Building the Social Enterprise: An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship

This course will examine the technical aspects as well as the economic and social impacts of building, leading and growing a venture aimed at achieving both a net profit and a net social good. The course will ask participants to grapple with such issues as competition, collaboration, mindfulness and social responsibility, and (re)defining and measuring success. While lectures will be an essential part of the course, classes will be conducted as a laboratory and students will be expected to develop their original ideas into Project Plans or Business Plans that are actionable, whether or not they choose to pursue them beyond the semester. Discussions of such topics as Adaptive Leadership and Design Thinking will serve to introduce students to new approaches of problem solving and team management that will be useful in the development of an entrepreneurial mindset.