BESoc Major Description

The Business, Economics, and Society (BESoc) major expresses the interdisciplinary nature and commitments of the Economics and Business Department. It builds on the commonalities and the differences in the two disciplines as they study human economic behavior—its nature, its sources, and its consequences.

The major analyzes three key relationships. First, it examines the roles business and economics play within society, in particular the place of modern corporations and social enterprises in civil society and in government and economic policy. Second, it evaluates the impact of business on society, focusing on market forces, on market failures, and on services provided to all members of society. Third, it explores the effects of society on business and the economy, exploring how social issues frame business opportunities and strategies, and how corporations respond (or fail to respond) to social concerns.

By promoting knowledge of structures and processes central to democratic society in a global age, it hopes to shape effective citizens. Through this goal and through its emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking, the major contributes to the college’s commitment to the liberal arts. It also addresses issues of economic inequality and social injustice, and in so doing reinforces the college’s anti-racism agenda and its efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.