Power, Participation and Social Change

Achieving social justice in a rapidly changing and increasingly unequal world is a major challenge. On this MA, you’ll tackle this challenge so you can contribute to positive change.

On this course you’ll learn to articulate your understandings of power and participation. You’ll have the opportunity to connect what you learn to what interests you most in the social change arena.

This MA is for you if you’re an aspiring or experienced development practitioner, social activist or professional with some background in social change action through work volunteering or activism.

During your studies, you’ll gain skills, develop ideas and learn methods that help you to:

critically reflect on your own experience, work, and practice learn about different conceptual and methodological approaches to power participation and social change develop your analysis and facilitation skills to support and interpret participatory research and deliberation processes in a range of settings.

World-leaders in development studies The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) delivers world-class research, learning and teaching that transforms the knowledge, action and leadership needed for more equitable and sustainable development globally. IDS is ranked first in the world for development studies, in partnership with the University of Sussex.

Who is the degree for? This MA is for aspiring and experienced development practitioners, social activists, and professionals. Whatever your level of formal experience, we expect you to bring some personal background in social change action, gained through work, volunteering or activism, which you wish to reflect on and analyse during the course. You will also have an interest in critical academic enquiry.