Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship (LEAD-UH)

This course provides students with an understanding of the interconnection between politics, economics, entrepreneurship, media, law, and culture in the United States and with critical tools to interact with and explain the US to others. Students are challenged to think deeply about these fields and their continual impact on entrepreneurship and soft power worldwide. Interaction with and instruction by influential persons in these fields will provide students with an unprecedented opportunity to learn these skills from the people who shape and wield these tools masterfully. By hearing, seeing, and questioning key people in these fields, students will develop their own perspectives on the meaning of entrepreneurship and its role in US society. Students will hone their analytical, communication, and writing skills through written assignments, group work, and rigorous class discussion. Lecturers span a range of executives, entrepreneurs, media titans, and government officials.

This course provides a framework for teams to move from an idea about a product or service to forming a viable company. Students will walk through initial customer discovery, market size, customer value, marketing to customers and many other areas. The process will allow students to understand their idea, the competitive landscape, the scale and economics of their potential business and have a sense of customer needs as it relates to their product or service.