CURRICULUM PRINCIPLES AND CHARACTERISTICS

Founded by Si Wan College in 2020, the Institute of Social Innovation focused on cultivating leaders and talents in social innovation and sustainable management in the preparatory phase. Thus, in addition to disseminating of knowledge, we highly value the cultivation of students’ competencies. The characteristics of cultivation are as follows:

1. Experiential learning

We cultivate the soft power that a leader needs through experiential learning.

2. Deep thinking

Through the reading of classics in related fields, students will be equipped with the ability to think deeply, including the core compulsory course such as the course of Research Methodology and other related seminars.

3. Forward-looking vision

Through the inquiry of the forward-looking topics, we cultivate learners with forward-looking vision. The topics to be addressed in the core compulsory class are, for example, “On the Issues of Social Innovation: From the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of UNESCO to the Social Innovation Issues in Taiwan.” Also, the relevant topics to be addressed are: “Forward-looking Technology,” “Global Development and Local Issues,” “Social Change,” “Educational Innovation,” “Educational & Social Innovative Enterprise with Government, City and Community.”

4. Action-oriented learning

Based on the principle of project-based learning (PBL) and practice-oriented learning, we selected major current issues for discussion in the curriculum, such as education innovation, placemaking, social service innovation, renewable-energy industry innovation, and so forth. Through the field learning between teachers and students, both can deepen the problematic field and then work together to solve the problems in the field. By so doing, we can cultivate the talents in social innovation and sustainable development.

CURRICULUM (Courses offerings are subject to change)

1. Experiential learning

• Creativity & Group Development (compulsory)

2. Deep thinking

• Research Methodology (compulsory)
• Seminar in Environmental Planning (elective)
• Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship & Sustainability Management (elective)
• Seminar in Social Design and Social Innovation (elective)
• Seminar in Social Innovation & Network Relationship (elective)

3. Forward-looking vision

• Special Topics in Global and Local Sustainable Development (compulsory)
• Special Topics in Global Development and Local Issues (elective)
• Special Topics in Forward-looking Technology (elective)
• Special Topics in Social Change (elective)
• Special Topics in Educational Innovation (elective)
• Social Innovative Enterprise and Government (elective)
• Special Topics in Creativity City and Community (elective)
• Countryside Issues and Regional Development (elective)
• Special Topics in Environment & Climate Change (elective)

4. Action-oriented learning

• Social Innovation and Educational Entrepreneurship (elective)
• Research and Practice in Educational Innovation: (1), (2) (elective)
• Research and Practice in Placemaking: (1), (2) (elective)
• Research and Practice in Social Service Innovation: (1), (2) (elective)
• Research and Practice in Renewable-energy Industry Innovation: (1), (2) (elective)
• Research and Practice in Technical Innovation (elective)