The School of Development Studies (incorporating the Centre for Civil Society) aims to be a world leader in the study of the political economy of development and demography, and in the pursuit through research, training and activism of social and economic justice, both locally and globally.
The School specialises in critical, interdisciplinary analysis of development theory, policy and practice. We offer several post-graduate degrees – by coursework and research – with the rigour, flexibility and currency matching any comparable programme. With expertise in political economy, political ecology,
population studies, social policy and civil society, SDS staff are positioned to critically engage in debates and strategy over development theory and practice, as well to provide critique and alternatives to current orthodoxies. Our orientation to engaging state agencies, NGOs, labour and social movements, business and international institutions makes SDS one of the world’s strongest educational sites for development studies, with unprecedented opportunities for the professional and advocacy training required to engage the world’s major problems.
The antecedents of the School date to the Institute for Social Research established in 1954. In 2004 the School celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting a major international conference on South African development challenges, later published as “The Development Decade: economic and social change in South Africa, 1994-2004” Professor Vishnu Padayachee (ed.), HSRC Press 2005.
A leading centre for research and teaching on development in South Africa, the School also holds an international reputation for the quality of its work and the intellectual rigour with which it applies academic skills to policy challenges. It draws on the specialist knowledge of its researchers, who are nationally and internationally recognised experts in their fields.
The School offers course-work or dissertation Masters degrees in Development Studies and Population Studies. In addition, the School offers a diploma option and has a thesis-based PhD programme.
Contacts
School of Development Studies
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Howard College Campus, 4041 Durban
South Africa
Tel: +27 31 260 2363
Fax: +27 31 260 2359
Email: nzimanden@ukzn.ac.za
Website: www.sds.ukzn.ac.za
Institution working on the following sectors
- HIV/AIDS
- Population & Development
- Poverty Reduction
- Reproductive Health
- Research
Expert in -
- Demography and Population Studies
Working Languages
- English
Total Number of Staff and Trainer
- Staff : 4
- Trainer: 4
Focal Persons
Nompumelelo (Nompu) Nzimande
School of Development Studies
Tel: +27 31 260 2363
Fax: +27 31 260 2359
Email: Nzimanden@ukzn.ac.za;