ECON4999 - Independent Study
Individual study and research under the direction of a member of the Economics Department faculty. At a minimum, the student must write a major paper summarizing, unifying, and interpreting the results of the study. This is a one semester, one c.u. course.
OIDD2150 - Intro To Analyt & D Econ
Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic rise in the use of technology skills and data analytic thinking to solve business problems in many domains, including finance, HR, policy, transport, and strategy. As a result, the modern "analytic leader" increasingly requires the use of technology, statistics, and data skills to facilitate business analysis. This includes knowing how to effectively frame data-driven questions and use a new generation of technology tools that are becoming available to acquire, analyze, interpret, and communicate insights derived from data. Students in this hands-on course will engage with weekly labs that introduce them to new technologies, techniques, and data-driven business challenges.
OIDD2450 - Analytics & Digital Econ
Students who take this course will engage with the world of data science using tools such as Tableau and R that are becoming increasingly popular in industry. The first half of the course is designed for students with limited experience with data projects, and while familiarity with R, via courses such as STAT 4050 or STAT 4700, will be ideal preparation, students with other programming exposure can pick up the required skills via review sessions and self-instruction. The second half of the course extends students' experience to industry applications of text mining and machine learning and requires students to work with more unstructured data. Each week of the course will be devoted to analysis of a data set from a particular industry (e.g. HR, sports, fashion, real estate, music, education, politics, restaurants, non-profit work), which we will use to answer business questions by applying analytic techniques. The course is very hands-on, and students will be expected to become proficient at applying data to business decisions and at effectively analyzing large data sets to inform decisions about business problems.
OIDD2550 - A.I., Business, and Society
The progression of AI-based technologies promises to transform many aspects of business, labor, and even society. The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the capabilities of modern AI technologies, with an emphasis on being able to critically assess where they can provide business and societal value, and where they may create new challenges. This course is intended to provide a framework for people who may have to confront the legal, ethical, and economic challenges that are likely to arise around AI. A goal of the course is to ensure that students who complete the course are comfortable enough in the inner-workings of these technologies to think critically across many AI contexts as well as different domains ranging from public policy, to criminal justice, to health inspections, HR, and marketing. The course is oriented around hands-on labs, exams, discussions, and presentations. Labs will reinforce your learning of how AI works, and how it is being used to solve business problems. A coding background is not required, but students should be willing to engage with code to a limited degree in order to complete the labs. During labs, students will combine data and algorithms to provide a foundation for understanding the deep challenges that AI brings to organizations. The class is particularly suitable for students who will be searching for jobs in the business of technology, such as product management and business analytics, as well as those interested in the larger social implications of AI technologies.
OIDD3990 - Supervised Study
This course number is currently used for several course types including independent studies, experimental courses and Management & Technology Freshman Seminar. Instructor permission required to enroll in any independent study. Wharton Undergraduate students must also receive approval from the Undergraduate Division to register for independent studies. Section 002 is the Management and Technology Freshman Seminar; instruction permission is not required for this section and is only open to M&T students. For Fall 2020, Section 004 is a new course titled AI, Business, and Society. The course provides a overview of AI and its role in business transformation. The purpose of this course is to improve understanding of AI, discuss the many ways in which AI is being used in the industry, and provide a strategic framework for how to bring AI to the center of digital transformation efforts. In terms of AI overview, we will go over a brief technical overview for students who are not actively immersed in AI (topic covered include Big Data, data warehousing, data-mining, different forms of machine learning, etc). In terms of business applications, we will consider applications of AI in media, Finance, retail, and other industries. Finally, we will consider how AI can be used as a source of competitive advantage. We will conclude with a discussion of ethical challenges and a governance framework for AI. No prior technical background is assumed but some interest in (and exposure to) technology is helpful. Every effort is made to build most of the lectures from the basics.
WH2970 - Wh Industry Exploration
WIEP features short-term courses that focus on various industries and feature visits to businesses, lectures, extracurricular activities, and networking opportunities with alumni. Students must apply online: https://undergrad-inside.wharton.upenn.edu/wiep/