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Major in International Development and Social Change (B.A.)

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Analyze. Act. Achieve.

According to the International Monetary Fund, approximately 70 percent of all nations are “developing” — characterized by economic vulnerability and high levels of poverty. At Clark, international development and social change (IDSC) majors learn how to bring about positive change by thinking critically, acting collaboratively, and engaging responsibly.

Research and activism are hallmarks of the IDSC experience at Clark, from promoting sustainable development through local action to devising technological solutions to food shortages in developing nations. Our graduates — who have gone on to work for organizations including The World Bank, UNICEF, Care USA, Partners in Health, and the National Democratic Institute — work to create a better world every day.

Why Study International Development and Social Change at Clark?

The International Development and Social Change Path

In the classroom, IDSC majors develop critical analytical skills, explore links between local and global perspectives, and focus on the human and ecological dimensions of sustainability.

The major requires the completion of at least 12 courses. You’ll take five core courses and four in a subfield of international development and social change that interests you. You’ll also complete one methods course, two skills courses, one internship or directed research project, and a capstone seminar.

We encourage you to take courses across programs representing diverse perspectives, including undergraduate classes offered through Clark’s Graduate School of Geography and School of Management. This provides opportunities for you to gain the skills you need to work across the nonprofit, private, government, nongovernmental organization, and research sectors.

Skills you will learn include how to:

  • Read and interpret quantitative and qualitative data
  • Think critically about social, political, cultural, and economic dynamics and relationships
  • Work in teams to apply theory to real-world problems affecting vulnerable groups in Worcester and abroad
  • Address challenges on every level, from a village to the global policy arena
  • Problem-solve, evaluate, implement, monitor and communicate in a logical, organized way
  • Evaluate your own position and intentions to facilitate social change

Academic Achievement Award
The Academic Achievement Award is to an outstanding graduating senior in the IDSC honors program. Criteria for the award include overall GPA, GPA within the major, and quality of the IDSC honors thesis.

Impact Award
The Impact Award is given to a graduating senior in the international development major who has shown personal integrity and has demonstrated leadership and/or collaboration in community service and progressive change.

Theodore Von Laue Undergraduate Prize in International Development
The Theodore Von Laue Undergraduate Prize in International Development was established by Mrs. Theodore (Angela) Von Laue. The award goes to a junior majoring in international development, who has demonstrated accomplishment and commitment to the search for peace, equitable distribution of resources, human well-being, and environmental justice.

During your junior year, you might be accepted into the international development and social change honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors theses topics are:

  • Immigrant Rights in the Climate of Economic Crisis: An Ethnographic Study on Native Public Opinion in Seville, Spain
  • Sex Work and Storytelling: Toward a Feminist Epistemology in Social Science Research
  • Access to and Utilization of Primary Healthcare Services by the African and Latino Immigrant Communities in Worcester, Massachusetts

Building your foundation

The Clark Experience

We structure our curriculum around Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP), which connects classroom learning with action through world and workplace experiences.

Learn More

Explore the Department of Sustainability and Social Justice