I call bullshit. If there is a single class at HBS, Wharton or Stanford that uses The Prince as a textbook I will eat a teddy bear. I’d be slightly surprised if there was a class that used readings from it extensively but that at least is possible. Business schools don’t have courses in political philosophy, nor do top ones have courses that are brain dead airport business books in lecture form.
Good news for you though, 24-packs of Gummy Bears are available on Amazon for just $8.79, thanks to the demand for them from large companies as a low-cost perk that can be doled out across quarters cheaply. ;)
First of all, this is an excellent comment thread. Secondly - I think technically they said "used as a textbook," not sure if the link demonstrates this extent of reliance on the book.
> Business schools don’t have courses in political philosophy
You're completely wrong here. My business school (global top 10) had multiple required courses on political philosophy -- both corporate politics and government politics. Navigating complex political situations is the most important skill to have as an executive in corporate America. In fact, those classes are usually the most popular with students and consistently rated as being some of the most valuable by alumni.
I'm not surprised that business schools have students reading The Prince, but I highly doubt that any classes are treating as a practical how-to manual... which is what the GP was clearly implying.
That's exactly how it was taught, supplemented by HBS case studies that heavily referenced The Prince.
Granted, it's taught as "here are things to look out for from your subordinates" -- but if you read between the lines, it's "here's how to walk the line on this stuff and get away with it".
