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Study online with Murdoch University through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

Working with community is often complex and demands sophisticated skills and ‘artfulness’. Success comes to those who possess a combination of wisdom, high-end knowledge of relationships, considerable diplomacy, tenderness and ‘smarts’. Often we need to balance a clear head, soft heart, kindness, emotional and social maturity and ethical strength. Although many think that working with community comes naturally there is much to learn and good practitioners are in great demand.This course takes you to ‘living’ examples of community development, introduces you to other people’s ideas about what works and has you thinking and talking about what you see and read. The Community Development major gives you the chance to undertake an internship in a community-based setting, and encourages you to extend your repertoire and build your imagination for how things could be different for communities around the globe. This major is for people seeking to work with community in a range of settings including local government, not-for-profit organisations, Aboriginal Community controlled groups, community arts centres, social service organisations, and the resources sector.

Study social justice, community issues, institutions (family, work, law) and social issues (gender, race, unemployment, health, welfare, deviance and social control). Apply your learning to community groups, government departments and not-for-profits.

Bachelor of Arts (Community Development)

It’s a sad reality that millions of people around the world are living in poverty. International aid and development can come in many forms including money, medicine, food, education, disaster relief and recovery, helping communities develop a better future, and much more.In this degree, you’ll explore the challenges and the changing approaches to international aid by governments, international organisations and aid agencies, and gain an in-depth understanding of international development programs and approaches.An important part of international aid and development is helping people create change themselves. You’ll focus on how to work with people to help them develop skills for what’s known as participatory development practice. This is a process that empowers people with the skills, knowledge and access to resources they need to make a lasting difference in their own community.

Understand how community level programs from government and aid agencies can reduce poverty and increase sustainability. Compare project management approaches in cross-cultural settings.  Assess the impact our Asia-Pacific region has globally.

Bachelor of Arts (International Aid and Development)

Introduction to Community Development

Indigenous Community Development

Creative Ways to Work with Community

Overseas Aid and International Development

Social Policy and Community Action

Preparing for Professional Community Practice

Stories of Doing Community Work

Sustainability, Ecology and Communities

Sustainable Urban Communities

This unit provides students with real-world learning opportunities in which they apply their disciplinary knowledge, exercise critical thinking and analytical skills, demonstrate effective and professional communication, and work agilely to solve real-world problems. Working with an industry partner, the internship provides a practical bridge between university and the professions. Industry placements can be created and negotiated in diverse ways to suit both students and their industry partners. Students will acquire, demonstrate and reflect upon a diverse range of skills and understandings that prepare them for the future of work.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

It’s time to put what you’ve learned into practice. You’ll be connected with an industry partner and complete real-world activities and projects. Start to think about the future of work and your place in the industry.

Internship

This subject introduces students to some important ideas around the Indigenous community development space. This unit explores the socio-political context in which contemporary Indigenous community development takes place and the importance of Indigenous methodologies in relation to knowledge production and CD practice. Some real-life examples of Indigenous CD will be examined using two successful community-controlled organisations as case studies. This unit will step between theory and practical experiences and examples to assist students in building their capacity to work with Indigenous communities and negotiating cross-cultural community development.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Work alongside Indigenous groups. Examine the profound impact legislation has had on Indigenous communities in the past. Then explore the culturally appropriate storytelling techniques being used to shape successful community initiatives today.

This subject 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.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Join the debates about how to approach community development in a modern society. Research Marxist, fascist, feminist and other drastically different ideas about community development. Unpack case studies. Apply an Australian context to your studies.

This subject was previously known as SUS214 Sustainability, Ecology and Communities.
This subject develops knowledge of the conceptual, practical and policy aspects of sustainable development. The subject 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.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Approach sustainable development from conceptual, practical and policy perspectives. Define sustainable governing practices. Discover how to foster change in individuals, organisations and communities. See how policy can aid ecological sustainability.

This subject was previously known as COD334A Creative Ways to Work with Community.Increasingly groups are signalling that community involvement in planning, management and government is something they would like to see carried out more often. This subject introduces students to some practical participatory methods as well as questioning what may be required for individuals and organisations to develop and discover a ‘voice’. It also asks them to begin to develop some skills in reflective practice in regard to their own processes when working in such a realm.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Examine imaginative strategies and tools in the field of community-based work. Switch onto the role digital technology can have in connecting communities. Underscore the number of ways you can approach community participation creatively

This subject was previously known as COD235A Community Work Across Sites, Settings and Peoples.
Community development is used in a variety of contexts by many different groups. This subject provides an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of settings and areas of practice within community development in contemporary Australia. It  examines the important part that story has in both shaping practice and methodologies. Students will gain skills and experience in describing and critically reflecting upon practical examples of community development in practice. They will learn skills to help with the preparation of funding applications.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Assemble a more complete view of the areas of practice that make up community development. Digest practical examples of community projects. Grasp the role community development plays in social work, remote area education, aid work and government.

This subject was previously known as SUS220 Sustainable Urban Communities.
Over half the world’s population now live in urban areas and 75 percent could be urban by 2050. This subject examines the sustainability challenges and possibilities that lie ahead as we become an increasingly urban species. The subject explores how we can create urban communities and lifestyles that enhance human dignity and equality, while also being more environmentally sustainable. The subject takes an international perspective, exploring majory urban sustainability issues and inspirational practices from Australia, Asia and around the world.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Forecast the spread of urban communities and the sustainability of this growth. Ask how society maintains dignity and equality in the face of urbanisation. Identify challenges facing modern cities. Consider issues like public transport and water usage.

This subject was previously known as AID204 Overseas Aid and International Development.Why are aid and development important? What are the differences between humanitarian emergency responses and long term development? How can we encourage people to take ownership for their own sustainable development? What are the barriers to this for them and us? What is is it to be the beneficiary of a development intervention? This unit aims to give a historical and theoretical grounding to respond to these questions and to give us a more detailed picture of what development entails.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Appraise how effective Australian overseas aid and development policies are. Form a picture of key development agencies. Unpack the motivations behind international aid. Engage in historical and philosophical analyses of the ongoing debates in this field.

This subject was previously known as COD324A Projects in Community Development.
This placement subject gives students the opportunity to examine how ideas and practice interconnect. The primary part of this subject 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 &#39;into the field&#39; and reflecting on the process of working within the community.
Students are required to complete 90 placement hours.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Undertake a community work placement with an organisation. Observe industry professionals in a collaborative setting. Get a sense of the work while participating in organisational activities. Record detailed and rigorous notes and reflections.

This subject was previously known as COD355A Community and Social Policy.This subject 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.Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: <a href="http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport" target="_blank">http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport</a>.

Wrestle with social policy and how it shapes social and community work. Sift through concepts including social justice, welfare and reciprocity. Track recent trends in Australia's social policies. Familiarise yourself with the policy analysis process.

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