Monash University Handbook 2011 Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Synopsis

Sustainable Community Development is an introductory core unit in the Master of Community Development. It is designed as a reflective practice unit to enable practitioners working in the broad field of community development, in urban and rural contexts, to develop their practice. Students will be introduced to the concepts of sustainability, place, and community development and to contemporary research in the area. It will use the frameworks of sustainability, place, and community, to examine how people learn about places and form sustainable communities in the places where they live and work. Students will undertake practitioner research in order to apply these theories to their practice.

Objectives

On completion of this units students are expected to have:

1. An understanding of the concepts of sustainability, place, and community development;
2. An understanding of the processes of community building and community engagement;
3. The ability to apply contemporary theories and research to their work in sustainable community development; and
4. The skills to undertake practitioner research in sustainable community development and to change their practice in response to this research

Assessment

Assignment 1 - 3000 word written essay or reflective journal ; and Assignment 2 - 5000 (or equivalent written and visual text) word project plan and report

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Margaret Somerville