LOND 919 - Doing Good: NGOs as Organizations, as Workplaces, and as Actors

Semester Offered: First Semester
Credits (Range): 4 Hours
Non-governmental organizations are increasingly significant organizational actors. NGOs frequently tackle tasks that for-profit organizations and governments can’t or won’t perform; NGOs attract workers who want more than just a paycheck and volunteers who want to serve others or enact their faith; and NGOs are organized in distinctive ways. We will examine such issues as why NGOs exist in the first place, how NGOs organize to do their work (especially social services, international development, disaster relief, and humanitarian aid), how volunteers change through their involvement in that work, and what kinds of practical and moral dilemmas NGOs encounter in, for instance, humanitarian interventions in militarily unstable contexts. We will visit the local offices of a number of British NGOs, will have staff from NGOs visit class, and may volunteer in local agencies. Enrollment Limit: 25.
Instructor: C. Hunter
Prerequisites & Notes
Sociology 111 recommended.