The Lauder Institute Courses and Curriculum

The Lauder Institute’s Africa Program focuses on understanding the factors shaping the context of African business, including the arts, culture, environment, history, politics, and social dynamics. Students will also study subnational differences, regional economic clusters, and Africa’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic relations with the world.

• Languages of Instruction: English (General track), or French (Language & Culture track).
• OPI Requirements: To apply for the French (Language & Culture track), applicants must test at the Advanced Low level, or above, in French. For the English (General track), a Superior-level of oral proficiency rating in any language other than English is required.
• Summer Immersion locations (sites vary by language and year): Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
• Post-Immersion: In addition to Lauder Core Courses and other requirements, Africa Program students take either French or Africa-focused courses.
  • Africa-French students take language classes until they reach the Superior level. Students who attain Superior ratings in their Target Language may continue INTS-Language classes (options to be discussed with faculty) or take SAS electives in lieu of INTS-Language.
  • Africa-General students take mandatory fall and spring courses in Year 1, and a mandatory fall course in Year 2. In the final semester of the Africa-General Program, students are offered the opportunity to take a course in the School of Arts and Sciences that builds on earlier coursework and permits more focused, in-depth study. This SAS course is not a replacement for the SAS elective required of all Lauder students. Students should consult the program’s faculty director with further questions. 

The Lauder Institute’s East and Southeast Asia Program focuses on understanding the factors shaping the context of East and Southeast Asia business, including the arts, culture, environment, history, politics, and social dynamics. Students will also study subnational differences, regional economic clusters, and East and Southeast Asia’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic relations with the world.

• Languages of Instruction: Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Japanese
• OPI Requirements: Applicants must test at the Advanced Low level or above on OPI in their Target Language.
• Summer Immersion locations (sites vary by language and year): China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
• Post-Immersion: In addition to the Lauder Core Courses and other requirements, students take language classes until they reach the Superior level. Students who attain Superior ratings in their Target Language may continue INTS-Language classes (options to be discussed with faculty) or take SAS electives in lieu of INTS-Language.

The Lauder Institute’s Europe Program focuses on understanding the factors shaping the context of European business, including the arts, culture, environment, history, politics, and social dynamics. Students will also study subnational differences, regional economic clusters, and Europe’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic relations with the world.

• Languages of Instruction: French, German, Russian, Spanish, and Italian
• OPI Requirements: Applicants must test at the Advanced Low level or above on the OPI in one of the Target Languages.
• Summer Immersion locations (sites vary by language and year): France, Germany, Russia, Spain, Greece, United Kingdom
• Post-Immersion: In addition to the Lauder Core Courses and other requirements, students take language classes until they reach the Superior level. Students who attain Superior ratings in their Target Language may may continue INTS-Language classes (options to be discussed with faculty) or take SAS electives in lieu of INTS-Language.

The Lauder Institute’s Latin America Program focuses on understanding the factors shaping the context of Latin American business, including the arts, culture, environment, history, politics, and social dynamics. Students will also study subnational differences, regional economic clusters, and Latin America’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic relations with the world.

• Languages of Instruction: Spanish, Portuguese
• OPI Requirements: Applicants must test at the Advanced Low level or above on the OPI in one of the Target Languages. Those who attain a Superior OPI rating in Spanish may apply with Portuguese as their Target Language, and may also take SAS electives in lieu of INTS-Language.
• Summer Immersion locations (sites vary by language and year): Argentina, Brazil, Lima, Peru, Mexico
• Post-Immersion: In addition to the Lauder Core Courses and other requirements, students take language classes until they reach a Superior oral proficiency level. Students who attain Superior ratings in their Target Language may continue INTS-Language classes (options to be discussed with faculty) or take SAS electives in lieu of INTS-Language.

The Lauder Institute’s SAMENA Program focuses on understanding the factors shaping the context of business in South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, including the arts, culture, environment, history, politics, and social dynamics. Students will also study subnational differences, regional economic clusters, and SAMENA’s ever-changing geopolitical and economic relations with the world.

• Languages of Instruction: Arabic, Hindi
• OPI Requirements: Applicants must test at the Advanced Low level or above on the OPI in one of the above Target Languages.
• Summer Immersion locations (sites vary by language and year): Tunisia, Egypt, UAE, Sri Lanka, India
• Post-Immersion: In addition to the Lauder Core Courses and other requirements, students take language classes until they reach the Superior level. Students who attain Superior ratings in their Target Language may continue INTS-Language classes (options to be discussed with faculty) or take SAS electives in lieu of INTS-Language.

Global is distinguished by its emphasis on understanding what drives economic, political, and social order-making. Special focus is given to the analysis of key actors, geopolitical dynamics, cross-border intersections, and new formations taking shape within and across national borders and world regions. The overarching goal is to equip students with the skills to identify and analyze some of the greatest challenges and changes in political and economic power today.

• Languages of Instruction: English
• OPI Requirements: Applicants with a rating of Superior in a Target Language besides English are eligible to apply to the Global Program.
• Summer Immersion locations (updated every year) have included: Botswana, China, Ethiopia, Germany, Ghana, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Vietnam, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Global Program Courses: Upon return from the summer immersion, students in the Global Program must complete a total of four (4) classes, one during each semester of study.

Global Program Course Sequence

• Developing a Global Mindset (Pre-Immersion): This short course introduces students to competing ideas of culture, human decision-making, and economy as foundational elements of global business.
• The Politics of Power and Wealth (Fall, Year 1): This course provides students with the theoretical foundations for critical analysis of political and economic power and change. Course materials are drawn from the fields of anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology.
• International Order Making (Spring, Year 1): This course builds on the theoretical framework of the previous course, now layering specific examples and contextual knowledge as they relate to international politics and global, mass-scale phenomena. Topics such as comparative religion, media & politics, war and peace, global finance, technology, and the nature of state power are considered.
• Leadership in Geopolitical Spaces (Fall, Year 2):   This course introduces students to critical instances of geopolitical leadership and the dynamics of individual and collective decision-making in complex non-business environments.  In-class simulations and other coursework support integrative thinking and skill-building in scenario planning, problem-solving, innovation, constructive disagreement, and risk management.  Course materials are drawn from literature, film, and histories of major international episodes of geopolitical conflict.
• Global Program-approved SAS Course (Spring, Year 2): In the final semester of the Global Program, students are offered the opportunity to take a course in the School of Arts and Sciences that builds on earlier coursework and permits more focused, in-depth study.   A pre-approved list is released in the fall term.  This SAS course is not a replacement for the SAS elective required of all Lauder students.

All of our students benefit from Lauder-exclusive courses, including the following core courses:

• Evidence and Analysis for Global Business (1 CU) equips students with a rigorous analytical framework through core methods like research design, data interpretation, and comparative analysis. These tools are then applied to thematic and regional topics aligned with Lauder’s geopolitical themes, preparing students to engage more deeply with the broader Lauder and SAS curriculum.
• Global Business through the Social Sciences (1 CU) provides students with social science frameworks to analyze how political systems, legal structures, and global governance shape market dynamics and strategic risk. Fom emerging markets to major powers, the course examines how geopolitics, regulation, and institutional design influence business outcomes.
• Global Business through the Humanities (1 CU) examines how the desire to possess and consume goods shaped the rise of global capitalism, colonial relationships, and cross-cultural exchange. Through primary sources and interdisciplinary scholarship, students will develop tools to analyze commodity histories, global development and labor patterns, and engage critically with scholarly materials, all within the context of Lauder’s core geopolitical themes.
• Leadership and Intercultural Learning (1 CU): Drawing on theories in the fields of organizational behavior, social psychology, and intercultural communication, this course aims to enhance leadership abilities in intercultural settings. Students will participate in interactive coursework and two Lauder Intercultural Ventures (week-long experiential modules focused on a thematic topic).

Students take one course each semester in fulfillment of the Program of Concentration. Post-summer immersion in the first year, students in the Global Program and Africa Program take a required sequence of courses in the first three semesters of the Program and an approved SAS elective in the final semester. All other students in Regional Programs take INTS-Language courses. 

Lauder students take electives tied to their academic and regional interests. Each student must select one elective (1 CU) from the graduate-level offerings at Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences (SAS).

These courses may focus on the region of the student’s specialization or on the broader international context. The courses may be drawn from any of the social sciences or from the humanities. Students usually take these courses during the third and fourth semesters but may complete them at other times to fit their schedules.

Students are expected to develop and demonstrate their research and analytical writing ability to earn their Masters in International Studies. All Lauder students fulfill the M.A. research and writing requirement by completing a capstone course in Fall of their second year and a solo-authored paper (30-35 pages) in the Spring of their second year. Learn more about the Lauder Capstone here.

Four credit units drawn from Wharton’s MBA Degree Requirements will count towards the MA degree.

Lauder students are required to attain a Superior rating on an OPI in their chosen Target Language in order to satisfy the language requirement.

This course aims to equip students with a rigorous analytical framework, enhancing their ability to engage in critical inquiry and evidence-based reasoning.  The first part of the class will introduce key frameworks, including research design, data interpretation, and comparative methods for understanding global business and policy shifts. The remaining sessions will apply these tools to thematic and regional content related to Lauder Institute’s core geopolitical themes. By the end of the course, students will be well-prepared to navigate the broader Lauder curriculum and their SAS coursework with greater depth and analytical precision.

This course equips students with rigorous frameworks from the social sciences to help decode the complex institutional environments in which global businesses operate. Students will gain the conceptual tools for understanding how political systems, legal structures, and global governance shape market dynamics, competitive advantage, and strategic risk. From emerging markets to major powers, this course explores how geopolitics, regulation, and institutional design influence business outcomes—at the national, regional, and global levels. The course is aligned with the Lauder Institute’s core geopolitical themes.

This interdisciplinary course examines how the desire to possess and consume goods shaped the rise of global capitalism, colonial relationships, and cross-cultural exchange. We will read original primary sources and interpretations by historians, anthropologists, and economists to map the consequences of global trade networks, from the European spice trade that birthed the joint-stock company to the cotton industry that established patterns of labor use and colonial power. Why did the corporate form develop specifically in Europe? How can we link commodity histories to patterns of development around the world? And what role has labor played in the making of capitalism? By the end of this course, students will be able to (a) identify and apply new vocabulary & frameworks for analyzing cross-cultural interactions, (b) debate empirically grounded perspectives about global exchange, (c) efficiently locate and utilize scholarly materials across a range of repositories available to Penn students, (d) effectively read and analyze scholarly works, and disagree constructively through written and spoken words. Specific attention will be paid to the Lauder Institute’s core geopolitical themes.

This course aims to enhance leadership abilities in intercultural settings. It consists of a series of tightly-integrated field and classroom-based learning activities including intensive workshops, lectures, and Lauder Intercultural Ventures (LIVs) immersions in different locations.

Students take specially designed courses in fulfillment of degree requirements. These courses may be INTS-Language courses, Africa Program courses or Global Program courses.

Designed to provide structure and momentum for the Lauder Capstone project, the course equips students with the skills in formulating relevant and researchable questions; identifying and engaging with current and significant academic debates pertinent to the capstone topic; designing effective research plans, conducting interviews, and preparing for fieldwork.  Students end the Fall semester with an advisor-approved research design for a project to be finalized in Spring semester.