Course Syllabus
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| Semester & Location: | Spring 2024- DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Mandatory Travel Component: |
Stockholm, Sweden (3 days and 2 nights between 29-31 March 2024) |
| Major Disciplines: |
Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship |
| Faculty Members: |
Mattias Enggaard (current students contact via Canvas inbox) |
| Time & Place: |
Tuesdays 14:50-17:45 Classroom: V23-301 |
Description of Course
This course is an introduction to the increasingly popular movement around impact investing and how money can be used to create positive change alongside a financial return. Financing the UN Sustainable Development Goals has been estimated as a $12 trillion business opportunity and we will explore how investments can positively impact important areas such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, conservation, as well as social issues such as integration, social inclusion, and social isolation..
Through exploration of real-life case studies and an interactive approach to learning, you will gain valuable tools to that enable you to approach social and environmental challenges in a sustainable way. Guest lectures let you meet a wide range of inspiring impact investors, entrepreneurs and activists who work with making investing work for the greater good.
Experiential learning is a key component of the course and students will be actively engaged learning in the following ways: 1) Designing their own online portfolio which will identify the criteria the student would use for their own impact investment. 2) co-arranging study tour and 3) actively engaging in site visits and guest lectures from professionals within the field.
Learning Objectives
- To understand and critically reflect on what impact investing means, its purpose and evaluate the potential for achieving both financial and social/environmental returns.
- To become familiar with the impact investing landscape in Denmark and the Nordics.
- To think creatively how impact investing can solve a particular social or environmental issue.
- Understand and distinguish between the various investment instruments and the actors within the field of impact investments.
- To actively engage in shaping the course and its outcomes.
Topics Covered in the Course:
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Faculty
Mattias Enggaard
Environmental economist (University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 2010) working as a Business development lead for 7Analytics (2022-), a Norway-based climate adaptation tech startup.
Previously, he was a project manager and business developer for engineering consultants (COWI and NIRAS, 2010-2016, 2018-2020) and worked as an analyst at the International Finance Corporation (2016-2018) which is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group.
With DIS since 2023.
Readings
Mandatory:
- Impact: Reshaping capitalism to drive real change, Ronald Cohen (pdf version provided)
Recommended:
- Listed under course modules
Pre-requisites
There are no pre-requisites for this course. No prior knowledge of finance is needed.
Guests and tours
During the semester, we will meet several actors that are working with the topic on different levels. The aim is to understand the complexity of impact investing through different perspectives.
The Spring field trip will bring us to the buzzling city of Stockholm and its active impact investing scene. We will explore the Swedish scene for impact-oriented social entrepreneurship and students will take an active role in setting up visits.
Approach to Teaching
This is an exploration election which implied flipped class room with students taking over the class room and great emphasis is given to input from the outside world. The faculty is more a facilitator than a lecturer.
The class will meet once a week during the semester. Assigned readings, guest lectures, and student presentations will act as background for class discussion. This course relies on reading in order to gain a deeper understanding of varying case studies we will discuss. Assigned texts must be read before class.
Organizations in and around Copenhagen (and Stockholm) will serve as case studies to illustrate the potential of investing for impact and change. Moreover, group work is essential following real life working scenarios.
Expectations of the Students
This course is not a traditional lecture class, but relies heavily on class discussion and group work, informed by an in-depth, critical reading of the assigned texts. The readings for each class have purposely been kept to reasonable amount and it is expected that all students have read, seen, or played the material prior to the lectures.
We expect you to fully engage in the lectures, participate actively in discussions, and be open minded about your fellow students' points of view. Your overall grade will be depending on an engaged, informed, and highly active participation in class discussion.
Evaluation
Individual assignments
- Investment pitch
- Portfolio and presentation
Group Written Assignment:
- Group project I: Investment portfolio
- Group project II: Lecturer for a day
- Group project III: Preparing for Stockholm
- Group project IV: Reporting from Stockholm
Participation (engagement in class): The classes require active participation in classes and during the field studies. Attendance is mandatory. To get a good engagement grade you must evidence:
- Engage in shaping the course and taking full opportunity of its exploration elements;
- Active and voluntary participation in class discussions;
- Preparation for every class, i.e. required reading and having thought about various issues in advance;
- Being analytical and concise in oral interventions, i.e. backing up arguments by facts and references;
- Being able to collaborate well with your assigned team and delivering group presentations
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Grading Elements: |
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Grading scheme: |
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Participation (engagement in class) |
= 20 points |
Points |
Grade |
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Individual assignments |
= 50 points |
100 - 93 |
A |
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Group assignments |
= 30 points |
<93 - 90 |
A- |
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<90 - 87 |
B+ |
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<87 - 83 |
B |
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<83 - 80 |
B- |
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<80 - 77 |
C+ |
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<77 - 73 |
C |
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<73 - 70 |
C- |
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<70 - 67 |
D+ |
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<67 - 63 |
D |
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<63 - 60 |
D- |
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<60 |
F |
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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