Improving Planetary Health: A Learning Lab for Social Entrepreneurship - Period 5

Improving Planetary Health: A learning lab for social entrepreneurship comprises an introduction to concepts and various theoretical approaches to solving societally relevant, wicked problems through the lens of social entrepreneurship. Planetary health considers the the health of human civilization and the natural systems on which it depends, emphasizing the link between that human health and the health of our planet (e.g. the importance of human health and the sustainable management of natural systems as well as natural resources) .In this course, you will design and develop ideas for innovative social ventures aimed at improving planetary health. Social ventures are undertakings aimed at solving a social problem or effecting social change. Well known examples are TOMS shoes, or microfinance institutions. You will learn about the concepts of planetary health, current challenges, and about ways of responding to these 'wicked problems' in adequate ways through social ventures. You will learn that tackling wicked problems requires a
coordinated reaction on the part of governments, public and private organizations, collaboration between different stakeholders, integration of different activities and hence asks for new constellations of actors and new forms of organizing and you will make use of design thinking tools that will help you think about wicked problems in novel ways. You will also learn that wicked problems can be tackled at various levels, including regional, national and global. You will also learn how to work in multidisciplinary teams and to pitch your ideas in compelling and convincing ways.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.