Our Courses
CTPCLC offers a Minor Programme and a Certificate Programme. Here are the courses offered by the Centre. Explore our website to find out more!
Level 1000
CLC1101: Engaging and Building Communities
Units: 4 (core course)
Workload: 0-3-0-5-2
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): CLC2101
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of community development (i.e., engagement of communities and to become empowered agents of social change). The community development models and frameworks that would be discussed in the course may include asset-based community development; community capitals framework; networking approach to community development; community empowerment models; sustainable livelihoods models; and radical community development. Students would develop competencies in applying qualitative research techniques that can be used to map communities. Additionally, students would be exposed to community participation, consensus building and design thinking techniques that can be adopted to generate solutions to community issues.
This course is a pre-requisite for CLC2203.
This course is also offered as a General Education course under the Communities and Engagement pillar from AY2022-23.
Level 2000
CLC2201: Community Development Practicum I
[Please note that this course is only applicable to cohorts 2018/2019 and 2019/2020]
Units: 4 (core course)
Workload: 0-0-0-8-2
Pre-requisite(s): CLC1101 (or CLC2101) and CLC2202 (or taken concurrently with CLC2202)
Preclusion(s): CLC2201 Community Development Practicum
This Practicum course allows CTPCLC Certificate or Minor students to conduct a modest 4-unit field research that will enable them to develop a deeper understanding of the community they have identified as a site for their study. Students may opt to partner with a specific organization to conduct the field research under the guidance of a CTPCLC academic staff, and in the process of this 3-way partnership, help to address the organization’s challenges and/or knowledge gaps.
As an alternative, in studies where an organizational partner is not easily available, students may also opt, in consultation with a CTPCLC academic staff, to conduct research on a significant social issue that can fulfil the learning outcomes of the practicum course. These outcomes include understanding how to conduct scholarly research ethically and responsibly (e.g., through the deployment of quantitative and/or qualitative research methods), engagement with scholarly literature, performing critical analysis, and drawing conclusions and articulating potential recommendations.
CLC2202: Research Methods for Community Development
Units: 4 (core course)
Workload: 0-3-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): CLC1101 or (CLC2101); for cohort 2019/2020 and earlier | Nil; for cohort 2020/2021 onwards
Preclusion(s): Nil (but exemption will be granted for Sociology and Social Work Major students who have already read SC2101 and SW3101 as part of their Major requirements)
This course provides students with a foundational understanding of both qualitative and quantitative research methods useful in community settings, including observations, interviews, focus group discussions, surveys, experiments, community mapping, community narratives, participatory action research, appreciative inquiry, as well as techniques for programme and process evaluations. The course will guide students on research design and execution within the context of a community project, including data collection, data analysis, and dissemination of results.
This course is a pre-requisite to CLC2203.
CLC2203: Community Development Practicum I
[Please note that this course is only applicable to cohorts 2020/2021 onwards]
Units: 8 (core course)
Workload: 0-0-0-16-4
Pre-requisite(s): CLC1101 (or CLC2101) and CLC2202 (or taken concurrently with CLC2202)
Preclusion(s): CLC2201 Community Development Practicum
As social service organisations in Singapore move towards evidence-based practice, there is need to conduct field research to better understand the communities that they work with, and to assess the impact of their community development programs. Students will partner with specific organisations to conduct the field research through this practicum, and in the process, address the organisations’ knowledge gaps and help the organisations to run more impactful community development programs.
This course takes place over 2 semesters, from August each year till May the following year.
CLC2204: Community Development with Youth
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-3-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
This course introduces students to the approaches for youth and communities to achieve the twin aims of youth development and community development. We explore various community-based theories, frameworks and practices of youth participation and engagement, including: Community Youth Development, youth-adult partnership, youth leadership, youth empowerment, youth-led community organising, youth philanthropy, youth-led research. The applications of these concepts in social issues concerning youth in Singapore and elsewhere, as well as their possible impacts and challenges, shall also be examined in this course.
This course is also offered as a General Education module under the Communities and Engagement pillar from AY2022-23.
Level 3000
CLC3301: Communicating Social Issues in Singapore (currently not offered)
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-3-0-5-2
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
Rooted in the discipline of community development, the course aims to cover various frameworks including community-based participatory approaches, the diffusion approach, and community development models and frameworks. These core principles help students think about the practices and theories of communicating for social change and allows students to critically engage with the approaches of development communication. Development communication focuses on the communication processes of social development. Fundamentally, communication for social change and community participation are understood from the perspectives of social marketing, social mobilisation, entertainment-education, media advocacy, information dissemination, and behaviour change. More specifically, the literature behind participatory approaches of the social process of communication that impact the community development process will be highlighted. The course will be tailored for the Singapore context where core elements of the theorising will be applied to various social issues in Singapore.
CLC3302: Diversity and Inclusion
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-3-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
As the world becomes increasingly globalised, the need to understand the theory and practice of diversity and inclusion becomes an imperative. This course introduces students to fundamental concepts, theories and frameworks related to diversity and inclusion. Students will develop awareness about themselves and how they relate to the world around them (especially as it relates to their prejudices and biases). Students will also be exposed to the issues of diversity and inclusion at the global, national, and organisational level, and learn strategies to manage that diversity.
CLC3303: Community Leadership
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-3-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
This course introduces students to the theory and practice of community leadership. Students will be exposed to basic leadership theories, models and frameworks including transformational leadership, transactional leadership, servant leadership, as well as contingent models of leadership. Students will also learn concepts related to community leadership such as power, culture, and conflict in the community. Finally, students will develop critical competencies in leading and managing in the community such as influence and persuasion, negotiation, communication, empathy, and empowerment.
This course is also offered as a General Education course under the Communities and Engagement pillar from AY2022-23.
Special Topics in Community Development & Leadership is specifically tailored for students to explore specific hot button issues pertaining to community development. This may include topics like migration, inequality, ageing, diversity, integrated care issues, and so on. The course aims to advance knowledge and skills on key issues of local interest and aims to offer students a wide range of topics relevant for students interested in pursuing praxis-oriented research and service for communities.
CLC3304A: City, Culture and Community
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 3-0-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
How does life in a city affect our sense of community and personal well-being? What are the problems and possible solutions to community-related problems in cities?
Presently, more than half of the world’s communities live in cities. The lives of many people, therefore, are often tied to the various spaces that they encounter within the confines of a city. Adopting an introductory and accessible approach that combines scholarly perspectives with everyday examples, this course examines the relationship between urban settings in a city and the communities existing within it. Particular attention on the social-cultural and economic dimensions that influence a person’s lived experience will be explored as part of integration and engagement issues within a community. This will be complemented by case studies in Singapore and beyond whenever relevant, providing a practical and comparative approach to understanding the challenges of community building in cities.
This course is also offered as a General Education course under the Communities and Engagement pillar from AY2023-24 Semester 2.
CLC3305: Community development Practicum II
[Please note that this course is only applicable to cohorts 2018/2019 and 2019/2020]
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-0-0-8-2
Pre-requisite(s): CLC1101, CLC2201 and CLC2202 or the recognised methods courses SC2101 or SW3101; For CLC Minor students only
Preclusion(s): Nil
This course is a follow-up from CLC2201 Community Development Practicum I, that offers students the opportunity to partner with specific organisations to conduct field research on community or social issues. Students interested either in exploring a different issue, or extending their research in CLC2201 may undertake this course.
CLC3306: Community Development Practicum II
[Please note that this course is only applicable to cohorts 2020/2021 onwards]
Units: 8 (elective)
Workload: 0-0-0-16-4
Pre-requisite(s): CLC2203 Community Development Practicum I; For CLC Minor students only
Preclusion(s): Nil
This course is a follow-up from CLC2203 Community Development Practicum I, that offers students the opportunity to partner with specific organisations to conduct field research on community or social issues. Students interested either in exploring a different issue, or extending their research in CLC2203 may undertake this course. Practicum II may be a separate project addressing a different issue from Practicum I; OR may be an extension (Phase 2) to Practicum I.
This course takes place over 2 semesters, from August each year till May the following year.
CLC3307: Learning for Social Change
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-3-0-4-3
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
What does it mean to be literate in order to participate meaningfully in contemporary society? How does one facilitate such literacy learning in the community to promote inclusivity and empowerment? This course addresses these issues, by focusing on Singapore and introducing students to various community-based approaches to literacy. We will examine different communities’ experiences, knowledge, spaces and power relations, and consider the implications of these contextual factors for participatory literacy education and partnerships. Apart from English literacy, we shall explore other literacies, including digital literacy, financial literacy and death literacy.
This course is also offered as a General Education course under the Communities and Engagement pillar from AY2023-24 Semester 2.
CLC3308: Entering the Field: People, Places & Practices
Units: 4 (elective)
Workload: 0-3-0-3-4
Pre-requisite(s): Nil
Preclusion(s): Nil
This course focuses on applying a grounded approach to study community issues in Singapore through ethnographic methods. Students will be introduced to key concepts, and will learn through observations of public spaces to acquire an understanding of the lived realities, dynamics, challenges and resources that define specific (sub) communities in Singapore.
Other Recognised Courses
Recognised Courses from other Departments
Up to 8 units of courses (from electives) may be used to meet the requirements of both the Minor programme and the student’s own Major programme.
NUS School of Business
MNO2705 Leadership and Decision Making under Uncertainty
MNO3702 Negotiation and Conflict Management
MNO3715 Leading Groups and Teams
MNO3811 Social Entrepreneurship
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
LAB1201 Bahasa Indonesia 1
LAB2201 Bahasa Indonesia 2
LAC1201 Chinese 1
LAC2201 Chinese 2
LAM1201 Malay 1
LAM2201 Malay 2
NM3234 Leadership, Organizations and New Media
SC2101 Methods of Social Research
SC3209 Data Analysis in Social Research
SC3221 Qualitative Inquiry
SW3101 Social Work Research Methods
SW3105 Community Work Practice
Yale-NUS College
YSS3202 Ethnography