Spheres of Activities of Nonprofit-Organisations

22M1116

Master

English

5.0

only summerterm

1 semester

This practice-oriented seminar, involving field trips and guest speakers, gives students the opportunity to explore and learn about the various submarkets of the NPO sector. Students are familiarized with the problems, challenges, and specifics in various fields of action of NPOs. In addition to the seminar, students go on a study program-specific field trip during the block week to visit a wide range of NPOs.

The module is part of the specialisation in Fields of Action. Students undertake practice-oriented explorations of specific problems and challenges faced by NPOs in various fields of action (cultural, social, environmental, etc.) at the national, regional, and local levels in cooperation with practical institutions, and analyse and address them with reference to the theoretical knowledge gained.

1. Description of the structures and fields of activity of NPOs in the areas of culture, education, environment, sports, development cooperation, and social affairs
2. History and development trends in the fields of culture, education, sports, environment, social affairs, and development cooperation
3. Description of special institutions and organisations in the aforementioned areas and their management profiles
4. Interested practices: practical experiences of nationally and internationally operating NPOs/NGOs.

The total workload for the module is 150 hours (see also "ECTS credit points and grading").

• Presentation or
• Oral presentation, with written elaboration

Presentation: approx. 10-30 minutes

Report: apporx. 10-30 minutes with a written paper of 5-10 pages.

The requirements are specified in the relevant class.

Participation in Module 1 of the specialisation

Students are familiar with the significance of NPOs operating nationally and internationally in the context of national and regional policies as well as global governance. They discover which nationally, regionally, and internationally operating NPOs are important in selected fields of action. In addition, students know about the practical experiences of various NPOs in different fields of action.

Students are able to demonstrate and justify the benefits of NPO participation in national socio-political decision-making and good governance. In addition, students are able to identify and compare the conclusions drawn from different experiences.

Students are able to analyse the prerequisites for NPOs to operate successfully under different framework conditions. They are able to understand and assess the circumstances and framework conditions of various subsectors of the NPO sector.

Based on their knowledge, students recognize, record, and analyze the activities of NPOs operating nationally, regionally, and internationally. Building on this, they are able to propose solutions for better goal achievement or for the correction of non-compliance, taking into account a systemic approach.

The knowledge gained in the first module of the specialization gives students the theoretical framework needed to be able to assess practical contacts in the “Fields of action” module.

Students present their results orally or in writing, demonstrating the explanatory power of the results. They are responsible for contacting the institutions to be visited, enabling them to familiarize themselves with professional communication.

The students’ contacts and visits to NPO institutions, their assessment of the situation at hand, and their active questioning of the institutions and their managers enable them to operate confidently in the professional environment and to find out which area they might be interested in for their future careers.

The module is directly related to the first and third modules of the specialisation in Fields of Action.

There are also links to most other modules in the Master program, given that topics from all areas of nonprofit management are addressed during the field trip.

• Management in Nonprofit-Organisations M.A. (01.09.2024)

• Birnkraut, Gesa

• Birnkraut, Gesa