Teaching | Elizabeth Amanda Nap

A little about me...

Global perspectives.
Meaningful connecitons.

Teaching international business means helping students understand how decisions made across the world affect the organizations, communities, and people around them. My courses connect business concepts with current events and encourage students to question assumptions, explore different perspectives, and apply what they learn.

Inside the Classroom

I bring my background in anthropology, international business, and marketing into a classroom built around curiosity and participation. Through company cases, discussion, and collaborative projects, students examine the opportunities and responsibilities of doing business across borders.

Learning through application
Students investigate real companies and international markets, evaluate strategic choices, and develop recommendations grounded in research.

Understanding different perspectives
Culture shapes how people communicate, lead, and make decisions. Classroom conversations encourage students to consider unfamiliar viewpoints and examine their own assumptions.

Support with clear expectations
I aim to create an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and contributing ideas while taking responsibility for their learning.

Areas of Teaching

International Business - Exploring how firms operate across borders and respond to political, economic, and cultural differences.
International Marketing - Understanding consumers across markets and examining how organizations adapt their marketing strategies internationally.
International Management - Examining leadership, communication, and organizational decisions across cultures.

Learning Beyond the Classroom

Global learning becomes especially meaningful when students can connect coursework with people and places. International experiences and engagement with the business community offer opportunities to develop cultural awareness and see business concepts in practice.

Spain & Portugal Study Abroad | May 9–18, 2027
Explore Madrid and Lisbon through a faculty-led UToledo program combining company visits, cultural experiences, and academic credit. Open to undergraduate and graduate students from all majors.

In Their Own Words:
Student Feedback

Selected excerpts from anonymous student course evaluations.

“I was scared to contribute at first, but Professor Napier helped make uncomfortable students feel more comfortable and helped sort out their ideas.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Fall 2025
“I really enjoyed every in-class breakout we did. I was able to connect with my peers and go into a more in-depth discussion on what we were learning in class.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Fall 2025
“During this class, we worked on researching and writing a research paper about the development of another country. I really like this because it was the first time I've gotten to learn about how another country operates when it comes to trade routes, taxes, economy, and internal growth.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Fall 2025
“Most in class group assignments were engaging and helped make connections between real world situations and the lesson being taught.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2025
“I had a lot of fun with our group project. I was able to get passionate and focus on it.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2025
“I enjoyed the in-class assignments, and the project was good for learning about other countries and analyzing their different aspects of their culture and how marketing will affect consumers.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2025
“This allowed me to break out of my shell a little bit and the atmosphere the instructor created made the environment feel non-judgmental and a safe space for ideas to flow freely.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2025
“Learning about the importance of cultural knowledge in international business. The case studies were very interesting.”
— International Business, Spring 2025
“I enjoyed the group work and researching a foreign country that I was previously completely unfamiliar with.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2025
“This allowed us to research for ourselves rather than just listening to the lecture.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2025
“I think open discussions in between lectures were most beneficial for me as it always opened up some different opinions from which I hadn't thought of and that helped me to remember the concept very well.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2025
“What helped me the most was how we would do breakout groups during lectures and further analyze the material in groups. It helped it stick better for me.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2025
“I enjoyed that the lessons incorporated real world examples to familiarize us with different topics.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2025
“All class activities with the presentations were by far my most beneficial parts of the class.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2024
“I think the term project where we were able to do more of or own research and apply course concepts on our own was the best assignment and most beneficial to my learning.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2024
“I enjoyed the team aspect of this class and thought it made sense with it being a marketing course.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2024
“I learned a lot about how different cultural events can affect marketing in countries and how it's important to make sure that when advertising, you do it in a way that will attract those in that country.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2024
“I found it quite interesting since I learned so much I didn't know about my country before.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2024
“With this being an online course, I really enjoyed the way this class was taught. We had PowerPoints to watch, but our professor would record herself going over the PowerPoints as if we were in an in-person class, which was very helpful to learn the content.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2024
“Class was informative and the material was presented in a way that was easy to digest and I was able apply to homework and projects.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Fall 2023
“In person, closed note exams and quizzes held me accountable to learn the materials to be successful.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2023
“I really enjoyed the fact that I could follow along with notes. I also liked getting into groups because I felt it fostered positive engagement.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2023
“I enjoyed how the professor encouraged the students to participate.”
— International Marketing, Fall 2023
“Assignments that required us to find current events on given topics were most beneficial to me as I was able to connect concepts covered in the textbook to the real world.”
— International Business, Fall 2023
“Our instructor made the course fun and engaging while still giving me the instruction needed to have a high comprehension of the learning objectives.”
— International Business, Fall 2023
“Everything that was focused on career skills and life helped me grow in more knowledge from this course.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Spring 2023
“I liked the case studies and talking about personal experiences while traveling abroad or studying abroad. It really put into perspective how different cultures can influence business.”
— International Marketing, Spring 2023
“I loved the case studies and wish we would have done more. Also, the application of the course topics to current events was engaging and really helped to drill the concepts home.”
— International Marketing, Spring 2023
“Being able to have this open communication made myself, as well as other students feel comfortable to speak. We could hear everyone's opinions and ideas about our lessons and hear everyone's perspective.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Fall 2022
“The most beneficial part of Dr. Napier's class was how she incorporated both lecture and hands-on real-life education. Having the balance of both kept me engaged and interested, ready to find out how we would be learning that day.”
— The Global Environment of Business, Fall 2022