What is Social Development?
Social Development is an exciting and relevant major for students interested in understanding and addressing situations and issues that impact on the development of human well-being in countries and regions. Students will study an interesting combination of courses which will enable them to understand processes at micro community and macro policy levels that create enabling environments for inclusive development.
Courses for this major include: professional interaction, community connections, the political economy of the social service professions, community and youth development and contemporary social issues.
Social Development focuses on the social and economic conditions that enable people to improve their overall quality of life. People with their diverse needs, customs, values and knowledge systems are considered both the ends and the means of development. Social development is a planned process and aims to promote the well-being of the whole population in conjunction with a dynamic process of fair and inclusive economic development. A human rights approach underpins Social Development and it emphasises community development and developmental social services.
Why Study Social Development?
Social Development is an ideal major to take together with other majors such as Sociology, Social Anthropology, Psychology, or any majors that focus on addressing the social challenges facing people and communities in South Africa, Africa and elsewhere.
A Social Development major provides theory and strategies that can be used to intervene practically and professionally in helping people to reduce poverty, promote social and economic enterprise, to resolve community conflicts and foster youth development and social integration.
Applied skills in designing programmes, projects and strategies for social change are acquired through this major. Social Development is a growing and dynamic field which offers a wide variety of options in terms of making a difference in communities.
Major in Social Development
A major in Social Development equips you with the knowledge and skills to intervene professionally to address some of the many major challenges in Africa, including poverty, HIV/Aids and social insecurity. Social Development also enables professionals to work within governments, non-governmental organisations, international development agencies and the business sector.
As a practitioner in this field, you will acquire the knowledge to work directly with communities, with youth, with women, with families and households in rural and urban areas.
Career opportunities are increasing for Social Development practitioners in the civil service, non-governmental organizations, in international aid and development organisations and in policy advocacy and development.
Requirements for a major in Social Development
[SWK03] First Year
SWK1004S Basic Professional Interaction
SWK1013F Community Connections
Second Year
SWK2001F Introduction to Political Economy and the Foundations of the Social Service
Professions
SWK2013S Community & Youth Development
Third Year
SWK3001F Political Economy of the Social Service Professions
SWK3066S Contemporary Social Work Issues
NOTE: These are the only SWK courses which count towards a general BA or BSocSc degree (as per
rule FB 6.3.3 no other courses and no field practicum courses will count for credit).