Interested in deepening your understanding of the social impact of business? Take a course at Wharton this coming fall semester.
Wharton offers numerous courses that will help you understand and tackle many of the most pressing social and environmental challenges in the world.
We’ve updated our Social Impact Courses page so that Penn and Wharton students can explore and find a course that matches their interests for the Fall 2019 semester.
Below in alphabetical order by department, we’ve highlighted just a few of the many undergraduate and graduate courses available.
BEPP 207: Economics for the Next 100 Years
Professor Eduardo Azevedo
Meets Monday/Wednesday 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
This course is about some of the most important economic issues for the next 100 years. Topics include the impact of artificial intelligence on work, the future of democracy, stagnation of economic growth, and inequality within and across countries. Although it is very hard to make long-run predictions, we will give an overview of the state-of-the art research on each topic. Syllabus: http://bit.do/bepp-207
LGST 226: Markets, Morality, and Capitalism
Professor Robert Hughes
Meets Tuesday/Thursday 1:30 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Take this course if you want to think about what sort of market system we should want. Can a market economy protect economic liberty while limiting economic inequality, or must we choose between liberty and equality? Are there some goods that shouldn’t be for sale on a market?
MGMT 212/812: Social Entrepreneurship
Professor Valentina Assenova
Meets Monday/Wednesday 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
This is a course on creating a business to attack a social problem and thereby accomplish both social impact and financial sustainability. For this course, social entrepreneurship is defined as entrepreneurship used to profitably confront social problems. This definition therefore views social entrepreneurship as a distinct alternative to public sector initiatives. Students will propose a social enterprise start up using the tools and principles of the course.
OIDD/PSYC 490: Science of Behavior Change
Professor Angela Duckworth & Professor Katy Milkman
Meets Wednesdays 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Class of 2020 (rising seniors) and 2021 (rising juniors) only.
This seminar introduces advanced undergraduates to sustainable strategies for behavior change in health, education, and savings. Students will read, discuss, and apply classic and current research in the area, and learn how to use behavioral science to make a positive social impact.
REAL 730/FNCE 730/ BEPP 773 and REAL/FNCE/BEPP 230: Urban Fiscal Policy
Professor Fernando Ferreira
Meets Monday/Wednesday 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (undergraduate section) and Monday/Wednesday 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (MBA section).
This course will examine the ideal provision of public services by cities and school districts. Why cities exist, whether urban public finance matters, realities of local governments such as poverty, crime, and corruption will be covered. We will also study new topics such as partnerships with the private sector, enterprise zones, the role of technology, and real estate policies that promote sustainable city development.