The aim of this first module is to investigate the application of communication for development within development cooperation organisations. Communication for Development is a broad field and the definition of the term is contested. During this module you are encouraged to survey the field of communication for development, and its varying definitions, and examine how they might apply to the communication processes or media development work that is evident within specific development cooperation organisations. In this first part of the course Communication and Development Cooperation we ask that you examine ComDev as a field of both theory and practice and the institutional context within which it exists. In this way it is hoped that an examination of communication for development becomes a lens through which to examine some of the broader debates within Development Cooperation.

There are three assignments for this first module. You can read comprehensive instructions for each using the links below.

All assignments demand strong engagement with the course literature. Communication for Development is a field of both theory and practice, and interrogation of the practical application of Communication for Development should always be placed within the relevant theoretical frameworks.

Literature - Communication and Development Cooperation

Additional Literature and Online Resources for Organization Analysis

Key Questions:

At what different levels are communication processes evident within development cooperation?
How useful are terms such as communication for advocacy, communication for social change or media for development for analysing the Communication for Development work within Development Cooperation organisations?
How are distinctions between “Communicating for Development” and “Communicating About Development” useful when analysing communication work within an institutional context?
Which specific theories of development or communication inform or underpin the communication for development work of specific development cooperation organisations? How are problems defined? What are the solutions prescribed?
How does the institutional context of development cooperation influence the application of communication for development? Who defines objectives? Who is in charge of implementing it? What are the timeframes (and why)?
What insights can a political economy perspective offer into the analysis of communication for development, its application and institutional context? Who pays? Who benefits? Who is ignored? Who gets hurt?