GLST 5313 - Community and Economic Development

3 credits

This course explores the broad practice of community development, the economic and political systems in which that development takes place, and the various ways the field is defined and expressed in both global and local contexts. Students will examine both the dominant and competing paradigms to development and poverty alleviation, the shift in these paradigms over time, and recurrent themes of social change. The course also explores theological and philosophical underpinnings of social change, the practices of transformational leadership in contexts of development, and the value of collaborative, mutually-empowering approaches to working with individuals and communities.