Business Career Success Series Courses
The Business Career Success Series provides a program of one credit weekend courses under the School of Business Administration’s three values of Excel, Engage, and Inspire. These classes have three goals:
- Emphasize skills such as negotiations, personal finances, and communication.
- Engage students with members of the community (outside of the SBA)
- Get all class time done in one weekend.
Other important points about these classes:
- The classes are primarily taught by adjuncts who are our community partners but may be taught by a regular faculty member in unusual circumstances.
- The classes do not have prerequisites, corequisites, or equivalents. The courses are open to all undergraduates at the university.
- All courses are 200 level.
Courses
BCSS 200. Emotional Intelligence. (1 Credit)
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions while recognizing the emotions of others. It is an important skill in the workplace which can separate average and excellent performance. This course will give students tools to understand and develop their emotional intelligence in the workplace.
BCSS 201. Business Leadership. (1 Credit)
Business leadership refers to how people in an organization set objectives and influence others to achieve those objectives. Topics include leadership styles, theories of leadership, and case studies of leaders.
BCSS 202. Toxic Leadership. (1 Credit)
Toxic leadership refers to the abuse of power by a business leader who puts their own interest before the interests of the organization and its employees. Toxic leaders create a climate of fear among employees in the workplace. This course will examine how to identify toxic leadership and change leadership styles.
BCSS 203. Effective Communication. (1 Credit)
This class examines how individuals can identify, understand, and use the elements of effective communication in the business environment. Topics include active listening, feedback, communication channels, nonverbal cues, responsiveness, and respect.
BCSS 204. Image and Reputation Management. (1 Credit)
Image and reputation management refers to the work needed to build, maintain, and even repair personal and professional image and reputation. Topics include self-assessment, on-line presence, gratitude, trust building, authenticity, and integrity. Case studies of famous people who have experienced a reputational setback and redeemed themselves will provide discussion on different ways to build, maintain and repair image and reputation.
BCSS 205. Negotiations. (1 Credit)
Negotiations refer to a form of persuasive communication that can contribute to business success and help build better relationships. These skills are important both in business and personal endeavors. This course will examine how to build skills in negotiations that will help with deal making, career progression and informal daily interactions.
BCSS 206. Sales. (1 Credit)
Sales refers to the activities involved in selling goods and/or services in a given time period. This course focuses on how the student can engage in sales by building effective relationships and learning strategies for prospecting and developing a sales process.
BCSS 207. Resiliency. (1 Credit)
Resiliency refers to the ability to recover from difficulties. Building resilience has become a vital tool in the workplace and applies to personal and professional excellence. This course will examine how to build resilience by developing a growth mindset, exploring of self- awareness, and engaging in self-management.
BCSS 208. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 209. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 210. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 211. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 212. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 213. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 214. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 215. Valuation Analysis. (1 Credit)
BCSS 216. Emergency Preparedness. (1 Credit)
Emergency preparedness refers to how businesses protect their operations, infrastructure, and workers from human-made or natural events such as terrorism, cyberattacks, pandemics, earthquakes, tornadoes, and fires. This class will examine why and how strategic business owners put emergency plans in place.
BCSS 217. Organization Communication. (1 Credit)
How an organization communicates with its stakeholders impacts its strategic success. This course examines how organizations use informal and formal communication to achieve strategic objectives.
BCSS 218. Personal Financial Planning. (1 Credit)
This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of personal financial planning. Topics include analysis and evaluation of financial strategies, current topics in wealth management, and career options for financial planning.
BCSS 219. Intellectual Property. (1 Credit)
Intellectual property refers to property created by the human intellect such as copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. Management and protection of intellectual property is an integral part of business strategy. This course will focus on management and use of intellectual property to increase business value.
BCSS 220. Cryptocurrency. (1 Credit)
Cryptocurrency refers to digital currency that is secured by cryptography and does not have a central backer, such as a government or bank. In this course, students will learn how digital currency is rapidly growing in traditional finance. Topics include blockchain technology, digital wallets, decentralized finance, and crypto security.
BCSS 221. Excel Skills. (1 Credit)
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software program that allows the user to analyze and visualize data. This course will introduce students to Excel concepts that allow them to analyze and present data in a format that will inform business decisions. This course will use hands-on exercises to cover practical Excel skills used every day in business.
BCSS 222. Power BI. (1 Credit)
Power BI brings together software services, apps, and connectors to turn data into visual and interactive products. This course covers how to take data and turn it into a presentation using Power BI. Lessons will include how to import data, create visualizations, allow interactivity, and make reports.
BCSS 223. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 225. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
Topic to be determined by faculty.
BCSS 230. Economics of the Side Hustle. (1 Credit)
A side hustle refers to work that brings in extra money beyond a person’s regular job and main income source. In this course, students will learn about business scope, pricing strategies, basic costs, financing, business licensing and regulations, and other considerations of a side hustle. There also will be time for students to work on their own side hustle ideas.
BCSS 231. Career Formation. (1 Credit)
This course is designed to help students who are undecided about their major or career engage in the process of self-reflection and research. Students who complete this course will have a better understanding of the factors involved in making a career decision. Time will also be spent on understanding and utilizing tools that can be helpful in this process, such as LinkedIn, job search sites, and Gonzaga-specific resources.
BCSS 232. Career Activation. (1 Credit)
This course is designed to help students understand and succeed in the job/internship search process. Topics include finding job postings, tailoring resumes and cover letters, interviewing in-person and online, negotiating an offer, and succeeding in the workplace. This course will give students tangible skills and resources that will help them stand out in the job market.
BCSS 233. Work Hacks. (1 Credit)
This course examines several key topics about working and surviving in an organizational setting. These topics are pertinent to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Topics include the joy of mistakes, working with people from different age groups and levels of experience, group projects, meetings and presentations, gatekeepers and bureaucracy, tips on when to listen and when to speak up, office communications and presentations, and taking and giving criticism.
BCSS 234. Career Preparedness. (1 Credit)
Career preparedness refers to knowledge, skills, and abilities that allow workers to enter the workforce with success and create a foundation on which to build a productive career. Topics include professionalism, communication, leadership and management, critical thinking, and belonging.
BCSS 235. Vocation. (1 Credit)
This class examines several aspects of the Jesuit mission of Gonzaga University and how it connects to career issues. Topics include the life of St. Ignatius, the prayer/reflection practice of Jesuits, and modern and secular career advice of management consultants.
BCSS 240. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
May be repeated for credit.
BCSS 241. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 242. Special Topics. (1 Credit)
May be repeated for credit.
BCSS 243. Special Topic. (1 Credit)
BCSS 244. Life & Career. (1 Credit)
BCSS 245. Special Topic - Engage. (1 Credit)
May be repeated for credit.
Topics to be determined by instructor.
BCSS 260. Intercultural Business Communication. (1 Credit)
Intercultural business communication refers to how people in organizations communicate in intercultural and cross-cultural business contexts. Whether the context is regional or global, intercultural business communication skills are a strategic advantage. This course explores how to develop intercultural competence and communication skills that will allow students to thrive across multiple contexts.
Course is available intermittently.
BCSS 261. Gender in the Workplace. (1 Credit)
This course examines several issues of gender in the U.S. workplace including the feminist movement and backlash, the intersection of race and gender, and transgender and gender non-conforming discrimination in the workplace. The course examines the individual and societal impacts of workplace gender inequality.
BCSS 262. Equity and Storytelling. (1 Credit)
Storytelling allows a leader to engage listeners by structuring information as a story instead of talking about facts. This course develops individual and collective views of equity through storytelling. Authentic leadership will be a focus of the course as storytelling is explored as a way to impact individuals, organizations, and society.
BCSS 263. Introduction to Nonprofit Management. (1 Credit)
A nonprofit is an organization that works for a collective, public or social benefit. This class will provide an introduction to nonprofits. Topics include legal structure, a few regulatory pieces, mission and visioning, basic strategic planning, and a survey of the local non-profit sector.
BCSS 264. Nonprofit Fundraising and Marketing. (1 Credit)
Nonprofit fundraising refers to the ongoing process of gathering donations and other funds to support a nonprofit organization’s efforts to meet the needs of the community it serves. This course will address essential marketing and fundraising skills, principles, and tactics needed to thrive in the nonprofit landscape.
BCSS 265. Nonprofit Management in Holocaust Education. (1 Credit)
This course examines doing business as an educational non-profit organization. Topics include the relationship between product – in this case, educational resources —and development, including fundraising, grants, and marketing. By learning about the mission, resources and outreach of a nonprofit organization, students will analyze and help solve existing challenges in marketing and developing new resources.
BCSS 266. Nonprofit Leadership. (1 Credit)
This course examines the concepts of management and leadership in nonprofit organizations. Topics include legal, financial, and organizational governance of nonprofits and well as the role and challenges of leadership in the nonprofit sector. The course examines leadership philosophies used in the nonprofit sector and how differing styles affect effectiveness and achievement of organizational mission.
BCSS 267. Preparing for Service. (1 Credit)
Gonzaga students often choose to engage in post-graduation service organizations such as the Peace Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Teach for America, and Americorps. This course will give students tools to examine the options for post-graduate service work and begin to prepare for their roles.
BCSS 268. Community Service and Leadership. (1 Credit)
This course will explore community leadership strategies and practice through the lens of place-based engagement and adaptive leadership. The course will introduce students to critical community engagement and leadership frameworks that inform Gonzaga’s commitment to place, spend time exploring our shared place of Northeast Spokane, and provide opportunities to learn from resident leaders who exemplify adaptive leadership in practice.
BCSS 269. Leadership in Global Business. (1 Credit)
This course explores the leadership concepts that global organizations need to thrive. Students will examine culture, economics, and politics to understand how they can adapt their leadership in a global market.
BCSS 270. Law and Ethics in Healthcare Management. (1 Credit)
This course examines the legal and ethical issues facing professionals in the healthcare industry. Students will examine private healthcare law and government regulation of health services with a focus on quality, cost, access, and autonomy.
BCSS 271. Special Topic. (1 Credit)