COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: PROJECT DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
PIR 343	C	5	3	0	0	3	5

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	M.A. Ada Cara acara@epoka.edu.al
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Elective
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered)	Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time:
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Code of Ethics:	Code of Ethics of EPOKA University Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement:
Course Description:	Students will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of project management, emphasizing their application in social sciences. Topics covered include defining project objectives, scoping, stakeholder analysis, project planning methodologies, resource allocation, and risk management. Through interactive discussions, group exercises, and real-world case studies, students will gain a solid understanding of the project lifecycle and the key principles underlying successful project implementation.
Course Objectives:	Students will develop a comprehensive understanding of project management principles and methodologies. They will gain practical skills in project planning, implementation, and evaluation. Students will be able to analyse the role of projects in addressing social challenges. Through this course students will be able to enhance teamwork, communication, and leadership abilities.

BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE

1	Understanding what constitutes a project, distinguishing projects from routine operations, and defining clear project objectives.
2	Exploring the stages of a project lifecycle, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closure.
3	Identifying and analyzing stakeholders who have an interest in or are affected by the project, and understanding their roles and expectations.
4	Developing a project plan, including defining scope, creating a work breakdown structure (WBS), estimating resources and duration, and scheduling activities.
5	Identifying potential risks that may impact the project, assessing their likelihood and impact, and developing strategies to mitigate or respond to them.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Introduction to Project Management. Overview of course objectives and structure. In this week we will go through the definition and characteristics of a project, the importance of project management in social sciences, as well as, a project lifecycle stages.
2	Project Objectives and Scope. Students will learn about setting clear project objectives and defining project scope. Scope creep and how to manage it. Practical exercise: Defining scope for a sample project.
3	Stakeholder Analysis. Identifying stakeholders. Students will learn about stakeholder mapping and analysis, engaging and managing stakeholders. Case study analysis.
4	Project Planning Methodologies. Students will learn about Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt charts, and timelines. Setting milestones and deliverables. Practical exercise: Creating a WBS.
5	Team Formation and Dynamics. Forming effective project teams. Students will learn about roles and responsibilities in a project team, team dynamics and conflict resolution. Group activity: Role-playing team scenarios.
6	Resource Allocation. This week students will learn about identifying project resources. Resource planning and allocation. Balancing resource constraints. Case study analysis.
7	Budgeting Basics. Students will learn about creating a project budget, cost estimation techniques, managing, and tracking project costs. Practical exercise: Developing a project budget.
8	Risk Management. Students will explore how to identifying project risks, risk assessment and prioritization, as well as developing risk mitigation strategies. Practical exercise: Risk assessment workshop.
9	Midterm exam
10	Project Implementation. This week students will be executing the project plan, monitoring project progress and learning about tools for tracking performance (e.g., PMIS, dashboards). Group discussion: Challenges in project execution.
11	Project Implementation. This week students will be executing the project plan, monitoring project progress and learning about tools for tracking performance (e.g., PMIS, dashboards). Group discussion: Challenges in project execution.
12	Ethical Considerations. This week students will explore ethical issues in project management, legal and regulatory compliance, as well as ensuring transparency and accountability. Group discussion: Ethical dilemmas in project scenarios.
13	Project presentations
14	Project presentations; Review for final exam

Prerequisite(s):
Textbook(s):	Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, 13th Edition, by Harold Kerzner (2022) ISBN: 978-1-119-80537-3 Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager: A FranklinCovey Title, by Kory Kogon, Suzette Blakemore, James Wood (2015) ISBN-10 9781941631102 Project Management Step by Step: How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful Project, by Richard Newton (2016) ISBN-10 1292142197
Additional Literature:
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage:
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	Understand the fundamental principles and concepts of project management within the context of political science and law.
2	Demonstrate proficiency in initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing projects within political science and law domains.
3	Apply project management tools and techniques to define project objectives, scope, and deliverables, and to create comprehensive project plans.
4	Analyze project stakeholders and develop strategies to effectively engage and communicate with them throughout the project lifecycle.
5	Identify potential risks and uncertainties associated with political science and law projects, and develop risk management plans to mitigate or respond to these risks.

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Bachelor in Political Science and International Relations (3 years) Program
1	Having and using advanced knowledge and comprehension supported by textbooks including actual knowledge in political sciences and international relations literature, materials and the other scientific resources.	4
2	Analyzing data, ideas and concepts of current political issues and international relations, determining complex events and topics, making discussions and developing new suggestions in accordance with researches.	5
3	Having knowledge and thought about actual topics and problems together with their historical, social and cultural aspects.	5
4	Introducing those who are interested in politics and international events with the topics of Political Science and IR and teaching clearly the problems and the types of solutions.	4
5	Improving skills of working together with the main social science disciplines and other disciplines which are related to Political Science and International Relations.	5
6	Improving critical thinking and skills in making research independently.	5
7	Developing solutions about the problems and conflicts which are common in national and international arena.	5
8	Improving skills for leadership and research and analyze capacity of those who is responsible with national and international ones.	5
9	Knowing any foreign language enough to communicate with colleagues and understand actual researches and articles.	5
10	Gaining IT skills to use computer and technology) in order to reach actual knowledge.	4
11	Gaining skills to follow societal, scientific and ethic values during collecting, interpreting, conducting of data related to social and political developments.	5
12	Having consciousness about human rights and environment.	4
13	Gaining the skills to follow actual developments and pursue long-life learning.	5

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Midterm Exam(s)	1	20
Presentation	1	10
Project	1	35
Final Exam	1	25
Other	1	10
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	4	64
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	2	32
Mid-terms	1	4	4
Assignments	4	4	16
Final examination	1	5	5
Other	1	4	4
Total Work Load:			125
Total Work Load/25(h):			5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			5

CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER

Students will criticise finished projects from international organisations in a seminar format and present their research in an ethical way.