This course will challenge students to reflect on the concept of value creation, specifically the growing intersection of economic, social, and environmental value in the context of an interconnected and interdependent global society, and the role that technology and design can play in the advancement of social good. In the tradition of ITP, this class will take a deeply interdisciplinary and cross-sector lens. Students will survey a breadth of innovations that represent an exciting new toolkit for creating and scaling social value including social entrepreneurship, business-minded NGOs, impact investing, venture philanthropy, and public-private partnerships. These innovations are being used to tackle the world\’s biggest problems in a variety of fields – education, healthcare, financial empowerment, poverty alleviation, climate change, civics, and so on. Students will learn to identify motivations and pathways for traditional private and public-sector actors to develop social impact strategies, as well as motivations and pathways for social sector actors to access and leverage the capital markets and private sector methodologies. In particular, students will focus on how the application of design and technology principles can advance leading-edge work in these contexts. The class will be structured as a 7-week seminar. Each week will be a module featuring a major concept Social Innovation. Students will learn about the innovation mechanics and evolution, modern examples, and will consider problems and opportunities for design and technology-driven interventions. We will also aim for at least one expert guest speaker per module. Final Project: Business Plan, Product Plan, or Installation that addresses one of the following questions: How can we create a world where people can more easily express their values through their participation in the economy (as consumers, producers, or otherwise)? How can we create a world where private sector actors are more transparent about their social and environmental accounting? Students may also use an existing idea for a social enterprise or product pending instructor approval.

ITPG-GT.2990.1 () | Instructor: Lyel Resner | Wed 6:30pm to 9:00pm | Meeting Pattern: 7-Second Half | Start Date