Outline

Overview

This unit critically considers concepts of innovation, their evolution and benefits. Divided into 3 sections, it examines great innovations in thought and practice in the past and what determined success or failure then turns to the present and the future to explore the frameworks and policies that make innovation possible.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	FASS5001
Academic unit	Arts and Social Sciences
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Mark Melatos, mark.melatos@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Mark Melatos, mark.melatos@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Project research proposal (written) Written research proposal	25%	Week 05 Due date: 10 Sep 2021 at 17:00	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project - written Final project. More details to be provided on Canvas.	75%	Week 13 Due date: 12 Nov 2021 at 17:00	4500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction: What is innovation? How do innovations happen?; 2. How does innovation manifest in the workplace?	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 02	1. Innovation in the workplace I: How do workers learn?; 2. How should managers manage creative people? 3. What are the determinants of innovative behaviour in the workplace?	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 03	1. Innovation in the workplace II: How do organisations create knowledge?; 2. What are the determinants of organisational innovation?	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 04	Complete and submit research proposal	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 05	1. Innovation practicalities in the corporate world; 2. Who pays for innovation and how?	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 06	1. The impact of innovation on the economy; 2. The role of government in innovation	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 07	Periods of innovation I: The renaissance	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 08	Periods of innovation II: The industrial revolution	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 09	1. Innovative thinkers: Darwin, Freud 2. Contemporary literature on innovation III: How can innovation be encouraged in the workplace?	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 10	Gender and innovation	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 11	Innovative practitioners: not-for-profit sector	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 12	What have we learned? Complete final project.	Independent study (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Week 1: Thinking about innovation

What is an innovation? How do innovations happen? How does one think about innovation in relation to a work place, a policy a practice – rather than an invention? Are there methods and approaches that are relevant both to innovation meaning ‘invention’ and to innovation in work places or in policy?

Reading List

Scott Berkin (2010) The Myths of Innovation, O’Relly Media Inc,
Gopalakrishnan and Damanpour (1997) “A review of innovation research in economics, sociology and technology management,” Omega International Journal of Management, 2591), pp. 15-28.
There are a number of excellent Ted Talks on Innovation. See for example: ‘6 Ted Talks on Innovation that will blow your mind’: http://www.helloinnovation.com/blog/6-ted-talks-on-innovation-that-will-blow-your-mind-2/
Dimis Michaelides ‘The secret of Innovation - Take control of your life’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i48iYHQwUBw

Week 2: Innovation in the workplace I

Some questions to be discussed this week: How do workers learn in the organizational environment? How can organisations facilitate (or hinder) this? How should managers manage creative people? What are some of the determinants of innovative behavior in the workplace?

Reading List

Drucker, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Florida and Goodnight (2005) “Managing for Innovation,” Harvard Business Review, July-August, pp. 124-131
Levinthal and March (1993) “The Myopia of Learning” Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 14, pp. 95-112.
Scott, S. and R. Bruce (1994) “Determinants of Innovative Behaviour: A path model of individual innovation in the workplace,” The Academy of Management Journal, 37(3), pp. 580-607.

Week 3: Innovation in the workplace II

Some questions to be discussed this week: How do organisations create knowledge? What are some of the determinants of organisational innovation?

Reading List

Cohen and Levinthal (1990) “Absorptive Capacity: A New perspective on learning and innovation,” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 128-152.
Damanpour (1991) “Organisational innovation: a meta-analysis of effects of determinants and moderators,” The Academy of Management Journal, 34(3), pp. 555-590.
Nonaka (1994) “A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation” Organization Science, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 14-37

Week 4: Research proposal

Week 5: Innovation Practicalities in the corporate world

Some questions to be discussed this week: Who pays for innovation in the workplace and how?

Reading List

Allen N. Berger, Gregory F. Udell (1998) “The economics of small business finance: The roles of private equity and debt markets in the financial growth cycle” Journal of Banking & Finance 22, pp. 613-673
Robert Phelps, Richard Adams and John Bessant (2007) “Life cycles of growing organizations: A review with implications for knowledge and learning” International Journal of Management Reviews 9(1), pp 1-30.

Week 6: Innovation and the economy

Some questions to be discussed this week: How does innovation impact the economy? What is the role of government in managing innovation in the economy?

Reading List

Bernard S. Black and Ronald J. Gilson (1998) “Venture capital and the structure of capital markets: banks versus stock markets” Journal of Financial Economics 47, pp. 243-277
Patanakul and Pinto (2014) “Examining the roles of government policy on innovation,” Journal of High Technology Management Research, Vol 25, pp. 97-107.
Australian Government, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Australian Innovation System Report 2016

Week 7: Innovative Periods: The Renaissance

Is it helpful, in thinking about innovation now, to look at innovative periods in the past?

‘The Renaissance’ is the term usually applied to the transitional movement in Europe between medieval and modern times beginning in the 14th century in Italy, lasting into the 17th century, and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science. It was a period that saw immense developments and innovations in art: the use of oil-based paints, the introduction of perspective in painting, a new approach to depicting the body. It also saw the invention of the printing press, the microscope and the telescope which transformed communication and approaches to science. it also marked the start of Europe as an expansionist power and a major player in the exploration of the world.

The question for discussion centres on whether it was a period of such innovation and if so, whether it is possible to establish how and why this was the case.

Primary reading

Burke., Peter (2014) The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy, Third edition. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press

Greenblatt, Stephen (2011) The Swerve: How the Renaissance began, New York, Random House

Additional reading

Arnold, David (2013) The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600, London, Routledge.

Bartlett, Kenneth R (2013) A Short History of the Italian Renaissance. Toronto: University of Toronto Press

Baxandall, Michael (1988) Painting and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy

Bohn, Babette and James M. Saslow, A Companion to Renaissance and Baroque Art. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons, 2013.

Dittmar, J. E. (2011) Information Technology And Economic Change: The Impact Of The Printing Press .The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2011 , pp. 1133-72

Eisenstein, Elizabeth L (1980) The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, Cambridge University Press Volume 1. chaps 1-3

Levey, Michael. Rococo to Revolution. London: Thames and Hudson, 2005.

Oxford, Oxford University Press, see partic pp. 1-27 4)

Simons, Pat (1988) Women in Frames: The Gaze, the Eye, the Profile in Renaissance Portraiture, History Workshop, 25 pp. 38-57.

Week 8: Innovative Periods: The Industrial Revolution

Is it helpful, in thinking about innovation now, to look at innovative periods in the past?

The period from the mid 18th through to the mid or late 19th century was one in which there was a fairly rapid transformation of industrial processes which wa closely connected to major demographic, social and intellectual change. There has been a lot of debate recently about whether ‘revolution’ or ‘evolution’ is the more appropriate term – and about what it was that enabled or drive the changes that occurred.

To what extent were innovative ideas, policies or practices important in bringing the industrial change that occurred in this period?

Primary reading:

Landes, D. S.( 2003) The Unbound Prometheus, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1969 revised edition 2003. ‘Introduction’ ( most of this is on Google Books

Allen , R. C (2011) Why the Industrial Revolution was British: induced invention and the scientific revolution, The Economic History Review, 64: 2, 357-384

Additional reading:

Clark, Gregory (2912) Review Essay: The Enlightened Economy. An Economic History of Britian 1700-1850 by Joel Mokyr, Journal of Economic Literature, 50: 1 85-95 ( a very useful overview)

Berg, M (1994) The Age of Manufactures 1700–1820, 2nd revised edn, London, Routledge,

MacLeod, C (1988) Inventing the Industrial Revolution, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Mokyr, J. (1999) . The New Economic History and the Industrial Revolution,

Editor's introduction in in Mokyr, J. (ed.), The British Industrial Revolution: An Economic Perspective, Boulder, Westview Press. 1999

Cardwell, D. S. L (1994) . The Fontana History of Technology, London, Harper & Collins

Meisenzahl, Ralf and Joel Mokyr (2011) The Rate and Direction of Invention in the British Industrial Revolution: Incentives and Institutions, NBER Working Paper No. 16993

Nuvolari, A (2004) Collective invention during the British Indutrial Revolution: the case of the Cornish pumping engine, Cambridge Journal of Economics, 28:3

Week 9: Innovative Thinkers

How do innovations in thought come about? How important is understanding the context in which an individual lived and the networks of which he or she was a part in understanding how innovations come about? Have there been changes recently in how innovations in thought occur?

Charles Darwin

Primary Reading:

Browne, E. J ((2010) ‘Making Darwin: Biography and Changing Representations of Charles Darwin’ Journal of Interdisciplinary History 40 347-373.

Brownee, E. J. (1995) Charles Darwin, London, Johnathan Cape, 2 vols

Additional Reading:

Browne, E. J, 2007) Darwin’s Origin of Species: a Biography, London and New York, Atlantic Books, London, (2006, New York 2007

Costa, James T. (2014) Wallace, Darwin and the Origin of Species, Harvard university Press

McCalman, Iain (2009) Darwin’s Armada, Melbourne, Viking

Young, Robert M (1986) Darwin's Metaphor: Nature's Place in Victorian Culture, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Stott, Rebecca ( 2013)Darwin’s Ghosts: in Search of the First Evolutionists, A& C Black

Sigmund Freud

Primary Reading:

Gay, Peter (1989) A Godless Jew: Freud, Atheism and the Making of Psychoanalysis, New Haven, Yale University Press

Makari, George (2008) Revolution in Mind: the Creation of Psychoanalysis, London George Duckworth.

Additional Reading:

D’Amato, Barbara (2005) Jekyll and Hyde: A Literary Forerunner to Freud's Discovery of the Unconscious, Modern Psychoanalysis, 30:1 92-106

Frankland, Graham (2000) Freud’s Literary Culture, Cambridge Studies in German, Cambridge University Press

Phillips, Adam (2014) Becoming Freud, New Haven, Yale University Press

Whitebook, Joel(2017) Freud: an Intellectual Biography, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press

Week 10: Gender and Innovation

How important is gender in how innovation occurs or is understood? Do women have a different approach to innovation from men?

Reading List

Alsos, G. Agnete et al., (2013) Gender and innovation: state of the art and a research agenda, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 5, issue 3,

https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/IJGE-06-2013-0049

Hewlett, Sylvia Ann Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin, (2013)

How Women Drive Innovation and Growth, Harvard Business Review, August 23, 2013

https://hbr.org/2013/08/how-women-drive-innovation-andU

Marlow, Susan and Maura McAdam, (2013) "Gender and entrepreneurship: Advancing debate and challenging myths; exploring the mystery of the under‐performing female entrepreneur", International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, Vol. 19 Issue: 1, pp.114-124, https://doi.org/10.1108/13552551311299288

Cheraghi, Maryam (2013) "Innovation by entrepreneurs in China: the increasing prominence of women", Journal of Knowledge-based Innovation in China, Vol. 5 Issue: 3, pp.172-187, https://doi.org/10.1108/JKIC-08-2013-0016

Blogs

Recognising women as innovators, The Institute ofv Engineers

https://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/News/recognising-women-innovators

Berkin, Scott ( 2013)The Top Women Innovators of All Time, posted on 8 March, 2013,b log

http://scottberkun.com/2013/top-women-innovators/

Women in Agriculture: The Agents of Change for the Global Food System

March 7, 2017, IBRD/IDA IWhttp://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2017/03/07/women-in-agriculture-the-agents-of-change-for-the-food-system

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate the contemporary literature on innovation
LO2. recognise the role of innovation in the contemporary workplace
LO3. develop an appreciation of the different forms innovation can take
LO4. understand the impact of innovation and policies related to innovation
LO5. develop an awareness of issues associated with managing innovation.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Since only a small number of students have enrolled the unit will be run like a reading course where you will be asked to produce a research essay on a topic of your choice related to innovation. There will not be weekly lectures. If you wish to discuss any of the listed readings with me, we can make an appointment to chat via the phone or on Zoom or via email. We can also arrange to chat about your project at anytime. I will also be available to provide feedback/advice on your project by email at anytime. The assigned weekly readings are for you to work through at your own pace. The weekly readings can be used to help you design and complete your research project. Assessment has also changed to reflect Covid-19 restrictions - there will be no presentations. This unit was successfully run this way the last two times it was offered in Semester 2, 2018 and 2019.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

FASS5001: Innovation: Past, Present, Future

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect