International Development in Practice I

International Development in Practice I: What Works in Development? (POLS 30595) aspires to develop relevant knowledge and practical skills for students interested in engaging in positive change in a complex world. In this course, students will:

1. Examine processes for understanding individual and societal change in an international context;

2. Explore the roles, complexities, opportunities and constraints of development projects in areas such as poverty reduction, social development, health and education; and,

3. Develop practical skills related to project design, planning, design thinking, management, negotiations, communications, and the evaluation of international development projects.

International Development in Practice II

The Advanced Topics and Applications—International Development and Design Thinking (POLS 30596) seminar builds on the knowledge and practical skills developed in POLS 30595, International Development in Practice I: What Works in Development? Students and I are co-creators of the course. In the first 30% of the course, each student will be part of a team to design one of the modules (2, 3 or 4). In the rest 70% of the course, students will lead one class session within the module while working in a Development Advisory Team with a real-world "client" organization to take learning into practice.

The Innovative Approaches to Development  (POLS 30596 - IDS 30539 - CE 30710) seminar is a highly interactive class, where instructors and students will engage in creating and teaching a new course. This course will serve as a prototype for the first semester of the Integration Lab for Global Affairs, the first in a sequence of four Integration Lab courses in the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Master in Global Affairs. The class will create an innovative curricular space and ecosystem that connects theory and practice, integrating knowledge across different disciplines and professions.

What is a Development Advisory Team (DAT)? 

A major component of International Development in Practice classes revolves around the Development Advisory Teams (DATs). In groups of 3 to 5, students serve as consultants to international development organizations on a specific problem or opportunity. In 12 weeks, students are in regular communication with their clients and engage in research for “best practices.” At the end of the semester, students present their results to the class and offer concrete recommendations to their client organizations. The generosity of Notre Dame donors allow opportunities for students to apply for funds to travel and work with their organization in the field or present their final recommendations in person at an international site. 

51 Organizations  | 31 Countries | 106 Development Advisory Teams

“Spring 2023 Partners Denoted by Gold Drop Pins”

Fall 2020 Development Advisory Team Projects

The 13 students in the Spring 2018 class on International Development and Design Thinking explored the essentials of design thinking, connected these tools with real international development challenges, and taught their own class as well.  

Each student wrote a blog post that explores some aspects of design thinking and/or international development process, reflects on the experience of teaching, or examines their experience working with a real-world development client. 

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Steve Reifenberg is the co-director of the Keough School's Integration Lab and faculty fellow of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Before coming to Notre Dame in February 2010, Steve worked for nearly two decades on international educational, negotiation and development issues at Harvard University. From 1996 to 2002, he served as the Executive Director of Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS). In 2002, he established Harvard’s first-ever, university-wide office overseas in Santiago, Chile, an office that he directed for seven years.  He was the former Program Director for Latin America of the Conflict Management Group (CMG) and served as the Director of the Edward S. Mason Program in Public Policy and Management, jointly administered by the Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Institute for International Development.