As the Minister of Trade for Costa Rica from 2002 to 2004, Alberto Trejos, the dean at INCAE Business School, led the negotiation of his native country's trade agreement with the United States. In addition to his long career as an academic economist, Trejos will be able to tap into his direct experience in shaping some of the agreements that shape globalization today in a new small network online course. The focus of the course will be on the current institutions that shape globalization and their possible future evolution as a consequence of changes in the global economy and other factors, including the current pandemic, in the past few years.

We asked Dean Trejos about the course and what students can expect to gain from it.

What made you decide to teach this particular course as a SNOC?

This is a topic that interests only a few students, but those who are interested are deeply interested.  If one offers this particular course in   a single school, enrollment is likely to be low, but if one offers it as a SNOC, the few, deeply interested students from each member school can come together over a topic that really matters to them.

What does the global virtual environment of a SNOC provide for students in terms of cross-cultural learning, and how can this also help you?

The topic is, in its very nature, global.  There are many different perspectives on the matter, that vary by country and region.  The course is made more interesting if one can address the topic with students from different places.

What do you hope students take away from your class that they can apply to their careers, regardless of the path they choose?

An understanding of the different institutional arrangements that so strongly affect their companies and countries.  And an ability to follow intelligently the many changes that are expected for those arrangements in the next few years.