(Deze minor is in het Engels)
The current economic system is under pressure because of unsustainable exploitation of resources and increasing pollution of our planet. Climate change and severe biodiversity losses are accelerating at an unprecedented scale while societies are facing rising inequalities in wealth and access to opportunities. Even though more and more societal actors acknowledge their responsibility to contribute to addressing global issues, they often struggle to develop appropriate responses that help guide and accelerate transitions to a sustainable economy and society.
In this minor, you explore new futures of the economy by critically engaging with transformative entrepreneurs and academic debates around economic transitions, and by diving into the everyday practices of new value propositions advanced by social entrepreneurs.
In this minor, you will:
- obtain an overview of alternative economic theories — their implications and critiques, and understand why and how transformative dynamics in socio-economic systems evolve.
- understand societal transitions — you get insight into transition theory, learn how societal change occurs, and become able to map transition dynamics.
- engage with new business models — you become familiar with new value propositions and alternative business models, and with the ways businesses change and innovate in response to societal or environmental challenges.
- apply impact thinking — you learn about impact measurement and better understand the business challenges and opportunities of diffusing innovative business models from academic and practitioners’ perspectives.
- work with a social enterprise — in a group project, you carry out a real assignment for a social entrepreneur, developing advice and ideas that you pitch during a Dragon’s Den event at the end of the course.
Structure and content
With this minor you learn to critically assess and apply new economic thinking to real-world cases. You apply the acquired insights and theories to a real social enterprise facing an actual business challenge, guided by a course mentor. Learning from and with fellow students is an integral and valuable part of the programme.
The minor consists of five modules — perspectives on new economic thinking, impact of organizations, social entrepreneurship, societal transitions, and general working sessions — which are woven throughout the course rather than taught in chronological order. Lectures are delivered by lecturers including Prof. Dr. Karen Maas and Prof. Dr. Derk Loorbach, alongside guest lecturers. The course includes a site visit to HefHouse Rotterdam.
The workload for this minor is considerable. The course accounts for 12 ECTS in 8 weeks, meaning you are expected to work an average of 42 hours per week. Students can opt for an additional research paper for 3 extra ECTS (15 ECTS total).
Who is this minor for?
The minor is open to bachelor students (Erasmus) from all backgrounds — no prior knowledge is required. Participating requires an open-minded, curious and — at times — provocative attitude and a genuine interest in solving the grand challenges that society is facing. As the minor is delivered in English, a sufficient command of the English language in both speech and writing is needed to actively participate. Group work with students from different study backgrounds forms an important part of the course, as joint, multidisciplinary approaches are seen as key to the transition to a new society.