A New Undergraduate Course on "Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Legal Tools and Frameworks"

The course focus would be law-sensitive aspects of (i) the institutional framework of scientific and technological innovation; and (ii) the main pathways from innovation to positive social impact, including commercial and social entrepreneurship, and pathways involving the non-profit, professional and government sectors. This would enrich the undergraduate curriculum because (i) there is growing need for law-related resources at MIT and a shortage of such resources; and (ii) law-sensitive decisions are a vehicle for cultivating broad judgment skills in technologically-savvy students, and thoughtful consideration of ethics and values. The course structure would involve an innovative mix of (i) on-line and in-class materials; and (ii) experiential learning through hands-on simulations.