dynamics, most weeks you’ll be writing a reflection on an unfolding marketplace issue reported in a credible news outlet (e.g., WSJ, FT, Bloomberg, NYT, ProPublica, HBR). You must provide the source link, evaluate its credibility using our News Literacy guidelines, and apply theories and frameworks presented in class to elaborate on why the story is relevant to marketing managers. You’re welcome to pick a different story to reflect on each week or to reflect on a developing story as it unfolds.

The point of the market dynamics journals is to build habits of daily news reading, keep you current in marketplace contexts, and hone your critical thinking over time.

📤 Submit Journal Entries (handwritten, uploaded picture/scan to Canvas)

Individual Market Dynamics Synthesis Memo (10%)

Midway through the semester, you will step back from weekly news reporting to synthesize the macro-environmental forces tracked across your first 5 Market Dynamics Journals. You’ll select two distinct, intersecting trends from your entries, analyze their combined impact on an industry of your choice using course frameworks, and propose proactive strategy.

The purpose of this synthesis memo is to demonstrate your individual strategic reasoning and ability to synthesize trends.

📤 Submit Synthesis Memo (directions on Canvas, in-class print submission)

Course Engagement (15%)

Engagement is evaluated on active, meaningful contribution during class discussions, workshops, and Canvas discussions— not passive attendance. Course engagement is a function of: (in-class active participation + outside-class on Canvas) * (volume) * (quality). Both inside and outside of classtime, I encourage us to work hard to create and maintain a supportive, respectful, and empathetic environment.

While you must be present in classes to be able to participate in them, I guarantee attendance alone will not earn a full 15% engagement mark. Your involvement and participation are vital to the success of yours and your peers’ learning experiences; consistency and quality matter.

The point of course engagement is to foster active critical thinking, oral communication, and consistent reading comprehension without relying on digital devices during lecture.

Manning BeHub Research Credits (5%)

You’re required to complete 5.0 research credits through the Manning BeHub‘s SONA research platform. All studies are administered via this platform. To watch a short video explaining how to register and use SONA – click here. The first time you ever access the website, you’ll need to “request an account” to register as a participant and answer a few questions, including selecting my course from the list. From that point forward, you’ll use your UML SSO credentials to log in (no need for a new username or password).

If you prefer to complete an alternative credit task, you can do that as well– these alternative assignments will be opened up on SONA later in the semester.

The point of participating in research studies is to expose you directly to business academic data collection methods, while supporting ongoing faculty research in business science.

📤 BeHub Research Participation Platform (SONA)

In-Class Weekly Hackathon Sprints (10%)

Most weeks, we’ll be addressing a particular societal topic with marketplace impact. For each of those weeks, one class session will be spent discussing some background to the topic, analyzing the topic, and addressing its marketing impact through different lenses. The other class session will have a “hackathon sprint.”

Working in small teams (~4-5), I’ll give you a snap potential “client” scenario in class. You have 15 minutes to apply assigned readings and class frameworks to develop actionable solutions to those real-world problems. All groups participate every week, and one group is selected at random per week to present a 5 pitch and lead a class Q and A session.

The point of these hackathons is to evaluate both your critical reasoning skills, your ability to synthesize new materials, and your ability to use these skills collaboratively.

Grand Hackathon Sprint Deck and Live Pitch (25%)

The capstone hackathon sprint of the course. Your teams will leverage what you’ve learned in class developing a comprehensive situational analysis and impact solution for an integrative macro-societal client challenge. All teams will present their pitch during the final week of class.

The point of the Grand Hackathon is to showcase written and oral communications skills, to work on interpersonal skills in a teamwork collaboration, and to demonstrate in an integrative fashion how societal pressures affect marketplace strategy and execution.

📤 Submit Grand Hackathon deck (Canvas)

Team Project Peer Evaluation (Online Link) (5%)

A Qualtrics peer evaluation link will be posted during the final week of class. Completing the peer evaluation by the day after our last class is required; failure to submit earns an automatic zero “0” score for your own evaluation component, as I use your peers’ scores to calculate your own evaluation grade.

If you can’t be bothered to give your peers their scores, I won’t be bothered to calculate your score.

🔗 Open Qualtrics Evaluation (URL TBA)

Assignment Name	Weight	Due Date and Time	Where to Submit
Market Dynamics Journals (10 entries)	30% (3% each)	Weekly Tuesdays	Canvas Upload (scan/pic of entries)
In-Class Weekly Hackathon Sprints (8 sessions)	10%	Designated Class Dates	In-Person
Individual Market Dynamics Synthesis Memo	10%	Tuesday, Oct 20 (In Class)	Physical Hard Copy (In Class)
Grand Hackathon Sprint Deck and Live Pitch	25%	Dec 8 (10 is makeup) (In Class)	In Class Presentation / Canvas (Deck)
Project Peer Evaluation	5%	Friday, Dec 11	Qualtrics Link
Manning BeHub SONA Research Credits	5%	End of Classes (Dec 11)	SONA Platform
Course Engagement and Discussion	15%	Ongoing	In Class