Investing in Social Change: The Practice of Philanthropy
Sociology 1870, Section A, "K" hour, Spring 2008
Co-taught by Prof. Ann Dill, of Sociology, and Roger Nozaki, Director of the Swearer Center
Philanthropy – “giving away money” – sounds attractive and simple. But the very acts of contributing and receiving resources affect dynamics and relationships among all involved, and philanthropic strategies often require trade-offs between competing goals. To address complex social issues and facilitate sustainable impact, one must bring a solid understanding of the specific field of interest and its local context, skills in relationship-building with a range of stakeholders, and knowledge of evaluation methods. This course will start with an overview of philanthropy and social change, and the concepts and practice of financial investments for social change; then engage students in teams to investigate a particular community concern, design an investment strategy, recommend the investment of grant dollars, and set up the means to evaluate the outcomes of that investment.
Course participation is by application only. Course application will be due by email to the course instructors no later than 5 pm Sunday, 1/27/08. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the class by the evening of Monday, 1/28/08.