Community Development Strategies

Available for on-campus & remote (online) learning. Students participate in interactive, real-time classes. 2026 class dates: June 24, 26, 30 This course is a practical, hands-on master class which will help students to design, critique and implement a community development strategy. Different types of community development strategies will be examined, such as Asset Based Community Development, Feminist Participatory Action Research, Participatory Rural Appraisal and a Freirean approach. These strategies will be compared and contrasted. The course will examine the theory behind each approach, but will especially focus on the practical implementation of each strategy. Students will have an opportunity to practice these techniques and provide feedback on demonstrations of these techniques. This course will also provide a contextual understanding of how non-governmental agencies, community associations and local government agencies operate in an array of contexts, both in Australia and in Asia and the Pacific. At the end of this course, students should feel confident to develop their own community development strategy and employ a range of techniques, particularly in complex scenarios.