Improving a Sustainable world by Social Entrepreneurship introduces students to the key concepts and theoretical frameworks to address complex societal challenges, known as "wicked problems", through social entrepreneurship. The course is designed for social sciences students interested in how innovative, sustainable solutions can improve the health of human civilization and the natural systems upon which it depends. By examining well-known social ventures such as TOMS Shoes, Tony's Chocolonely and microfinance institutions, students will explore how social enterprises can drive meaningful change.

A core focus of the course is learning to develop and implement social ventures that offer practical solutions to these societal problems. Students will do this from both an academic and applied-science perspectives. Students will work in multidisciplinary groups to develop a business plan for an innovative social enterprise tackling a societal problem of their choice. Using design thinking, they will create a business portfolio for their social venture and present a final pitch to showcase their idea. Collaboration is central to the course, with students engaging in peer learning and group work to reflect the diverse perspectives needed to solve wicked problems. Mirroring how the course emphasizes the importance of coordinated efforts across governments, organizations, and stakeholders.

In addition to learning the fundamentals of social entrepreneurship, students will gain practical experience in business planning, teamwork, and persuasive communication. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of how to tackle these challenges on regional, national, and global levels, with the tools needed to create impactful, sustainable solutions through social entrepreneurship.

Prior course title was: Improving Planetary Health: A Learning Lab for Social Entrepreneurship - Period 5

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.