COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LIST- POLI 242: INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

Course Outline

POLI 242 Introduction to Development Studies (2018)

Course Description and Objectives

The course discusses the origins of the idea of development in human societies and the different assumptions and interpretations associated with development. It includes changes in development thinking and practice from the 1950s to the present. It will also identify and discuss the key issues that underpin promotion and practice of development and the role of education in the processes involved.

By the end of the course, students would have developed skills in:

• Gathering, organising and using information from a variety of sources;
• Developing reasoned arguments underpinned by evidence and critical judgement
• Communicating effectively and fluently, orally and in writing

·         Working independently, showing initiative, self-organisation and time management.

The main topics covered in the course include the following:

·         What is Development: Economic, Social, Political, Technological; Cultural Change, etc.

·         Development Aid: Institutions; Impact; Consequences on State sovereignty and Dignity, etc.

·         The Washington Consensus and Structural Adjustment Programmes (1980s): The topic discusses the economic stagnation and developmental retrogression the occurred in several developing countries in the 1980s, which saw extensive erosion of development gains made by the Third World regarding employment, health, nutrition and education. The Washington Consensus, which culminated in the introduction of Structural Adjustment Programmes in debtor countries, mostly developing ones, is discussed (Stiglitz, 2002; Mayo, 2008).

·         The Good Governance Agenda and Political freedoms (1990s): Responses to the development challenges from the 1970s and 1980s, such as the human development agenda set forth by the United Nations in 1990, are discussed. For example, the assertion by the UN that the focus of development must be people, and must lead to a long healthy life, acquisition of knowledge and access to resources needed for a decent standard of living (UNDP 1990:10).

·         Capability Approach to Development: topics include instrumental freedoms such as political freedoms, economic facilities, social opportunities, transparency guarantees, and protective security, within the framework of good governance.

·         Poverty Reduction Programmes: It discusses the issues concerning debt forgiveness, and the introduction of Poverty Reduction Strategies as key development programmes in most developing countries that subscribed to the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

·         Development as Human Security discusses the provision of human safety nets for the poor, disadvantaged and underprivileged populations in society. It also discusses protections for minority groups, livelihood support strategies and the promotion of human rights. The United Nations Human Development Index that ranks the performance of countries according a set of criteria will be discussed.

·         The Millennium Development Goals: Discussion of Eight (8) development goals and targets that were agreed by governments around the world to achieve from 2000 to 2015; and how countries performed in the achievement of these goals and targets.

·         Sustainable Development Goals: Discussion of Seventeen (17) development goals with targets agreed by governments in September 2015, to be achieved by the year 2030.

·         Environment and Development: Sustainability; Protection; Climate change.

Teaching and Assessment arrangements:

The course will be taught mainly through lectures, discussions and readings that students will be expected to do. 13 Lecture sessions are planned to cover the various topics in this course. Lectures are compulsory and attendance will be checked against the official register. Students who attend less than 75% of the lectures will be removed from the course.

Assessment will follow the standards set by the University of Education, Winneba and the Department of Political Science Education. This will include continuous assessments and a final examination. Failure to complete the continuous assessments automatically disqualifies any student from writing the final examination. The continuous assessment carries 40 marks and final exam carries 60 marks. However, the overall pass mark is 50 out of 100 marks.

Plagiarism

The University regards cheating and plagiarism and other instances of academic malpractice with the utmost seriousness.

Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work as your own. Work means any intellectual output, and typically includes text (including lecture notes and handouts) data, images, sound or performance, or any combination of these.

The significance of plagiarism is that assessments are only of any use if the work you submit is your own: to present the work of others is dishonest. You may use information that you gather from journals, books, the internet, websites, lectures or other teaching sessions, contact with others, etc., but it must always be properly attributed and all sources used must be referenced (including lecture notes and handouts). Failure to attribute material which is not your own will be regarded as plagiarism, for which the University imposes strict penalties. All cases of plagiarism and cheating in coursework are reported to the University.

We recognise that you are often required to work together in classes or other assessments, and it is often good to discuss assignments with other students. If for any particular task you are required to work in groups you will be advised on how your work should be submitted and will be assessed.

Reading List:

Gibson, Clark C., Andersson, Krister, Ostrom, ,Elinor, & Shivakumar, Sujai (2005)The Samaritan’s Dilemma:

                The Political Economy of Development Aid, Oxford University Press.

Edkins, J. and Zehfuss, M. (2010) Global Politics: A New Introduction, London, Routledge.

Flaherty, J., Veit-Wilson, J and Dornan, P (2004) Poverty: The Facts (5^th ed),(London: Child Poverty

                Action Group).

Giddens, A (2009) Sociology(6^th ed), Polity.

Gordon, D., Levitas, R., Pantazis, C et al. (2000) Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK (York: Joseph

                Rowntree Foundation).

Haynes, J, Hough, P, Malik, S and Pettiford, L (2011) World Politics, London, Pearson Education.

Howard, M., Garnham, A., Fimister, G and Veit-Wilson, J (2001) Poverty: The Facts (4^th ed), (London:

                Child Poverty Action Group).

McMichael, P (2004) Development and Social Change: A Global Perspective, London, Pine Forge

                                Press.

Pike, A., Rodriguez-Pose, A., and Tomany, J. (2006) Local and Regional Development, London,

                                Routledge.

Ritzer, G. and Atalay, Z. (2010) Readings in Globalisation: Key Concepts and Major Debates,

Wiley-Blackwell.

Sen, Amartya (2000) Development as Freedom, Oxford University Press.

So, Alvin Y. (1990) Social Change and Development: Modernisation, Dependency

 and World Systems Theories, Newbury Park, Sage Publications.

The World Bank’s Poverty Site: http://go.worldbank.org/33ctpsvdc0

Todaro, Michael P.  and Smith, Stephen C. (2012) Economic Development, Pearson Education.

Webster, Andrew (1990) Introduction to the Sociology of Development, 2^nd edn,

                                MacMillan.

Wicks, R (2004) Labour’s Unfinished Business’, in: Overcoming Disadvantage: An Agenda for the Next 20 Years (York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation)

Taught by: Dr Gabriel Botchwey 

Email: akob2000@gmail.com or gkabotchwey@uew.edu.gh