3 Units
This course prepares students to learn from the emerging practices of social innovations in tackling with challenges in social, economic, cultural and political development in Hong Kong, the Greater China region and beyond. Students will acquire analysis, knowledge and strategies of social innovations, the processes of social change in creating social values. The scope of social innovations includes that of social entrepreneurs or social innovators in NGOs, communities, social movements, non-profit organizations, and business as well as the public sector. The course will examine cases of social innovations that have catalyzed important positive social change through the market, the nonprofit sector, the community, the public sector as well as the spaces among those four sectors.
Experiential learning will be integrated along the course delivery, such as programmme visits, dialogue with social entrepreneurs, staff members or service users. Students are encouraged to experience these operations, so as to analyze the development issues, the social values and innovations in offering practical solutions to poverty and social inequalities, unemployment and livelihood, civic and community engagement, fair trade as well as sustainable development. The course will provide inspirations as well as know-hows for students who are concerned about the articulation of local with global and regional issues and like to develop innovative actions to change the society for good.