Development Studies
Faculty
Description
This course aims to look at development from a critical perspective while at the same time attempts to challenge the conventional view of what development is all about. The central question for the class is to ask what development actually does rather than how it should be. Key ideas to be examined are: poverty, power, technology, uncertainty, and resources. Various view points from social sciences and history will be employed. There is, thus, no particular discipline that one is expected to belong to.
Classes will be conducted in a seminar style while the instructor will add short lectures based on assigned reading. There will be 3 short-papers assigned during the semester, and these will be graded by the fellow students in class. Emphasis will also be placed on giving a clear and inviting presentation. Because there will be a certain amount of required reading to be completed for each class, those students who wish to take this course must be able to spare at least 4 hours each week (the exact amount of time may depend on students’ English capability as well as familiarity with the literature).
A detailed outline of the course will be provided at the first meeting, so interested students are encouraged to participate at the very beginning. In case there are more than 20 students, some selection will be made to keep the number manageable.