Development and Globalization

COURSE OBJECTIVE
The aim of this course is to introduce students to development sociology and more in particular to gain insight into issues of poverty, global inequality and development. Students will develop an anthropological perspective on developmental issues in the Global South.

Learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding - The student has acquired knowledge and understanding of:
(1) the development and globalisation related phenomena and their global effect on health, gender, urbanisation, migration, etc.

Application - The student has acquired the competences to:
(2) understand and analyse the historical, sociocultural and political dimensions of international development and globalisation and their role in shaping contemporary world.

Making judgements - The student is able to:
(3) tcritically assess ideas on globalisation and development.

COURSE CONTENT
The development of a capitalist economy in the North and the ongoing, global restructuring of the economy have impacted on economic and social development of the global South. Policies of states, supranational development agencies, and local NGOs to raise the standard of living in the so-called less developed countries have not attained the success levels hoped for. In fact, growth-oriented policies may have negative side effects, such as increased inequality, both within and between states, and ecological degradation. In this course, we analyse the interactions between (inter)national stakeholders and local populations, substantiating how particularly the so-called “poor” people experience inequality and poverty. We also highlight potential and experienced gaps between intentions and outcomes of development policies and look at what anthropology can contribute to ‘development’ debates and policy implementation.

TEACHING METHODS
Lectures.

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Final exam.