ILRHR 4685

Managing for Social Impact: Analyzing Current Issues and Approaches

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

Awareness of the magnitude and devastating long-term effects of poverty, food insecurity, limited and unequal access to education, and numerous other social issues is at an all-time high.  There is also a growing sense among thought leaders, activists, and observers that traditional government programs and non-profit organizations will not be able to solve these problems alone.  Needed are new approaches that incorporate insights and strategies from the business world, as well as collaborative efforts that span the divide that too often exists between business, government, and non-profit sectors.  This class is designed to provide the information, examples, and analytical mindset that are required to develop rigorous, insightful, and effective approaches to analyzing social ills and crafting potential solutions.  Special emphasis is given to the ways in which insights from the business world are and can be used to reshape the social sector.  We will examine the nature and extent of two pressing social problems and current approaches to solving them.  The problems will vary from year to year (possibilities include, for example, food insecurity and barriers to post-secondary education).  After an introduction to the social impact landscape and a review of frameworks and tools for social impact, we will meet with researchers, business leaders, and non-profit leaders to learn what's not working, what is working, and what might work even better. 

When Offered Spring.

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: 30 junior and senior students. 

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