ENTR 390 Fall 2013 Intro to Social Entrepreneurship Nick Tobier/ Elizabeth Werbe nicktob@umich.edu/ewerbe@umich.

edu Course Description:

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish, or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry." -Bill Drayton, Ashoka Social entrepreneurship practices innovative and sustainable solutions to transform, and in many instances, save human lives. Through creative problem-solving, the emerging field of social entrepreneurship navigates within a mind-boggling inventory of societys pressing social problems among them accessing food and/or water, escaping poverty, getting an education, receiving critical health services, and accessing needed information. Rather than assuming these needs can be met or answered by government or business sectors, social entrepreneurs find what is not working and solve the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading others to take leaps in thinking and behavior. Strong entrepreneurs not only succeed in their ventures, but change the face of business (think for instance of amazon.com which altered the shape of retail.) Social entrepreneurs function similarly, seizing opportunities others miss and improving systems, inventing new approaches, and creating solutions. The crucial difference is that the measure of success for social entrepreneurs is social change, whether through new industries, new products or new solutions to social problems. Scratch any social entrepreneur and youll find not only an innovative thought process, but a role model, a mass recruiter of more changemakersproving that not only can citizens do almost anything, but that our collective success as humanity depends on this. Utilizing ideas that are user-friendly, ethical, and engaging, our past, current and future social entrepreneurs cultivate wide participation to maximize the number of people that will stand up, seize their ideas, and implement them.

This course is designed as a gateway to this emerging field, and is unique among social entrepreneurship courses across the world in that its home is Engineering and Art & Design, rather than the Business School. Through the semester, the course will provide students with a broad conceptual framework, with case studies and readings, and with an array of local, national and international guest speakers to explore some of the skill sets necessary to affect change, and to ignite within each of you the desire to do so. As we look at the social entrepreneurs, innovators, and visionaries who are coming up with new methods of solving societys problems, we will look at traditional methods of activism alongside an approach that combines the pragmatic approach of social entrepreneurship with compassion, collaboration, and engagement. -how social entrepreneurs help co-create equity, justice and environmental sustainability through and with community. Along the way, through self-reflection and peer groups, we will examine how to create social enterprises that are based on social values of inclusion and opportunity for everyone. Through examples and case studies along with guest speakers, we will see how vital creativity, courage and imagination are in the process of resolving pressing social problems as you evolve your own prospect for social innovation. This course is highly interactive, experiential, and dynamic. Your enthusiasm, passion, motivation, and whole-hearted participation are the only pre-requisites.

COURSE SCHEDULE Part I: Social Entrepreneurship: Design + Action Class 1 9/9 Definitions, examples and Introduction to the course and its principles Home Work: ChangeMaker Prompts 1 & 2 This is a cumulative project due in its entirety on October 27. Along the way, you will be sharing the components with your Peer Group. You will be assigned to a group by our 2nd class meeting. There are prompts in the syllabus about sharing your answers to date with your group. The purpose of this group is for you to have several committed listeners who offer encouragement, feedback, and a sounding board.

Before class next week: Follow ChangeAgent Prompts 1 & 2 and bring in your completed Life Map Class 2 9/16 The million dollar question. How about the three dollar question? We will look a selection of key innovations in Social Enterprise and ask why do people engage in social change? Why would you? What are the opportunities? The challenges?

What motivates social entrepreneurs, their characteristics, and the inspirations, contacts or connections that launched them on their journeys. There is recommended reading this week to broaden your insight.

Prior to Class 3, look at kiva.org. Who would you choose to fund and why. Class 3 9/23 A New Paradigm: What are the old paradigms? What is wrong with them? An in class funding challenge Mechanics and mechanisms Who does the economy serve and for what purpose? We will look at BOP (Base of the Pyramid) and Patient Capital. Can we create value through markets that truly lift all boats? What does it mean to have equity be the driver for economic growth? Leading observers of todays social change movements describe a new social change paradigm that is more collaborative, and more solutions-oriented. Today we contrast previous models for bringing about change (non-profits, NGOs) with this new approach and look at Benefit Corporations (B Corps) and Cooperatives as alternatives to traditional for-profit
corporate structures in the United States.

Prior to class 4: ChangAgents Prompts 3 & 4. Bring in your written responses to work through with your groups.

Class 4 9/30

Leadership and Community: Transforming ourselves and world

transforming the

In contrast to a traditional view of leadershipwhere one charismatic person is out front-- we will consider how leadership emerges from community and through community engagement. We will explore what it takes to engage in the co-created leadership essential to finding solutions that accurately address the needs and the desires of those most affected by social problems.

Class 5 10/7 Health, Education, Food, Shelter. What else is there? Learning from Social Entrepreneurs: Guest Speaker. Today we will explore key projects that contend with pressing social issues while prompting you to dig into the causes you are most passionate about. How can you take what you do best and bring it in service to the world? Class 6 10/21 Learning from Social Entrepreneurs: II Class 7 10/28 Creativity, innovation, invention and Storytelling

Your theories of change, vision, mission, and values

Recommended Texts Novogratz, Jacqueline, (2009) The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World; Rodale

Jones, Van, (2008) The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems; HarperOne Kopp, Wendy (2001) One Day, All Children...The Unlikely Triumph of Teach for America and What I Learned Along the Way; Public Affairs NY Recommended readings (articles posted under CTools/Resources to correspond to that weeks topic) Yunus, Muhammud, Creating a World Without Poverty. Chapter 1 Dees, J.G. The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship Light, Paul. Reshaping Social Entrepreneurship. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2006. Martin, Roger and Osberg, Sally. Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition. Standford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2007. Phills, James, Deigleier, Kriss, and Miller, Dale. Rediscovering Social Innovation. Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall 2008 The Past, Present, and Futures of Social Entrepreneurship. A Conversation with Greg Dees. The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, Duke Fuqua School of Business. February 15-17, 2006. Prahalad, C.K. and Hart, Stuart. Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid.

Shuman, M. Chapter 2 (Section on Food Industries) Going Local: Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age. 2000