Interdisciplinary majors, minors, and co-concentrations offer unique opportunities for students to broaden and deepen their understanding of issues and topics, and the recent development of the co-concentration “Managing for Social Impact” helps to continue articulating this point. With a pending parallel minor in the Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, “Managing for Social Impact” looks to bring social-justice-minded students into an environment where they can develop enterprises, nonprofits, and business practices to better treat the institutional issues that they encounter in the world. The co-concentration will, and the minor should, allow students to take classes in the disciplines of sociology, economics, theology, philosophy, environmental studies, earth and environmental studies, and political science in addition to management courses.
So far, the forthcoming co-concentration has gotten large amounts of attention and interest, and there would be similar opportunities for the Morrissey College minor. The minor would help eliminate the stigma that those who pursue degrees outside of the Carroll School of Management cannot be involved in entrepreneurship, and allow for the insulated environment of the Carroll School to become more integrated with other schools on the campus. Connections in a classroom environment where some individuals might have different strengths—that, say, one philosophy and theology student better understands the issue of homelessness, while a co-concentrator might understand the social enterprises in Boston that deal with homelessness—will allow for students to collaborate and create worthwhile results.
Boston College, in the past, has received accolades and recognition for its social enterprise and innovation. In 2013, The Ashoka Changemaker Award was given to BC in recognition of its progress in these areas, with extracurricular programs such as BCVC Seed competition and TechTrek piquing students’ interests. Now, with the co-concentration and hopefully, the future minor, the resources available to undergraduates will continue to allow individuals and groups to reach new heights and new successes.
The Medical Humanities Minor, which was instituted last semester, is an excellent example of an interdisciplinary minor that allows for students to be challenged in new and interesting ways. The “Managing for Social Impact” minor and co-concentration can reach students in the same manner. As the trend continues, hopefully more areas of study at BC will include all four of its schools, allowing for a myriad of interactions that contribute to the greater community.
Featured Image by Francisco Ruela / Heights Graphics
