Public Affairs 5595: Social Enterprise

The primary goal for this course is for students to gain a firm understanding, based in real-world examples and information, of Social Enterprise as a viable option for the non-profit sector. 

Upon completion of this course students will be able to: 

• Define social enterprise, its relationship to the nonprofit sector, and discuss the public, social, and market values that comprise these organizations. 
• Describe the legal statuses available to social enterprises and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each.
• Express the business model of a social enterprise using a business model canvas. 
• Appreciate the management challenges common in social enterprises.
• Respond to the inherent paradox of social enterprise and diagnose hazards, including mission drift. 

This course combines in person class lectures and large group discussions with activities that include reading assignments, group discussion and writing assignments. Each week’s class will focus on the nature of the challenges in the readings and analysis of research arguments and methods.

Your final course grade will be based on the following:
15% 3 SE Journals
15% 2 Case Analyses
20% Mock SE Creation Project (3 parts + short presentation at 5% each)
35% Participation in the Final Project and Debrief (5% pre work, 20% project, 10% debrief)
15% Attendance & Contribution

• 4 SE Journals; There will be 4 journal entries of 400-600 words each (undergrad) and 600-1000 words each (grad). Journal prompts will be found in Carmen two weeks prior to the due date. These will be primarily opinion based, supported by facts found through online research.
• 2 Case Analyses; You will be provided with several SE Case Studies to choose from. You will complete a 5 (undergrad) or 7 (grad) page case analysis for two of the choices throughout the semester. These analyses will follow a provided template.
• Mock SE Creation Project; You will create a simple business plan for a mock Social Enterprise that could exist within a real non-profit. The Plan is broken into three pieces, two written and one written and presented in class (using slides). A template will be provided. Graduate students will work alone, Undergrads in groups of 2 or 3. 
• Final Project and Debrief; You will participate in “The Startup Game” live in class, as well as complete one short 1 page pre-assignment to prepare for the game. After the game we will debrief as a class and you will submit a written summary document (2-3 page undergrad, 3-4 page grad). 

Attendance in Class (20% of A&C grade)

New material will be discussed in class (not lectures on the readings.) Therefore, it is important that you are in attendance.

You get one free absence without it affecting your grade

There are five situations that constitute an “excused absence.” They are:

• Personal illness: Students who are too ill or injured to participate in class must provide written documentation from a physician stating that the student cannot participate in class. 
• Death of a member of the student’s immediate family: Students who have missed class due to a death in the family must provide documentation of the death (death certificate, obituary, etc.). 
• Military or government duty: Please notify the instructor prior to service.
• University/Knowlton School sanctioned events: Students who will be participating in University/Knowlton School sanctioned events must provide the instructor with a copy of the scheduled events and those classes of which will be missed. 
• Major religious holiday: Students who will be observing a religious holiday must provide date/event written notification to the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester.
• Positive COVID test or exposure: If required to quarantine for any reason due to the ongoing pandemic, reasonable accommodations will be made to ensure you do not fall behind or miss attendance credit.

Attendance will be taken daily and will be incorporated into participation grade for the course. Please note: If Excused absences are projected to make up more than 25% of the attendance grade for the semester, additional take-home work will be required to make up the lack of class participation, and the professor reserves the right to give a 0 (zero) in the participation grade if this work is not completed satisfactorily.

Thoughtful Contributions in Class (80% of A&C grade)

This class will be heavily interactive, so active contribution to class discussions and activities is an important aspect of your grade. A good contributor: 

• Contributes to class discussions regularly
• Demonstrates preparation for discussions
• Brings to light minority opinions, even when these are not one’s own
• Builds upon contributions of others, showing interest and respect
• Does not create distractions or go off on tangents
• Does not use devices unnecessarily during class
• Provides questions ahead of time for speakers