AGDK14000U Global Development: Theories, Facts and Current Issues

Volume 2014/2015
Education
MSc Programme in Global Decelopment
Content

Our understanding of globalization and development are constantly evolving. Development theories and policies are adjusted, augmented and replaced as we gain new insights from observing the World. However, there is often more than one interpretation of observed facts. Therefore, it is important to have knowledge of both the facts and the diverse interpretations of these facts within and across the social science disciplines.

 

Global Development: Theories, Facts and Current Issues integrates the concepts and perspectives of the social science disciplines to consider the major trends in modern development. Specifically, the course starts by presenting the classical debates about development and globalization within the social sciences in the post-war period. Subsequently the course takes up current issues for which there is significant disparity in contemporary thinking. The classical debates and contemporary issues are presented and analysed as they are understood and interpreted by anthropologists, political scientists and economists to further discussions and a deeper understanding of development and globalization theories and thinking across the social sciences.

Learning Outcome

After completing the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge

  • Describe the leading development and globalization theories and dominant development thinking and relate this to developments in the various social science disciplines.
  • Show overview of scientific facts and controversies of the selected current development issues based on contemporary research.
  • Understand the importance of measurement and measurement problems in social science development research.


Skills

  • Select relevant theories and methods for analyses of the current development issues covered in the course.
  • Select relevant theories and methods for analyzing development issues that are similar to the current issues covered in the course.
  • Communicate and discuss evidence-based knowledge and theories about current development issues on different levels to researchers, policy makers, media, organizations, and laypersons.


Competences

  • Process relevant information for analysis of current and future global development issues.
  • Evaluate, validate and disseminate evidence-based knowledge and theories about current development issues.
  • Work effectively with cross-disciplinary problems within global development on an individual basis as well as in teams.

 

The format of the course is a combination of lectures and group discussions. Each week there will be a lecture in which core concepts and theories are presented. Every other week there will be seminars with student presentations and discussions in which the students work with data and develop cases to apply and understand the concepts and theories. In addition to the lectures and presentations the students will run a blog in which groups of students write reviews of classical development texts each week. The classical texts will not be part of the core syllabus, but writing at least one blog is a requirement for attending the exam.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Course Preparation
  • 136
  • Exam
  • 12
  • Lectures
  • 28
  • Project work
  • 20
  • Seminar
  • 14
  • Total
  • 210
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination, 12
12 hours take home exam.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam
If you fail an examination, you will be allowed two more attempts to pass the relevant course. The first re-examination will typically be scheduled immediately following the semester (February/August). The second re-examination will typically be scheduled in the following exam period.

In order to contact to sign up for the re-exam please contact Ulla Andersen, ua@samf.ku.dk. You must sign up no later than 14 days before the re-exam date.
Criteria for exam assesment
See 'Learning Outcome'