About MoDDD

This course introduces the links between development, design and disasters and explores how the design of the built environment can lead to effective post-disaster recovery and disaster risk reduction. You will investigate approaches to design as a development intervention that involves decision-making to both protect investments from the impacts of disasters as well as to prevent disasters from exacerbating the existing risks to communities and assets. You will examine how disasters can impact on development initiatives and investments and how ’mal-development’ can increase disaster risk.  You will analyse different roles through exploring case studies of post disaster recovery and development as well as undertake simulation exercises of ’real world ’responses to such complex situations in multi-disciplinary teams.

In this course you will explore the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets associated with each one. This will be an opportunity to clarify their relevance to your developing professional knowledge, skills and commitments within your specific discipline.

The United Nations’ SDGs provide a practical, solutions-focused vision for local, national and international action to improve social and economic well-being whilst conserving (or wisely managing) the natural resource base upon which all development depends.

You will investigate the nature, scope and purpose of selected SDGs, and develop expertise in sustainability problem-solving using several tools, including Risk Assessment, Systems Analysis, Design Thinking, Systemic Design and Appreciative Enquiry.

You will analyse different perspectives through exploring case studies of communities and organizations working towards one or more SDGs, especially in relation to disaster and climate resilience. You will then have the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to plan a project that uses one or more SDG tools to achieve a chosen SDG target through a ‘real world’ challenge.

This course explores the response and recovery of shelter and settlements after disaster, as well as design strategies that promote sustainability in the context of natural disasters, climate change impacts and conflict. Diverse approaches to designing shelter and planning settlements in disaster-prone or disaster-affected places are investigated at different stages after a disaster and/or crisis, including emergency, transitional and permanent shelter. You will learn how shelter provision by leading humanitarian agencies such as the IFRC and World Vision is provided. Of key focus is the IFRC-led ‘Shelter Cluster System’, established to make post-disaster operations more effective and timely by coordinating the actions of governments and a range of agencies.

You will study how various types of shelter solutions are applied in natural disasters, crises and development situations. You will learn how to effectively plan and coordinate shelter needs assessments, develop strategies and implement plans with international organizations, national authorities, the displaced and the affected population.

In this course you will develop a pre/post disaster or development strategy for a real world scenario project.  You will develop a research project either in a group or individually on appropriate research methodology and investigate it during this course. Through your research project you will explore the links between development, design and disasters, and how the design of the built environment can lead to effective post-disaster recovery and disaster risk reduction. Feedback on your research project will be provided by industry practitioners in leading disaster and international development agencies within the sector.

In this capstone course you will consolidate and apply the knowledge and skills you have developed through the completion of your group or individual-based project commenced in Industry Project (Research). Feedback on your project will be provided by industry practitioners in leading disaster and international development agencies within the sector. Through the implementation of your research project you will determine, evaluate and present your findings. You will also review your contribution to knowledge and practice in the disaster and development field.

This course will focus on post disaster project management. Post-disaster project management is a fast-growing, specialised field which requires high level and sophisticated project management skills and capabilities specific to natural disasters. The objectives of this course are to: introduce you to the specialised field of post disaster management; develop the skills and knowledge required to project manage in a post disaster context, including reconstruction; and apply the tools and techniques specific to post disaster project management.

This is an external online course offered by Oxford Brookes University, UK. Additional costs are involved not included in RMIT tuition fees.

The course is consistent with the widely and internationally accepted concept that sustainable development, rehabilitation and emergencies projects need to be embedded in local cultures. You will learn about what local culture means and how to be truly culture-sensitive? You will understand that cultural sensitivity requires knowledge, skills and competences, but also a positive attitude towards others.

This course will allow you to understand and deal with core issues related to culture, communication, and culture-sensitivity and also to explore issues related to cultural dimensions such as gender, displacement, identity, space and time. Those issues are even more crucial when working in turbulent and violent environments and you will seek answers to questions such as: Is violence creating a new culture, modifying perceptions, values, and attitudes? How should we take into account those changes in our programmes?

You will learn how to mainstream culture and culture sensitivity through all the project cycle, particularly during a feasibility study when assessing community needs and planning participation; during the implementation of a project; and in the end phase when evaluating results and measuring impacts. You will explore the key tools of communication and trust-building for culturally sensitive approaches within teams in conflict areas or with the local population.

This course aims to link academic with practical workplace learning and/or training in the Disaster, Design and Development (DDD) field. It also provides you with the opportunity to further investigate a particular area of scholarship and professional practice in the DDD field.

The course is offered in partnership with industry and may include placements in organizations involved in post-disaster reconstruction, disaster risk reduction or community-based development. It can also involve undertaking training programs with industry partners.

This course provides you with an opportunity to work with NGOs, community groups, local or national government agencies, the private sector, philanthropic groups, foundations or campaigns, particularly committed to development and/or humanitarian assistance issues. You may choose to align your project with your professional work if you are already employed in the sector, or you may conduct the project in conjunction with an organisation that you have a relationship with.

The aim is for you to reflect on and extend your knowledge and skills in professional work situations and develop an applied understanding of DDD industry practices. You will receive feedback from clients and supervisors, develop professional work practices, and experience workplace culture in the humanitarian sector whilst you explore career options and

develop a professional network. You will conduct research to underpin and support your time on placement and to facilitate your own learning.

Placements or training opportunities can be undertaken in an international or national setting. Placements should be between 40 to 80 working days. However, the meaningfulness of the internship is determined less by duration than the quality of the learning experience.

The duration of training programs should be no less than 39 hours contact and will need to be approved by the program manager.

In this course, you will explore communication in global social change contexts. Topics may include sustainability, public health, disaster management, infrastructure development, energy production and the development of genetically modified foods.

You will investigate how communication can be used to enhance public participation in decision making, empower communities, and disseminate organisational and local knowledge to facilitate dialogue between stakeholders. You will work with various industries and groups to apply participatory communication techniques within the context of your own discipline and industry.

Disasters and humanitarian crises are increasing in duration, complexity and impact. This course develops your understanding and basic skills relating to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery for a wide range of emergencies. You will engage in contemporary theoretical debates and the practical application of tools and strategies to real and imagined emergency scenarios.

You will learn how crises amplify inequality and poverty, and about their uneven impacts on economies, livelihoods and stability. In addition to addressing the diverse actors affected by and responding to crises, you will learn about the political and social contexts in which crisis and recovery take place.

This course is designed to enhance your knowledge and understanding of key urbanisation challenges confronting cities in the Asia-Pacific region, as they pursue more sustainable development whilst competing in the global economy. Urbanisation is making people living in Asia Pacific, more vulnerable to climate change impacts, posing threats to global sustainable development goals.

Through the use of both theoretical texts and real-life case studies, you will challenge the framing of terms such as poverty , slums , resilience and nature-based solutions . It is anticipated that you will develop critical evaluation skills to understand a context from a systems perspective, be able to empathise with the locals and able to create strategies and/or recommendations to address some of the identified challenges for a nominated case study city.

In this course you will address issues associated with UN Sustainability Goals such as SDG 1 (reduce poverty), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities), SDG 13 (climate action).

This course will focus on post disaster project management. Post-disaster project management is a fast-growing, specialised field which requires high level and sophisticated project management skills and capabilities specific to natural disasters.

The objectives of this course are to: introduce you to the specialised field of post disaster management; develop the skills and knowledge required to project manage in a post disaster context, including reconstruction; and apply the tools and techniques specific to post disaster project management.

This is an external course offered by Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain. Additional costs are involved not included in RMIT tuition fees.

This course incorporates projects related to topics which offer students the opportunity to apply different tools and strategies in accordance to diverse approaches and contexts. The common objective is recognising and valuing the main arguments that are the foundation of contemporary urban regenerating and growth projects in the global south. Themes addressed include: international cooperation, sustainable urban development, community participation and human settlements. The methodological approach incorporates analysis, diagnosis and strategic guidelines or proposals at the urban scale.

You will learn to provide useful analysis and feedback that can serve clients in the processes of monitoring, evaluating, reforming and innovating plans, programs, policies and/or projects. You will acquire scientific knowledge based on international research and perspectives from different sectors that contribute to a global vision on sustainable urbanism and development.

The course is field-based and includes a field visit to a developing country, where you will gain knowledge from the actual situation on the ground and from local experts and organisations. A series of guided learning experiences are structured around the field visit.

This course is primarily concerned with challenging narrow disciplinary thinking about the role of different knowledges, cultures and lifeworlds in development, planning, security and disaster management discourses and practices.

It aims to nurture the practice of deep reflexivity and critical thinking as transformative modes of inquiry and learning; understanding that the nature of the intercultural discourse is, at its core, ideological, epistemological and political. However, identifying a difference of perspective is much more complex than it may appear. The course explores reciprocal dialogue and meaning produced by relations between ways of knowing, cultural processes, people and places. It draws insights from deep ecology, decolonial theory, sensuous philosophies, literary and critical theory, performance, theories of marginality and difference, landscape urbanism, political ecology, environmental justice, and diverse ontologies and cosmologies on human and more-than-human relationships.

In this course you will critically examine a wide range of readings, case studies, and visual material to think more broadly about the construction of plural, non-hierarchical, reciprocal and enriching discourse, practice and action to address the complex local and global inter-cultural challenges.

The course will, most importantly, provide you with the practical insights and skills to engage reflexively about your own knowledge, positionalities and cultural histories and how these relate to your self-identity, your work/vocation and the engagement with the world around you.

This course is designed to introduce you to the intricacies of international law and the relevance of international legal instruments to development practice. In international development settings you must grapple with the immediate demands of aid delivery while at the same time strive to uphold humanitarian principles even where both objectives appear to be in conflict.

As a practitioner, you must also learn to navigate through the sensitive interface between national laws and international humanitarian law. This course examines the essential features of key international legal documents, from the Universal Declaration to The Hague and the Geneva Conventions, the Law of the Sea, transnational crime conventions, biodiversity treaties and other environmental laws. It then goes on to analyse the application of these laws in developed and developing countries.

You will explore how the dynamics of interstate relations frequently confound international norms and how the uncomfortable expediencies of conflict and post-conflict environments often compel development professionals to act unlawfully.