Women as Social Innovators

Women as Social Innovators Citizen Circle Syllabus (NOTE: The syllabus is subject to change based on participant input and interests. We will spend the first class discussing topics and skillsets to focus on and will likely revise much of this draft curriculum).
 
 
This citizen circle will serve as an opportunity for participants to explore the unique strengths and challenges that women face as social entrepreneurs and innovators.
 
Assessment:

• Personal Rights and Responsibilities / Transformative Communication/Personal Transformation
• Participants create a monologue on their experience as a female social innovator.

 
Materials:

• Field Journal – participants will keep a field journal, recording reflections and thoughts from all activities throughout the course. This field journal will be used as a resource for the monologue(s) as well as a way of tracking development of competencies such as empathy, passion, optimism and others.

 
Week 1:

• Citizen circle Un-Meeting: participants gather to discuss the general theme of “women as social innovators” and to share their outlines for expectations and goals in the course. This un-meeting will have the following goals: to identify the questions the group wants to explore through the course, to identify the strengths each participant has as a female social innovator/aspiring female social innovator, and identify the areas of weakness each person wants to improve upon.
• Homework: Think about what sort of meaningful questions you can ask of the women social entrepreneurs/innovators on the cross citizen circle calls.
• Citizen circle Pair Meeting One:
• Participants from each citizen circle introduce themselves.
• For the rest of the meeting, participants develop the questions to ask guest social innovator on future calls.
• Questions that spark discussion, not yes/no.

 
Week 2:

• Citizen circle gathers to watch Halla Tomasdottir’sTEDtalk. Discuss what participants think are “feminine values” that can be applied to social entrepreneurship and innovation, and other reactions from the TED talk. How do the questions you want to explore for the course relate to this talk?
• Homework: Read female social innovator profile #1 from Ashoka. What unique strengths does this woman have that allowed her to be successful? How do the questions you want to explore for this course relate to this profile?
• Citizen circle Pair Meeting Two:
• Female Social Innovator Guest #1 joins to share her story, discusses her view of unique challenges and unique strengths that female social innovators have. Opens floor for discussion/questions. Record in your female journal thoughts from the discussion and how it relates to the questions you want to explore in the course.

 
Week 3:

• Citizen circle gathers to watch Hanna Rosin’sTEDtalk. Discuss what the trends in this TED talk mean for women social innovators, as well as other reflections from the TED talk. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Homework: Read Ashoka profile for Molly Barker. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Citizen circle Pair Meeting Three:
• Female Social Innovator Guest #2 joins to share her story, discusses her view of unique challenges and unique strengths that female social innovators have. Open floor for discussion/questions. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.

 
Week 4:

• Citizen circle gathers to watch Tony Porter’s TEDtalk.Discuss reactions to the “man box” and contrast with what a “woman box” would be, as well as other reactions to the TED talk. Create a matrix of empowering vs. disempowering traits that men and women are socially pressured to fit. How might the disempowering traits be subverted? Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Homework: Read Ashoka female social innovator #3 profile. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Citizen circle Pair Meeting Four:
• Female Social Innovator Guest #3 joins to share her story, discusses her view of unique challenges and unique strengths that female social innovators have. Open floor for discussion/questions. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.

 
Week 5:

• Citizen circle gathers to watch Eve Ensler’s TEDtalk: Embrace your inner girl. Discuss your reactions to the talk. What do you think are the key characteristics of “the girl cell?” How does the girl cell relate to social innovation? Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Homework: Start work on your women as social innovators monologue, using your reflections from your field notes as a starting resource.
• Citizen circle pair meeting five:
• Female Social Innovator Guest #4 joins to share her story, discusses her view of unique challenges and unique strengths that female social innovators have. Open floor for discussion/questions. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.

 
Week 6:

• Citizen circle gathers to work on their monologues together. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Homework: Work on your women as social innovators monologue.
• Citizen circle pair meeting six:
• Female Social Innovator Guest #5 joins to share her story, discusses her view of unique challenges and unique strengths that female social innovators have. Open floor for discussion/questions. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.

 
Week 7:

• Citizen circle gathers to work on their monologues together. Record thoughts and connections to the questions you are exploring in this course in your field notes journal.
• Homework: Work on your women as social innovators monologue.
• Citizen circle pair meeting seven:
• Female Social Innovator Guest #6 joins to share her story, discusses her view of unique challenges and unique strengths that female social innovators have. Open floor for discussion/questions.

 
Week 8:

• Citizen circle gathers to share monologues with each other, offer each other feedback.
• Homework: Upload edited monologue to Living Transcript, write commentary on other participants’ skill development throughout the course.
• Citizen circle pair meeting eight:
• Participants share their monologues with each other.