Interdisciplinary Think Tank - Social Innovations

22M1125

Master

English

5.0

only winterterm

1 semester

Students are familiarized with the problems, challenges, and specifics of NPOs. This is a practice-oriented seminar that is largely developed in collaboration with students. This think tank focuses on the area of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. The strategic management of nonprofit organisations is not taught functionally in this module, but by encouraging students to experience and experiment with the topic themselves.

Students undertake practice-oriented explorations of specific problems and challenges faced by NPOs in various fields of action (cultural, social, environmental, etc.) at the national, regional, and local levels, and analyze and address them with reference to the theoretical knowledge gained.

• Students develop analyses and solutions for practical problems in the third sector in topics of their choice.
• They focus in particular on theories and models of social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
• During the module, tools such as design thinking and the business model canvas are used to develop social innovation.
• Students set up their own social enterprise.

The total workload for the module is 150 hours (see also "ECTS credit points and grading").

• Project Report, oral or
• Project Report, written or
• Placement Report, written

Oral project report: approx. 10-30 minutes
Written project report: approx. 10-30 pages
Written project report: approx. 10-30 pages

The requirements are specified in the respective lectures.

Module 1 and 2 of this special focus

Students are aware of the importance of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, and their relevance to the NPO sector. They are able to relate this knowledge to the policy work of NPOs and the importance of this work for the social context.

Students understand the differences between nonprofit organisations, social enterprises, and hybrid forms of entrepreneurship. They are familiar with the models and the steps involved in finding strategic solutions and establishing an appropriate enterprise.

Students are able to analyze the prerequisites for NPOs to operate successfully under different framework conditions. They are able to use appropriate methods to arrive at innovative solutions.
 

Based on their knowledge, students recognize, record, and analyze the activities of NPOs operating nationally, regionally, and internationally. Building on this, they are able to propose their own solutions and adapt and create social innovations, taking into account a systemic approach.

Students use models and theories of social innovation, implementing them with practice-relevant methods such as design thinking.
 

Students present their results orally or in writing, demonstrating the explanatory power of the results. They develop a narrative that aptly showcases the enterprise they have established and the social innovation they have arrived at.
 

The module is designed to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset in students. It widens the horizon of thinking, and enables students to take responsibility for the learning process and to show initiative.

This module is in concrete dependance of the first two modules of the focus.

• Management in Nonprofit-Organisations M.A. (01.09.2024)

• Birnkraut, Gesa

• Birnkraut, Gesa