Master of Health Studies (MHST) 618

Overview

This course will provide students with an opportunity to participate in community development with a community of interest of which they currently are a member. The community of interest of which the student is a member can be:

• a work-life community of interest of staff, or
• a work-life community of interest of staff and clients, such as the staff and clients of a particular health program or service, or
• a local community of interest such as a volunteer organization, community association or other local group.

Through course activities students will define the community of interest, identify a collective change effort that will be focus of community development, and build a community development initiative to support the community of interest in achieving its goals and building its capacity. As members of a “class community” students will participate in learning activities with their classmates to support their classmates as they build their community development initiatives.

Please note that this course requires active participation with a group from a community of interest, as described above.

Outline

MHST/NURS 618 consists of the following units:

Unit 1: Community Development: Collective Change Effort with a Community of Interest
(Weeks 1 through 5)

Students will define community development with respect to a community of interest (a work-life community or a local community organization). Students will initiate community development through engagement and preliminary assessment of the community of interest. Through engagement and assessment, students will participate with the community of interest in identifying a collective change effort that will be the focus of community development (for example, responding to a challenge or opportunity or improving upon existing strengths). As part of engagement and assessment, students will explore characteristics and responsibilities of a leadership role in community development and assess their personal capacity with respect to community development. Students will examine community development as one approach to creating change, contrast community development with other approaches to creating change and explain why community development is appropriate for the collective change effort of the community of interest.

Unit 2: Principles, Processes and Frameworks of Community Development
(Weeks 6 through 11, with Week 8 as a Break Week)

Students will examine underlying principles and foundational processes/frameworks of community development, and apply these with a community of interest in a collective change effort. Students will build on the engagement and preliminary assessment initiated with the community of interest in Unit 1, and participate with the community of interest in planning, implementing and evaluating a collective change effort. Challenges and opportunities of community development will be explored.

Unit 3 Trends and Perspectives in Community Development
(Weeks 12 and 13)

Students will study a variety of trends and perspectives that may inform community development. These include: national and provincial health and social initiatives; local health and social issues; international community development trends; and the historical context of community development.

Learning outcomes

By the conclusion of the course students will:

1. Define a community of interest that will be the focus of community development;
2. Identify a collective change effort that will be the focus of community development;
3. Identify a collective change effort that will be the focus of community development;
4. Apply principles of community development with a community of interest in working in a collective change effort;
5. Apply processes/frameworks of community development with a community of interest in working in a collective change effort, including methods of engagement, assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation;
6. Analyze the challenges and opportunities of a community development approach to change;
7. Analyze trends and perspectives (historical and current, local and global) that may inform community development;
8. Develop personal leadership capacity while using a community development approach with a community of interest.

Evaluation

In the MHS and MN:Gen programs, students must achieve an overall program GPA of 2.7 ( B- or 70 percent), to graduate. The minimum passing grade requirement for each MHS and MN:Gen course is C- (60 percent).

The following course activities will contribute to your course grade, with the percentage weighting of each activity as follows:

Activity	Weight
Participation	20%
Assignment 1: Focus of Community Development	25%
Assignment 2: Community Development Process	35%
Assignment 3: Community Development Presentation	20%
Total	100%

Participation (20%)

Your participation mark will be based on your participation as a member of the “class community” in learning activities that contribute to the completion of your assignments and those of other class members.

Assignment 1: Focus of Community Development (25%; Due at the end of Week 6)

In this assignment you will define the community of interest and describe the collective change effort that will be the focus of community development. You will explain the engagement and assessment processes that have been undertaken to date to define the community of interest and identify the collective change effort, including assessment of your personal capacity to act as a catalyst for community development with the community of interest. You will present an argument that a community development approach to change is more appropriate for the collective change effort than other approaches to creating change.

Assignment 2: Community Development Process (35%; Due at the end of Week 11)

In this assignment you will outline a community development process that could be used with the community of interest in a collective change effort. At a minimum, this must address processes related to engagement, assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation. You will analyze the challenges and opportunities that may present during the community development process with the community of interest.

Assignment 3: Community Development Presentation (20%; Due at the end of
Week 13)

In the assignment you will post a presentation (for example, a PowerPoint presentation or a YouTube video) about your community development process that could be shared with a relevant audience. Depending on the focus of your community development, this audience could be members of your work-life community, a community organization, or other. The presentation must include “next steps” that could build on the progress made to date in your community development, and trends or issues that could affect future progress.

Materials

Other materials will be accessed online and shared with class members.

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services