Community Development
Overview
The Department of Social Science and Community Development at Seh Theh College prepares students to become effective change agents who can address the complex social, economic, and cultural challenges facing Karenni State and similar contexts. Our programs equip future community development practitioners with the knowledge, skills, and ethical foundation needed to build resilient, inclusive, and self-determined communities.
The department currently offers an Associate Degree in Community Development that provides students with essential understanding of social science theories, community-based development approaches, and participatory methodologies. The curriculum responds directly to the realities of displacement, conflict, and limited resources while emphasizing locally-driven solutions, cultural sustainability, and community empowerment.
Students engage with core concepts in sociology, development studies, human rights, and organizational management, learning to analyze social structures, identify community assets, and facilitate collaborative problem-solving. Through fieldwork, community-based projects, and partnerships with grassroots organizations, students gain hands-on experience in program design, implementation, and evaluation.
Our approach emphasizes participatory development principles, recognizing that sustainable change emerges from within communities themselves. We prepare students to work alongside community members as facilitators and partners rather than external experts, fostering local ownership and building on existing strengths and knowledge systems. Graduates are equipped to serve in roles with community-based organizations, civil society networks, humanitarian agencies, and local governance initiatives.
The department maintains strong connections with community organizations, civil society groups, and development practitioners throughout Karenni State and the wider region. These partnerships ensure our curriculum remains grounded in real-world challenges and opportunities, while creating pathways for students to contribute meaningfully during and after their studies.
Learning Outcomes
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Acquisition of Knowledge and Application: Students demonstrate comprehensive understanding of social science concepts, community development theories, and participatory methodologies, applying them effectively in diverse community contexts.
Critical and Reflective Thinking: Students develop analytical capacities to assess community needs, examine power dynamics, and design context-appropriate interventions that promote equity and social justice.
Effective Communication: Students communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries, facilitating dialogue, building consensus, and presenting ideas clearly to diverse stakeholders including community members, organizations, and institutions.
Community Engagement and Leadership: Students cultivate collaborative leadership skills, working respectfully with communities to identify priorities, mobilize resources, and implement sustainable development initiatives.
Professionalism and Ethics: Students uphold ethical principles including do no harm, cultural humility, accountability, and respect for self-determination in all aspects of community development practice.
Respect for Linguistic & Cultural Diversity: Students recognize and honor the cultural knowledge, traditional practices, and linguistic diversity of Karenni communities, integrating these assets into development approaches that strengthen rather than diminish local identity.
Program Structure
| GEN 101 | Course Name |
| GEN 102 | Course Name |
| GEN 101 | Course Name |
| GEN 102 | Course Name |