Using Ignatian Pedagogy in a Business Policy Course

Ignatian pedagogy is at the core of Jesuit education and is the foundation that has supported teaching in Jesuit universities in many areas. However, its use in the teaching of Business Policy has not been sufficiently examined. This chapter describes one way in which the basic precepts of Ignatian pedagogy can be applied in a Business Policy course for greater student benefit. The Ignatian approach is able to incorporate the analytical and the practical components needed for effective strategic management teaching, and therefore is uniquely suited to train business professionals. The main contention of this chapter is that Ignatian pedagogy offers a robust teaching approach for the Business Policy classroom. The chapter identifies and explains the Ignatian pedagogy concepts of context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation as they relate to Business Policy instruction. As an illustration, the chapter applies Ignatian pedagogy precepts to an undergraduate capstone Business Policy course.