140354 UE PFA - Introduction to Development Planning (2014W)

This course is designed to introduce the basic theory and practices in developing small-scale projects in a participatory way – projects that focus on communities or groups of people who are facing common problems. It introduces students to project cycle management (planning, implementation, monitoring & evaluation) and logical framework approach. Most importantly, students will learn the importance of defining problems not from the outsiders’ point of view but from the insiders’ point of view. Throughout the course, emphasis will be put on how to develop projects in a cooperative, participatory and culturally appropriate manner. Students will also learn possible consequences of developing projects in a NON-participatory way and what may be the limits and problems of participatory approaches. The course will focus on the practical application of these concepts and approaches using some real examples and fictional case studies. Examples will be drawn from the lecturer’s own experiences mainly in South East Asia and in the field of Public Health. The course is composed of one introductory session on 14. October 2014 and 5-days intensive sessions from 26. to 30. January 2015.