Reading Poetry in the Business School Classroom

Keywords: Poetry, Creativity, Empathy, Decision-Making

Abstract: Building off the seminal work of teacher-scholars such as Peter Vaill (1981) and William Van Buskirk (e.g., Van Buskirk & London, 2008), among others, this interactive session will explore poetry as a teaching and learning tool. The benefits for business students’ learning by reading poetry will be discussed. In addition, we will share an assignment we have used in which MBA students were required to read poetry, as well as student testimonials about the assignment. Session participants will then have a chance to simulate the assignment and discuss which classes they teach (if any) may be a relevant fit for the poetry assignment.