OSUN Theme: Sustainability and Climate
Social Entrepreneurship
Term: September 4, 2023 – December 20, 2023Level: 100-Level
Day/Time: M/W 8:30 AM EDT - 10:00 AM EDT
In this course, students work in teams to develop their own ideas for non-profit or for-profit businesses that work to solve social and environmental changes. The course combines in-person instruction with a global classroom where students convene each week in a common Zoom space to share ideas. Participating schools include BRAC University in Bangladesh, Al Quds Bard University in Palestine, the American Universities of Central Asia (in Kyrgyzstan) and of Bulgaria, Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia, and Bard College Annandale. Past certificate courses have incubated powerful social business ideas in Bangladesh, Palestine snd the United States. The course will culminate in a “shark tank for sustainability” among and between teams from the different universities. The course includes readings and discussion focused on social issues related to entrepreneurship: drivers of change, from decarbonization to AI; delinking growth from material throughput; urban-based innovation ecosystems; social obstacles to risk taking; working on multi-disciplinary teams; language, power and gender dynamics in entrepreneurship; deconstructing the archetypes of entrepreneurship.
Credits: 4 U.S. / 8 ECTS