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Advanced Issues in Global Development - POL00066H

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  • Department: Politics
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Gideon Baffoe
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

This module is compulsory for all students in the third year of the BA in Global Development and it builds on Foundational Issues in Global Development, Research Skills for Global Development and Challenges in Global Development. You will further and deepen your understanding of theories relevant to global development and explore research strategies to identify, evaluate and apply those theories to a broad range of integrated and practical issues relevant to global development, such as production, food, the role of finance in development, discrimination and poverty. You will delve deeper into important development debates and issues, such as the relationship between development, colonialism, and global capitalism, and also choose specific theories and methodologies to explore and apply more in-depth.

Professional requirements

No professional requirements.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2023-24

Module aims

This module enables you to continue to develop and deepen you understanding of key issues and methods in global development, and the relationship between and among them. You will build on the skills associated with problem-based learning, which you started to develop in Foundational Issues of Global Development. You will continue to develop, and to evidence through your oral and written communication, key skills associated with global development scholarship, including those relating to the undertaking of research, the development of reasoned arguments, the use of evidence, and the practice of critical evaluation. Building on previous modules, you will continue to develop advanced awareness of the linkages between core principles, methods, theories and historical debates that constitute research programmes relevant to global development. You will also continue to reflect on the development of your learning, and to consider strategies and techniques for developing your competence as a scholar.

Module learning outcomes

  • Develop an advanced knowledge of critical development issues and how they intersect in an increasingly globalised world

  • Critically analyse pressing development issues drawing on interdisciplinary knowledge

  • Develop a critical understanding of how to apply advanced theories and frameworks to analyse complex development issues

  • Develop an advanced written and oral communication skills

Module content

Learning in this module builds directly on that in Foundational Issues in Global Development, Research Skills for Global Development and Challenges in Global Development.

Indicative subject content includes: 1) What is Development - Coloniality, decolonization debates, neo-colonialism, 2) Global Governance of Development - Debt Crises. Dependency literature, History of debt crises and domestic and international responses, Global rules for sovereign debt restructuring and international debt relief programs. 3) Social Programs - Financial inclusion, micro-credit, money and banking in development, financial regulation, financial literacy, financialization of poverty 4) Marginalised groups - Indigenous people's rights, human rights, The role of international institutions in securing human rights 5) Sustainability - Global governance of food, agro-business, resource management and extraction, right to food, intellectual property rights in agriculture

Indicative skills include: 1) Working in a group, 2) Leadership skills, 3) Communicate with an advanced level of clarity and precision with student and staff colleagues, 3) Undertake, describe and reflect on advanced research tasks relevant to global development , 4) Analyse and evaluate global development issues in a range of scenarios and suggest solutions to global development problems, 5) Develop reasoned arguments and practice basic critical evaluation in relation to global development, 6) Reflect and draw conclusions on the development of your learning.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Additional assessment information

The group presentations (both formative and summative) will be assessed based on content and structure, as well as the groups' chairing of the session and the provision of constructive feedback to the other group presentation(s).

Reassessment will be required if students fail the whole module. The reassessment will assess core knowledge as well as the initial ability to work in a PBL environment. The latter is done through a shorter reflection piece and the former in a comprehensive essay.

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Essay		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s feedback and guidance hours.

Students will receive written feedback on their summative assessment no later than 25 working days; and the module tutor will hold a specific session to discuss feedback, which students can also opt to attend. They will also have the opportunity to discuss their feedback during the module tutor’s regular feedback and guidance hours.

Indicative reading

Advanced Issues in Global Development forms a part of the problem-based learning component of the Global Development undergraduate program. PBL does not involve the use of 'reading lists' in the conventional sense. However, a range of texts will be presented in a reading guide for students. Some examples of texts that will be included are:

Bateman, Milford, Stephanie Blankenburg, and Richard Kozul-Wright. 2018. The Rise and Fall of Global Microcredit - Development, Debt and Disillusion. Routledge.

Chang, Ha-Joon. 2002. Kicking Away the Ladder: Development Strategy in Historical Perspective: Policies and Institutions for Economic Development in Historical Perspective. Anthem Press.

Gardner, Brian. 2014. Global Food Futures - Feeding the World in 2050. Bloomsbury.

Heron, Barbara. 2007. Desire for Development Whiteness, Gender, and the Helping Imperative. WLU Press.

Mcewan, Cheryl. 2008. Postcolonialism and development. Routledge Perspectives on Development.

Reinert, Erik, Jayati Ghosh, Rainer Kattel. 2016. The Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development.

Roy, Ananya. 2010. Poverty Capital - Microfinance and the Making of Development. Routledge.

Stavenhagen, Rodolfo. 2013. Peasants, Culture and Indigenous Peoples - Critical Issues. Springer.

Swinnen, J. 2018. The Political Economy of Agricultural and Food Policies. Palgrave MacMillan.

Tooze, Adam. 2018. Crashed - How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World. Penguin Books.

World Bank. 2017. World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.