Comparison of social entrepreneurship courses in different disciplines: teaching approach and learning process

Different from entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship (SE) is characterized by the integration of social problem-solving and sustainable economic growth into the entrepreneurship field. Social entrepreneurship education (SEE) could enable students to acquire the necessary skills to develop an enterprise and identify and solve social problems. Prior studies have thoroughly discussed the importance to have SEE in higher education, but because of the interdisciplinary and cross-boundary nature of SE, SEE requires the involvement of multiple disciplines. However, most SE courses are currently provided mostly in business schools, and few researchers have explored the integration of SE and various disciplines. This limited exploration in both practical and theoretical fields may lead to an uncomprehensive view of SEE and prevent further development. This study identified three types of SE-related courses (social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and disciplinary social innovation) and conducted focus group discussions to reveal the differences and similarities in curriculum design for the implementation of these courses. The study results provide a unique insight on how SE elements can be integrated into different course contexts.