# SOSC205 Social Innovation

This second-year course builds on foundational knowledge of community development and introduces students to social innovation as a systems-based, collaborative, and impact-oriented approach to addressing complex social challenges. Students examine how social innovations emerge from community knowledge, cross-sector collaboration, and iterative design processes. Through case studies from Canada and globally, students explore how social enterprises, community organizations, and hybrid models mobilize change to address social inequality and advance community well-being. Emphasis is placed on co-creation with communities, equity-centered practice, and adaptive problem-solving, alongside applied tools such as design thinking, prototyping, and systems mapping. Students develop the competencies required to design, test, and evaluate social innovation initiatives, including stakeholder engagement, facilitation, ethical decision-making, and impact measurement. This course prepares students to transition into advanced applied work and COMD 220, where they will implement or further develop community-based social innovation initiatives.