Course Title: Global Civil Society, NGOs and Sustainable Development
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Global Civil Society, NGOs and Sustainable Development
Credit Points: 12.00
Important Information:
Prior to Semester 1 2022 this course was titled 'International NGOs, civil society and development'
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
HUSO2096 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
330H Social Science & Planning |
Distance / Correspondence or Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2006 |
HUSO2096 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Distance / Correspondence or Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2008 |
HUSO2096 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Face-to-Face or Internet |
Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 1 2023 |
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Charles Hunt
Course Coordinator Phone: +(61 3) 9925 3074
Course Coordinator Email: charles.hunt@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 37.05.23
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
In this course you will engage with the theory and practice of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) in global affairs, and particularly in relation to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. NGOs are viewed as key players within what is known as ‘civil society’. The role of civil society in development and global governance has taken on increasing significance, in large part due to changing ideas about the role of the state, the influence of social movements, and efforts to reinvigorate democratic participation in a globalised world. You will consider the comparative advantage of values and roles of NGOs, the partnerships they form, how they facilitate capacity development, their organisational management, legitimacy and accountability, and their future opportunities.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
This is an Option course, which will complement the learning outcomes you are developing in your program.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Critically analyse and review the theoretical perspectives and debates about NGOs, and civil society more broadly, to practice and policy situations
- Describe NGO values and roles and evaluate how they affect NGO engagement in sustainable development and global governance
- Compare and contrast competing theoretical perspectives about NGOs’ relationships with states, market, other NGOs and communities iand discuss how these relationships might be strengthened
- Reflect on and apply your knowledge of the comparative advantage of NGOs in development practice and/or global politics
- Identify key components of NGOs’ organisational structure and management and, in light of these, develop strategies to enhance their effectiveness in service delivery and advocacy
Overview of Learning Activities
You will be actively engaged in learning that involves a range of face to face and online activities such as lectures, class activities, case study analysis, analysis of documentaries (including small group work), guest lectures, and discussions.
You are expected to read the course materials available online and refer to additional reading material in your assessment tasks. It is advisable to take notes as you read and constantly reflect on the questions raised. This reflection could, for example, take the form of brief written response or posting a message on on-line discussion board. You are encouraged to liaise with the course lecturer and ask questions about particular topics, readings or assessment tasks.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by your lecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources. You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning.
There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.
Overview of Assessment
You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.
Assessment Tasks
1. Participation and Collaboration Reflection (Word count: 600)
Contribute to collaborative online activities and discussions, engaging with other students to collaborate in debating and researching course content (Weighting: 20%)
Aligned Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3 and 4
2. Research Report (Word count: 1,500)
Exploratory Research Report is intended to enable you to begin developing your learning in the course and to develop your ability to connect and synthesize key learning objectives from the course (weighting 30%)
Aligned Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
3. Research Essay (Word count: 2,500)
Research Essay is intended to enable you to demonstrate your learning in the course and to develop your ability to connect and synthesize key learning objectives from the course (weighting 50%)
Aligned Course Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.
If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.