Course: Social Entrepreneurship 1-0-1
Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation
SUMMARY
The aim of this course is that students should develop an understanding of the field of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which is rapidly garnering attention around the world from policy makers, organizations and others. As the traditional lines blur between nonprofit enterprises, public services and business, it is critical that students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape.
Course description
The aim of this course is that students should develop an understanding of the field of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which is rapidly garnering attention around the world from policy makers, organizations and others. As the traditional lines blur between nonprofit enterprises, public services and business, it is critical that students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. The course provides students with an orientation in this developing landscape as well as knowledge and skills to identify conducive factors for development and promotion of social entrepreneurship and institutional gaps. The course is open to students from various backgrounds seeking to better understand the concepts social entrepreneurship and innovation and develop skills in identifying development factors and institutional gaps.
Learning outcomes
Applying knowledge and understanding
Upon completion of this course students will:
- Have understanding of the concepts social entrepreneurship and innovation
- Critically reflect on social entrepreneurship as a concept
- Identify and assess the conducive factors for enabling environment toward development and promotion of social entrepreneurship
Skills and abilities
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- Discuss and relate to literature, discourse and policy on social entrepreneurship and innovation
- Find, evaluate and synthesize current research on social entrepreneurship related to the student’s particular area of interest
- Identify institutional gaps to that can be exploited by social entrepreneurship practice
Assessments
Forms of examination include:
Module 1: Introduction to social entrepreneurship and innovation
- Contemporary literature review on social entrepreneurship and innovation. This includes presenting the findings at a seminar. Grade: fail/pass/pass with distinction
Module 2: Identifying institutional gaps
- Individual report on identified institutional gap and how can be exploited.
Grade: fail/pass/pass with distinction
Course content
The course is divided into two modules: Introduction to social entrepreneurship and innovation and Identifying institutional gaps.
Module 1, Introduction to social entrepreneurship and innovation, cover the following topics:
- Meaning of the concepts Social Enterpreneurship and Social Innovation
- History of Social Enterpreneurship and Social Innovation
- Social Enterpreneurship and Social Innovation development
- Contemporary research on Social Enterpreneurship and Social Innovation
- Social Enterpreneurship and Social Innovation eco-system
- Identifying institutional gaps
Module 2, Identifying institutional gaps, consists of desk research work. Here students, individually or in pairs, can focus on an issue where they have a special interest within the field of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Learning activities
Teaching methods include lectures, field trips, seminars and case work.
S | Hours | Hours/ per day | Weeks | Lectures/ Seminars | Field trips/ Guest lectures | Group work | Individual work | Think piece supervision |
S1 | 100 h | 1h/pd | 20 | 30 | 10 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
S2 | 200 h | 1h/pd | 40 | 60 | 20 | 60 | 40 | 20 |
S – Scenarios
Teaching methods include lectures, field trips, seminars and case work.
Grading system
Fail, Pass or Pass with Distinction.
Course literature and other teaching materials
Books
- Brooks, A, (2008) Social Entrepreneurship, Harloc: Pearson Education.
- Nicholls, A (ed.) (2008) Social Entrepreneurship, New Models of Sustainable Change, Oxford University Press: oxford.
- Nyssens, M (ed.) (2006) Social Enterprise at the Crossroads of Market, Public Policies
and Civil Society, Ney York: Routledge. - Steyaert, C & Hjort, D (ed.). (2006). Entrepreneurship as Social Change. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham.
- Yin, R.K. (2003). Case Study Research: Design and Methods; Third Edition, Applied Social Research Methods Series, Vol 5. Sage, London.
Articles:
- Austin et al. ”Social and commercial entrepreneurship: Same, different or both?”, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, January 2006.
- Berglund, K, Johannisson, B & Schwatz, B (2012) (red) Societal entrepreneurship: Positioning, Penetrating, Promoting. Cheltenham; Edward Elgar, 292 p.
- Bornstein, D (2004) How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Dianne H.B. Welsh, Norris Krueger, (2012) “The evolution of social entrepreneurship: what have we learned?”, Journal of Technology Management in China, Vol. 7 Issue: 3, pp.270-290.
- Martin, Roger L & Osberg, Sally. ”Social entrepreneurship: the case of definition”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2007.
Other literature in the form of current articles for specific seminar occasions may be added, as well as other literature in consultation with the course coordinator.
Course evaluation
Each module in the course will be evaluated separately upon completion. This provides periodic feedback on course development. The course as a whole will also be evaluated on completion. A summary of results will be kept in archive.
