Have you ever wanted to step into the shoes of a Harvard Business School professor and create a case study that others will learn from? At Oxford, the Global Business History module lets you do just that.
This is perhaps my favourite course in Oxford. In Harvard Business School, students learn through the Case Method. In Oxford’s Global Business History module, you write a case study as well as the accompanying teaching note. This is supposed to be material for teaching a batch of other undergraduate E&M students. Permit me to convince you why this is such a wonderful course.
A fascinating course
The course is not only a reason to really plumb the depths of the history of a company you find fascinating, but also to crystallise how a theoretical lesson you covered in another module applies to a company. We learn from history that what may appear obvious might have evolved as a sequence of random events driven by chance. The history of a corporation can be immensely rich with stories of skullduggery, sheer luck, and colourful characters.
Instead of receiving information, the course prompts you to go beyond – to really analyse the historical background of a company and distil it into an understandable way. In order to teach something well, you have to truly understand it, and that is a rigorous yet invigorating task.
We were urged to pursue something quantitative if possible – do utilise not just a concept but rather an equation derived from the other arms of management. It’s so easy to find cases where companies have wielded a marketing theory – but to see the Fama-French 3 Factor Model come to life as part of corporate strategy is something far more interesting, in my opinion.
Refreshing pedagogy
Furthermore, as a course that is devoted to teaching you how to teach – the course itself is a fantastic experience. Some lectures are held in museums, others in Freud (with the drinks of course!). There’s also the famous boat ride where students survey how Oxford as a town developed because of its geographic location amidst the waterways. It’s bring your own beverage too – having Prosecco on a boat while having a lecture is an experience I highly recommend. One of my greatest takeaways has been role of immersive learning experience in elevating knowledge retention. Communication is not just about the words you so delicately choose, nor just the way you verbalise it. The setting and novelty of delivery does wonders in keeping students engaged.
Spoiler alert: Oxford got its name from a very banal reason: It’s a ford, or shallow crossing”, where oxen could be herded across safely.
Less stress during finals
Because most papers will have a final exam, having to take eight papers can be a stressful proposition. By doing a case study and teaching note instead, you can spread out the workload throughout the rest of the year instead of cramming another module’s information into your brain.
Don’t just listen to me
You can access the a list of past case studies here – these are what you can spend hours really delving into historical records and crafting out. Go have a chat with Chris McKenna, who is a wonderful professor and an amazing tutor. I personally don’t like gatekeeping good experiences, so I have to wholeheartedly endorse this unconventional and enjoyable module. You may have to apply, given the high demand for the course, but I’d say it’s worth every minute you spend penning down your motivational statement.
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