NGO Education Survey

Community Development Internship (COD508)

The Internship is a cooperative arrangement between University, students and non-government, government and business organisations involved in community work. Students undertake project work, policy development or research activities with collective guidance of a supervisor in an organisation and an academic supervisor. The project is supported by a series of workshops preparing students to carry out the internship and undertake academic reflection of work. With support, students are to find and negotiate suitable internship, and are required to complete 160 placement hours.

Community Development Theory and Practice (COD545)

The unit begins by comparing and contrasting what different people say when they try and describe community development. To help in this regard it provides an introduction to the range of theoretical traditions that have shaped community development practice. The unit also turns itself to business of writing for a community audience. Students will be asked to begin the process of using skills learnt at university to assist community groups achieve some of their aspirations.

Community, Industry and Local Government (COD505)

Increasingly local governments are approaching their work by drawing together the shared interests of local community, industry and not-for-profits. This unit is designed to provide an understanding of the range of political, business and social drivers that have led to local governments taking more of an interest in community development. It will also prepare students to work in the emerging fields of local government community development, community relations, community sponsorship, Indigenous affairs and sustainability.

Critical Approaches to Development (SWM511)

The many competing visions of development are a challenge to professionals working in this area. This unit offers a high-level overview of the key theoretical debates that guide these visions, across different institutional and national settings. Students will be asked to consider fundamental questions about aid and development and to apply what they learn to both practical and theoretical written tasks.

Culture, Communities and Sustainability in Asia (AST650)

Asia is a region of extraordinary diversity and rapid change. This unit combines approaches from anthropology, sociology and ecology to explore the relationship between culture and sustainability for communities in the Asian region. The effects of globalisation, development and conservation policies will be considered with special attention to indigenous minorities and rural societies. The impacts of changing cultural values and social relations through the green revolution, population pressure, urbanisation, industrialisation, deforestation, overfishing and tourism will be addressed.

Financial Administration and Budgeting (SWM532)

Sound financial management and decision making is key to the success of any organisation in terms of their quantitative and qualitative performance indicators. This is especially true in the public sector where an understanding of the financial reporting process and the key outputs is necessary for the success of the organisation. This unit will examine such financial management decision making processes including the preparation and presentation of performance and position reports, cash flow statements and budgets.

Public Sector Management (SWM515)

Consider the range of instruments and strategies utilized by public sector managers in implementation of public policy. Examine the distinct character of public sector management, issues of accountability and leadership. Explore theories that have contributed to public sector reform and assumptions informing new management modes, including monetary and fiscal policy. Engage problems of moral hazard, monopolies, and the financial, regulatory and informational tools available to public sector managers. Aim: to equip students with a critical perspective on how to deliver 'public value'.

Resilient Regions: People and Practice (SUS611)

This unit showcases sustainability in practice at a regional scale. The unit is immersive, interactive and practical. For internal students the unit includes a week-long residency in Denmark WA in early December. During the residency, field trips and case studies will cover: resilience; bioregionalism; sense of place; sustainable technologies; eco-entrepreneurism; and sustainable agriculture. There are extra costs for this unit to cover accommodation and food. External students will be expected to visit similar case studies in their own region.

Sustainability, Ecology and Communities (SUS512)

This unit develops knowledge of the conceptual, practical and policy aspects of sustainable development. The unit focuses on the implementation of sustainability at a local and sub-national level. Systems thinking and resilience are presented as key tools to both understand sustainability problems and develop sustainability solutions within socio-ecological systems. The implementation of sustainability is then explored through governance, business and civil society approaches.

Introduction to Community Development (COD125)

This unit introduces students to community development ideas and practice, with particular reference to its application in the Australian context. It will examine the emergence of the concept of community development and its meanings across diverse areas of practice. A key focus of the unit will be challenges posed by matching theory and practice in community development. Towards this end students will be expected to become familiar with, and aware of the limitations of key methodologies in community development.

Introduction to Sociology (SOC134)

This unit aims to introduce students to the richness of sociology by stimulating their curiosity about the relationship between the individual, society and the globe using sociological thinking. This unit will introduce students to the history of sociology and some of the thinkers who have influenced the discipline. It will encourage students to recognise the relevance of sociology to everyday questions about contemporary issues in the social world.

Introduction to Sustainable Development (SUS100)

This unit is a critical introduction to sustainability that traces the concept's evolution and explores the political economy of sustainability. To this end, a range of different approaches to sustainability are introduced and compared, and analysis will be made of their respective effectiveness in addressing global sustainability problems.

Preparing for Professional Community Practice (COD303)

This placement unit gives students the opportunity to examine how ideas and practice interconnect. The primary part of this unit requires students to undertake a placement within an organisation that undertakes community-based work. Students will be encouraged to look, listen and consider the linkages between theory and practice by going 'into the field' and reflecting on the process of working within the community. Students are given support to find and negotiate a suitable placement, and required to complete 90 placement hours.

Social Policy and Community Action (COD214)

This unit aims to equip you with an understanding of social policy, and how the policy context shapes community-based work. The unit focuses on the intersection between social policy and community - exploring ideas about the way political philosophies and concepts of community influence social policy formation and implementation, the attributes and limitations of the way policy is made, as well as the key role played by language in the social policy discourse.