OSHER 147 - How To Change The World

The objective of this course is to strengthen one's capacity to change the world by learning and then applying Social Entrepreneurship (SE) skills to empower the poor. We will first gain an understanding of the current global context of suffering, conflicts and other human struggles. A brief analysis of several paradigms including the socio-economics of social change will be taught. Other emerging conceptual constructs that lead to societal change will be utilized such as the following: "Third Sector," "positive deviance," the "archaeology of social change," "stewardship," new "social inventions," "Bottom-of-the Pyramid" tools, the "tipping point" for making an impact, "social capital," "Gross National Happiness," "appreciative inquiry," social enterprise creation, capacity-building, sustainability, and building civil society. Innovative methods and tools will be studied for expanding economic self-reliance in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and more.