Identify the various social institutions in the Ghanaian society, trace their roots and traditional roles; explore current problems facing these institutions, their tenability in a changing society, issues of family, kinship, descent, land distribution, economic activities and their organization.

Discusses various theories of underdevelopment and development, socio-politico-cultural issues that affect development and models of development.

The course looks at major environmental issues, their impact on man and strategies for maintaining the ecosystem.  Issues of deforestation and desertification, farming practises, protection of water bodies, mining and its implications, fire outbreaks as a result of hunting practises, loss of biodiversity, and soil fertility.  Strategies to offset and control the damage caused to the environment.  National and International efforts to address environmental issues – Rio Agenda 2; National Environment Action Plans.

Looks at development in societal sectors – economic, social and political dynamics of development, social change issues, processes of social change, North and South divide, technology, industrialization, and urbanization; social institutions and progress; and nature of foreign aid.

Principles of community mobilization, participation and conscientization concepts, types of leadership, the role of opinion leaders, adult learning and literacy training, group dialogue/focused group discussions.  Dichotomy of needs: felt and real and their effect on development and theories of motivation.  Study the concepts of Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and the use of these tools in the identification of needs, project planning, implementation and evaluation.

The course covers the fundamentals of social research, types of research and their importance, interview schedule and questionnaire development, exposure to various statistical tools and their appropriate usage in research.

This course will look at the etiology of the various approaches to women and men’s issues: WID, WAD and GAD.  The importance of gender in policy formulation, programme design, implementation and evaluation will also be explored to ascertain maximum development effect.  The course content includes gender in the biological realm, socio-cultural dimensions and as an ideology.  Further, it will look at the role of women in food systems in Ghana and how they impact food security.

A study of people groups, beliefs, and practises in West Africa with particular reference to Ghana.  It embodies systems of governance, economic engagements, communication and the management of change in the socio-cultural environment and cultural relativism as well as a comparison of these systems with other systems in Africa.

Course content include: agriculture and its impact on rural development, farming, production levels of farmers, marketing and processing, irrigation issues, self-sufficiency in food production, variance in imports and exports of foodstuffs and sustainability.  Introduction of new technologies and the rate of adoption by farmers as well as availability of credit facilities.  Agriculture as machinery for industrialization and extension services as a vehicle for agriculture development

The course emphasizes poverty alleviation through food security.  Food availability, access and utilization issues, farming systems, sustainable agriculture, market trends and processing/value addition constitute part of the course content.  Food security as an emerging discipline: management of prospects and opportunities. A review of government policies on food security over the years.

The course identifies communication concepts, types of communication, planning and implementing communication systems; barriers to and factors that affect communication; methods of packaging technology to meet needs; and expectations of intended users for development.  Covers basic concepts of development, journalism and public relations.

The course surveys conflicts in Ghana and the rest of Africa from the 1950s and their impact on development initiatives.  Refugee situation in Africa and associated problems will be considered, as well as causes of conflicts, prevention, control and resolution mechanisms.  The cost of conflicts (in quantitative terms) and theories on conflict management will be considered.  A research paper will be required at the end of the semester.

Focuses on learning theories and principles.  Defines Knowledge, Attitude and Practise (KAP); analyzes problems related to change and different views expressed about behavioral change; and review social learning principles including simulation.  Students of this course will have to write a research paper that addresses the issues of myths, beliefs, taboos, and cultural practises that make it difficult for people to manage change. Introduction to behavioral change communication will be part of the course content.

Offers the opportunity to learn some basic skills that can provide a person’s livelihood.  Soap making, candle, basketry, baking, gardening, etc.  The student will be introduced to simple record keeping that could be adopted by rural people who are self-employed.  By the end of the course, students (in groups) would have conducted an income generating project training for a rural community.

The study will cover various social problems currently impinging on the development of the nation.  Issues such as poverty, unemployment and underemployment, pollution, drug abuse, prostitution, population and family planning, environmental issues -waste disposal, deforestation and desertification, accidents, Medical care – availability, access and affordability, HIV/AIDS, Murder and armed robbery will be treated.
A research paper on one social problem in Ghana, stating the nature of the problem and how it can be resolved will be required.

Consideration of social, cultural, political, and economic determinants of development in the context of the West African sub-region.

The course will deal with the fundamentals of development planning, types of development plans, problems associated with the implementation of development plans with special emphasis on the situation in Ghana and other parts of Africa. A historical and current study of such plans as they relate to Ghana will also be covered by the course.

This course exposes the student to standard report and proposal writing formats. The ‘how’ of writing the different parts of a proposal and the processes of gathering information for proposal writing.  Students will go into communities to identify problems and work with opinion leaders on how a change could be effected. The student will be required at the end of the course to submit a complete and fundable proposal.

Leads to the development of training modules that could facilitate and enhance the transfer of research findings to end users.

Definition and settings, socio-politico-economic structure, differences and similarities, provision of social amenities, the role of government, local government (district assemblies, municipal/metropolitan authorities), community and individuals, and social problems.

The course content includes: Definition and Nature of disasters – natural and man-made, prevention, control and management; Conditions that create disasters; and a preparedness and response plan.  Timing of intervention, procedures for ascertaining the facts for decision making. Strategies in providing assistance; Components of Relief intervention, time span for rehabilitation and development and Agencies to contact in disaster circumstances will all be discussion issues.

The course takes into account the types of organizations, the nature of not-for-profit organizations (history, characteristics and role in development), registration procedures, government regulations/policies regarding their operations, their management, and sources of funding.  Portfolio and mandate, contribution to community development and issues of proliferation of NGOs in Ghana, what are the implications and how can they be harnessed for development.  The content will include UN Agencies and their portfolios.

The course looks at the various aspects of development, history and concepts of integrated development (ID).  Defines integrated development in the true sense of the word and how the components fit together to bring about development.  The roles and contributions of each component to achieve a wholistic development, issues of coordination, partnership and collaboration with relevant agencies will be covered.

A review of the community development concept, analysis of different development approaches, compare the development models in use in the newly industrialized nations in Asia and Latin America and the ones in sub-Sahara Africa - their effectiveness and impact.

Identify sources and types of funding. The course looks at various donor agencies, their mandate, format for sourcing out for funds from them and funding issues.  Strategies for fund sourcing, identification of local funding sources and the kinds of development projects they support.

The course introduces students to health issues that affect development, health indicators for economic growth; common causes of diseases and ways of mitigating them; basic nutrition with emphasis on deficiencies and their implications; and food consumption patterns and their relation to community health; and anthropometric measurements. Water and sanitation and personal hygiene will be analyzed.  Students may be required to submit a research paper.

The course looks at the relationship between culture and development.  Elements in culture that either propel or hinder development; specific cultural barriers to change; analysis of a new culture of development in the twenty first century will constitute part of the course content. Comparison of cultural systems and their impact on development.

This course is intended to provide a forum for discussing development issues and to keep the students of development studies informed and up to date on current issues.  Experts and students alike will be assigned some topics of importance to present during the seminar hour.  No exam will be conducted.  Students of this class will be expected to demonstrate their grasp of the development issues that were presented by submitting a paper on any one of the topics presented or make a summary of all the topics presented during the semester.

Concepts, principles, theories, models and strategies of planned community transformation. 

The course examines trends in Ghanaian politics from the declaration of independence to date. Analysis of one party system, military coups and regimes and multi-party democracy will be made.

The course looks at principles and practise of good governance, leadership types and styles, efficiency and effectiveness of government machinery for change, corruption and fraud in post independent Ghana.

Students are required to complete an internship programme in a governmental organization, NGO, company or enterprise during the summer of the third year.  Students must obtain on-the-job experience working under supervision in a relevant capacity on a full-time basis.  All work hours must be completed on one job site.  A minimum of 240 clock hours of work experience is required. The performance of the student at the work place shall be evaluated by the supervisor on a prescribed form which is then sent to the Head of Department. 

The Senior Research Project is to be taken by every final year student.  This must be done as a partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor’s Degree at VVU.  The students should register for this course at least a semester before they hope to graduate.  The student should then choose the topic in the relevant field of major option and submit it to the respective Head of Department.  The Department, after deliberation, will suggest a supervisor.  The research paper should be type-written and double-spaced.  The completed research work should not be less than 4000 words.