This course highlights the essential role of research in developing and planning policy for development contexts. Throughout the course, examples of multidisciplinary subjects will be highlighted to stimulate discussion of the Cambodian context. The course is divided into three sections to prepare students to be able to carry out qualitative and quantitative research in a development context. Survey, ethnographic, and participatory methods allow deeper exploration of examples from each genre. By the end of the course, students will be able to choose an appropriate research method for a selected and approved topic as well as understand the basic details of the technical guidelines and procedures to implement the chosen method

This course grounds students in the major trends and disciplines of development studies. The course explores the complex and multidimensional nature of development. It introduces a broad overview of the key issues of development, ranging from theoretical and historical perspectives through to the examination of current trends of development. Development issues of Cambodia will be emphasized throughout the course. Major topics will include: poverty/marginalization, equity, gender, empowerment, participation, and the role of institutions in development.

The course will familiarize students with the theories and the main issues in the politics and society. It will examine the inter-relationship between politics, interest groups, society and governance in development process. It addresses themes related to the state, democracy, civil society, governance and economic development in relation to Developing countries, countries in Southeast Asia and Cambodia. The course embarks on diverse approaches to understanding processes of state formation in the Third World. These theories of the state are then related to competing interpretations of the role and purpose of democratization, civil society and governance in some ASEAN countries. Questions are raised at this stage about whether formal democratization and good governance in the Third World present a series of wider economic interests and growth. The course also includes some comparative studies on political, democratic, legal and governance practices and problems; and development capacity and the role of civil society within some ASEAN countries.

The course discusses a variety of theories with respect to economic development. It introduces the fundamental topics of common debate in economic development in developing countries, such as poverty, income distribution, underdevelopment, urbanisation and population growth, human capital, agricultural transformation and rural development, roles of market, state and civil society, foreign assistance, trade and macroeconomic policies. Theories of economic growth, the new growth theories, and other relevant development theories will be discussed as regards the topics covered in the course. Cambodian experiences documented in various reports will be discussed to illustrate the theories taught.

The course will present various theories and approaches to development, and critique of major agricultural and rural development policies and programmes, including poverty alleviation programmes. It attempts to develop expertise in rural development, based on understanding the complex relationships between agriculture and the rest of the economy.

As an advanced course in social survey research, this course is designed to provide students with practical skills in statistical data analysis using SPSS. Emphasis will also be given to understanding of the link between research designs and types of data analysis and the need for inferential statistics in social research.

This course is intended to serve as an introduction of key development topics i.e. education, health and population. The course will examine the evolution of modern development thoughts and the ways in which education, health and population issues fit in as both means and ends of development. The course begins each key theme with a discussion of theoretical perspectives and follows by reflections of realities in many developing countries and in Cambodia. Other cross-cutting issues in education, health and population in developing countries and in Cambodia will also be covered.

This course deals with the frontier-yet-fundamental issues of Cambodian development under globalization. The course covers selected topics such as: economic development under the changing environment of globalization (risks and benefits associated with globalization, rise and demise of Cambodian economy, convergence club under globalization); external financing of development (ODA, FDI and multilateral corporations, portfolio flows, debt and financial crises); managing open-economy development (BOP management, the order of liberalization, exchange rate regimes and monetary policy rules, fiscal sustainability, crisis management); and toward governance and quality of growth under globalization (growth and equity under globalization, localization under globalization).

This course is designed to introduce students to basic management principles, leadership skills and entrepreneurial habits which are fundamental to managing people and teams in the context of public action partnerships between the public, private and non-profit sector. This course charts the recent direction of public governance theory as it leans towards ‘partnerships’ rather than neo-liberalism and it gives an understanding of the growing importance of different forms of ‘social enterprise’. Topics include Corporate Social Responsibility, Public Private Partnerships, Equitable Economic Growth, Introduction to Social Enterprise, Social Economy, Social Enterprise and International Development Practice and Social Entrepreneurship. This course builds skills through case study discussions, management simulations, practitioner workshops and seminars, audio- visual presentation, interactive classroom discussions, team problem solving, and collaborative and individual written assessments (professional memo writing, issues briefs, essay writing and a collaborative business plan for social enterprise).

The concept of sustainable development cannot ignore the important role of “good governance”. As an aspect of good governance, the effectiveness of human resource management has strong impact on the successful operation of organizations working in any development fields. In order to meet the challenges of improving service delivery and organizational outcomes, managers inside NGOs and governments alike must possess critical and practical skills and be aware of tools to address opportunities and challenges. Therefore, this course is vital to both the human resource professionals and the line managers since it serves as a comprehensive foundation for all aspects of human resource planning, recruitment and selection, development, management, and consolidation.

This course discusses concepts and issues related to links between natural resource management and environment (NRM&E). Main topics include: legal and administrative framework; partnerships and stakeholders; local knowledge systems and community- based NRM; approaches to conflict management; implementation, monitoring and evaluation of NRM&E programs.

This course discusses concepts and issues related to links between natural resource management and environment (NRM&E). Main topics include: legal and administrative framework; partnerships and stakeholders; local knowledge systems and community- based NRM; approaches to conflict management; implementation, monitoring and evaluation of NRM&E programs.

This course focuses on financial management and fundamentals, financial analysis and control, working capital decisions, long-term investment and financing decisions for the public sectors: nonprofit and governmental/ nongovernmental organizations. This course also familiarizes students with key public finance issues and challenges in developing countries. This course requires a working knowledge of accounting, business math, and economics.

As project management is becoming the way more and more work is done in organizations, project managers need to recognize the critical role projects play in the success of their organization. This course will give students an understanding of the role of strategic planning in development project management and how to integrate project and strategic planning. Critical areas such as project planning tools (Log frame, PCM, PRA/RRA), project initiation, project maturity, and project monitoring and evaluation will be covered.

This course deliberates the following inter-twined topics: rural production systems; non-farming rural economic activities; legal framework of land ownership, land use and access to natural resources; national strategies for rural livelihoods development and poverty reduction; rural livelihoods and natural resource management; and rural livelihoods and rural infrastructure development.

Students are required to consult with their academic supervisor about the topical theme of their thesis or research report at the inception of Semester Three. This consultation process takes place throughout the rest of the program. The supervisor approves students’ thesis/report topic and outline, which is ultimately subject to endorsement of the Chair of the Academic Board. Students are required to attend bi-weekly consultation with their supervisor to discuss progress of their thesis/research report.