Develops knowledge and key skills necessary for conducting strategic analysis, decision making, and evaluation in the context of a ‘learning organization’ that is engaged in planning for complex social change. With donors and communities expecting results, and social-purpose organizations often working with uncertain long-term funding, competent planning is critical. The course will address how to establish innovative goals and processes, and project an ethical and accurate image of the organization, yet manage expectations that align with limited resources. Participants will be introduced to the processes of performance monitoring and evaluation, enabling them to assess the impact of organizational decision making and operations, and to revise decision making accordingly.
Develops understanding of global communities in their relationships to wider social, cultural, historical, political and economic settings, factors, and ideas. Students connect theories and practices in global community development to the shifting social, political, and economic environments that shape people’s lives in the global North and South. Participants explore the centrality of the concept of globalization and the integration of local and global forces. They develop and apply global literacy in a number of domains: political, economic, cultural, moral, organizational, and spiritual/religious.
Examines community development from a global perspective as it is practiced in different settings in the world. This includes examining global issues and a spectrum of community-development models, ranging from structured external models to grassroots initiatives originating from within a community (e.g., community movements). Students critically analyze the applicability of various models to specific contexts in different geographic locations; as well as apply their evolving understanding of different community development approaches to real-life contexts. Using current global community challenges and real-world challenges in which they themselves are involved, students explore how different community development approaches can work in a complementary fashion to optimize results at the community level.
Examines tensions and conflicts that arise from the multidimensional and intersectional nature of globalized communities. Using a range of examples from different geographic locations, analyzes how political, economic, cultural, moral, organizational and/or spiritual/religious goals can compete with one another. Participants learn to understand contemporary tensions in their historic contexts and how conflicts can be transformed constructively. Through analyses of selected models and strategies applied at the community level, students develop an understanding of community-based approaches to harness tensions and conflicts, and how to engage in relationships with a global leadership perspective.
This course provides you with a critical journey engaging planetary health leadership from transdisciplinary, (for example integral), health equity, Indigenizing perspectives and approaches. The units provide you with an overview of the current realities and the systemic relationships, drivers, and impacts propelling planetary health movements. You will apply case studies, examining complexities and engaging global challenges in different fields of planetary health. You will develop the capacities to convene ethical spaces, centering Indigenous, together with Western science in Two-Eyed Seeing. Your foundational reflexivity and integration will be cultivated through land based and community dialogue in class conversations.
The course places the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) in a social, political, and global context. Integrating theories, empirical research, and diverse perspectives, the course focuses on key challenges that the adoption and adaptation of AI pose to global leadership in the fourth industrial revolution. The main scope of the course is to build understanding of how ethics, technology, and culture play into social development, adaptation, and change, while considering inequities and asymmetrical relations. The course proposes hands-on innovative approaches to understanding these challenges and finding solutions that are operationally sound in local to global contexts, systems thinking oriented, ethically and politically aware, and culturally sensitive.
Focuses on principles and design of program and policy evaluation to facilitate development, learning and change initiatives in the global context of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Critical are theories and principles of leadership, systems thinking, stakeholder engagement, and organizational learning, taking into consideration social, economic, cultural, and geo–political contexts. The course presents different models for using evaluative processes to provide clarity on program goals and operations, generate evidence on outcomes and what is working, and to guide new directions and improve impact. Different system paradigms and evaluation designs are identified in terms of theoretical and practice assumptions and implications.
Provides an in-depth examination of the complex and evolving conceptions of leadership in extraordinary times. Examines major leadership theories and perspectives in current literatures through an intersectional and social inclusion lens to critically reflect on and understand challenges and opportunities facing today’s leaders. Critical reflection on leadership literature and students’ own worldviews, conceptions, and experiences of leadership will ground students’ studies throughout the program.
Examines key leadership related challenges facing health leaders working in health systems and explores considerations for health systems renewal and transformation in practice. In this course, students with leadership experience and a health professions background explore health systems challenges they are currently experiencing through different perspectives and orientations to identify possibilities for health systems renewal, transformation, or change. Throughout the course, health systems leaders engage with students to share their perspectives and insights about critical facets of health systems renewal and transformation and engage in meaningful dialogue.
Students with leadership experience and a health professions background, explore and address widespread racism and discrimination towards Indigenous and racialized People in healthcare and the direct link to health disparities and outcomes. The course begins by establishing a baseline of knowledge and skills around systemic racism, colonization, and discrimination and creates a supportive container for learning. Draws connection between yourself, your identities, and the land, and considers how you interact with systems. Finally, considers what it means to have an ‘anti-racist or equity stance’ and what attitudes, behaviours, and skills demonstrate both awareness and action.