Community Organization, Community Work and Social Action

By Prof. Qurratul Aein Ali | Aligarh Muslim University

Learners enrolled: 740 | Exam registration: 95

ABOUT THE COURSE:

Community Organization, Community Work, and Social Action is a fundamental course in Social Work that explores the principles, strategies, and practices used to mobilize communities and drive social change. This course examines the methods and techniques essential for effective community organization, empowering learners to engage with communities, identify their needs, and work collaboratively toward common goals. Through a combination of theoretical frameworks and practical applications, learners will gain skills to advocate for social justice, facilitate community development, and implement impactful social action initiatives. This course prepares future social workers for community development to be proactive agents of change, fostering sustainable and inclusive communities.

Objectives of the course:

To gain a thorough understanding of community structures, dynamics, and the issues that affect them.
To develop the capacity to identify and effectively address the diverse needs within communities.
To advocate for social justice and promote policy change through informed and strategic approaches.
To design and implement effective community work, community development, and social action programs that foster sustainable change.
To acquire knowledge and skills in Participatory Research Methodologies (PRA/PLA techniques) for engaging communities in the research and sensitisation process.
To cultivate competencies in Development Communication, including Social Marketing and Behavior Change Communication (BCC/SBCC), to enhance community awareness and capacity building.

INTENDED AUDIENCE:

UG, PG, Ph.D., from any discipline.
The course is also so relevant for NSS volunteers, Professionals in the development sector, (NGOs, GOs, international agencies, Philanthropic endeavours, and for CSR initiatives), any Independent Volunteers

PREREQUISITES: Intermediate from any stream

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: NGOs, GOs. International agencies, CSR etc.

Summary

Course Status :	Ongoing
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	12 weeks
Category :	Sociology
Credit Points :	4
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	20 Jan 2025
End Date :	11 Apr 2025
Enrollment Ends :	03 Feb 2025
Exam Registration Ends :	28 Feb 2025
Exam Date :	25 Apr 2025 IST

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

Week 1: Basic concept of the Community

• Community Construct: Sociological perspective and Social Work Perspective Social construct; and emerging new communities, Types of Communities

Week 2: Community Dynamics

• Community Dynamics, Integrative and Disintegrative processes in the community, Community Power structure: Leadership: Definitions, types and qualities; Theories of leadership.

Week 3: Community Work
• Community for Community Work; The Changing Nature of Community; Definition Components, Objectives, Nature, Values, Process & Skills of The Community Work; Problem Solving Strategies; History of Community Work

Week 4: Social Work Practice Across Levels

• Continuum from micro, mezzo to macro practice in social work; Social Justice; Human Rights; Expression of Social Justice & Human Rights as a Value of Social Work; Social Justice/ Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice

Week 5: Foundations & Approaches to Community Development

• Community Development Concept, Objectives & Historical Emergence; Principles of Community Development; Community Capital & Community Development; Approaches to Community Development

Week 6: Introduction to Community Organization

• Community organization: Meaning, objectives, Basic Assumptions, Nature & Principles; value orientation of community organization; Skills and techniques of Community Organization

Week 7: Community Organization: History & Approaches
• Theoretical Perspectives; Strategies, Approaches and Models of Community Organization; Historical development of Community organization; Roles of Community Organizer

Week 8: Introduction to Social Action:

• Concept, Objectives, Elements, Features, Principles, Types, Skills, Strategies, Models, of social action; Social Action and Social Reform; Social Action—Alinsky & Gandhi

Week 9: Social Action: Methods, Evolution, and Impact in India

• Social Action as a Method of Social Work; Evolution of Social Action in India;Social Action in The Indian Context (Adapted from John Samuel); Radical Social Work: Saul Alinsky’s and Paulo Freire’s Methods; Process of Social Action, Scope of Social Action in India

Week 10: Introduction to Community Participation

• Types, Objectives, Importance, Principles, Philosophy & Dimensions of Community / People’s Participation; PRA/PLA techniques: Meaning, Concept, Origins, Benefits, Guidelines, & Principles

Week 11: PRA/PLA Techniques

• Classification, Attributes & Use of the PRA/PLA techniques; Tools of the of PRA/PLA techniques: Social Mapping, Resource Mapping, Transect Walk, Mobility Diagram; Trend Analyses, Daily schedule/calendar, Seasonality diagram; Venn Diagram/chapatti diagram, Indigenous Technology knowledge (ITK) map, Wealth ranking, Force Field Analysis

Week 12: Introduction to Communication & Development Communication

• Communication: Concept and significance for the community work; Concept, Elements, Barriers, 7 Cs & Models of communication; Development communication: Concept, roles, Philosophy, and strategies of DC; different types: Development Support Communication (DSC); BCC/SBCC, IEC, Social Marketing; Resource mobilization, Social Capital, Networking, Involvement of Groups & Coordination

Books and references

Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality: A treatise in the sociology of knowledge. New York: Anchor Books.
Brenda, D., & Miley, K. K. (1992). Social work: An empowering profession. Allyn & Bacon Pub: Boston.
David, A. H., & Patricia, R. P. (2004). Community practice: Theories and skills for social workers. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gangrade, K. D. (1997). Community organisation in India. New Delhi: Popular Prakashan.
H. Y. Siddiqui. (1997). Working with communities. New Delhi: Hira Publications.
H. Y. Siddiqui. (1984). Social work & social action. New Delhi: Har Nam Publication.
Ledwith, M. (2005). Community development: Critical approaches. Jaipur: Rawat Publications.
Meenai, Z. (2007). Participatory community work. New Delhi: Concept Publications.
Miller, D. (2012). Understanding Community. Routledge.
McPhail, T. L. (Ed.). (2009). Development communication: Reframing the role of the media. Wiley-Blackwell.
Melkote, Srinivas. (1991). Communication for Development in the Third World, New Delhi: Sage Publications
Nayak, A. (2006). Community and Identity in Contemporary India: A Study of Changing Patterns. Concept Publishing Company.
Putnam, Robert D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.
Popple, P. R., & Stepney, P. (2008). Social work: A community approach. Palgrave Macmillan.
Ross, M. G. (1955). Community organization: Theory, principles, and practice. Harper and Row.
Taylor, S. H., & Roberts, R. W. (1985). Theory and practice of community social work. Columbia University Press.
Vogl, C. (2016). The art of community: Seven principles for belonging. Berkeley, CA: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Instructor bio

Prof. Qurratul Aein Ali

Aligarh Muslim University

Dr. Qurratul Aein Ali is an Assistant professor in the department of Social Work, AMU. She has over 14 years of teaching experience. Her academic experiences revolve around in teaching, curriculum development, research, proposal writing, supervision and field activity. With extensive experience in the development sector, she has worked in community development, microfinancing/SHGs, HIV/AIDS, and family planning.

Currently, she serves as a Program Officer in NSS, Aligarh, and has conducted four impact assessment studies for CSR projects funded by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. Dr. Ali has delivered numerous invited talks on topics like community outreach, Functional Literacy, maternal health, and mental health etc. She authored a book, and has published several research papers in various reputed journals and books with research interests in migration, maternal health, development communication, and community work.

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.

The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).

Date and Time of Exams:April 25, 2025 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.

Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.

The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.

Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 8 assignments out of the total 12 assignments given in the course.

Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

Please note that assignments encompass all types (including quizzes, programming tasks, and essay submissions) available in the specific week.

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of INI and AMU.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- INI team