Prospectus

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Summit - Action research project

Course
2014-2015

Admission requirements

Admission is conditional on being enrolled to the Minor Entrepreneurship for Society
A knowledge of Dutch is not necessary. You should have completed your propedeuse before you start this minor.

Description

In this course you will analyse a complex issue, validate assumptions, create a proposal, and evaluate the process. The main course deliverable will be a publication covering five chapters on local change – students will work on the publication together, using the input of the online and offline theory, own research and the presentations by scholars covering local empirical examples.

The summit is a learning experience with team-building activities to enhance your team’s capacity to achieve sustainable impact. The strategies for creativity and design thinking are applied, supported by Lean Start-up and Start-up Weekend methods to catalyse new team projects. The aim is to create small, collaborative teams that can generate large-scale benefits for society.
Students are supported by a mentoring system, mentors contribute their domain expertise and passion for working on the world’s most pressing problems. In addition, the faculty will help connect you to fellow students, entrepreneurs, organizations, and other experts who can support your projects, as well as sharpen your understanding of relevant technologies and best practices.

Students are stimulated to work in a Do It Yourself, open-source, maker/ builder orientation. We encourage active investigation and iterative prototyping. The interactive experience incorporates multiple learning formats beyond the classroom, including optional hands-on training workshops to gain new technology skills. This all comes together in the summit

Course objectives

  • Analyse complex societal issues and identify ways to reduce barriers in day-to-day routines;

  • Apply transdisciplinary methods in the fields of lofe sciences, information technology or social integration;

  • Design and conduct an action research project focused on real life impact;

  • Reflect on taking part in a transdisciplinary team;

  • Tackle complexity by applying design thinking and agile methods;

Timetable

Weekly expert coaching, both practitioner and academic.

In the week of Jan 26th – Final two day seminar, presenting your projects to a jury

Mode of instruction

Expert coaching, intervision and presentation

Assessment method

  • Obligatory attendance of the lectures and work groups ( Pass or Fail);

  • Summit Reflection Report (60%)

  • Summit Presentation (40%)

Reading list

Dependent on your teams’ project

Registration

You have to register for this course and for the minor in Usis.

Contact

Sjoerd Louwaars: s.p.louwaars@cdh.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks

This course is part of the new minor Entrepreneurship for Society and can only be taken as part of this minor.