DEVELOPMENT STUDIES (DEST) 201 - LECTURE 01

INTRODUCTION TO DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

FALL 2008

Lectures: Tuesdays & Thursdays: 11:00 - 11:50 Education Building 179

Tutorials: Fridays: Tut 1--10:00 - 10:50 (SH 262); Tut 2--11:00 - 11:50 (SH 262); Tut 3--12:00 - 12:50 (SH 262) &Tut 4--11:00 - 11:50 (SH 278)

 

 

Instructor:	Dr. Apentiik
Office Location:	Social Science Building, Room 252
Office Phone:	(403) 220-3396
E-Mail:	rapentii@yahoo.com
Web Page:	Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.--
Office Hours:	Mondays 11:00 - 12:00 or by appointment

 

Additional Information

The teaching team includes: James Butler (PhD Student) and Allison Mullin (MA student) as your TAs. Their office location, phone numbers and office hours will be made available to you soon. Andrew Barry and Kate Zier-Vogel, both senior undergraduate students will be your peer mentors. Their contacts will be made available to you soon on blackboard.

Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with a strong foundation and understanding of the major theoretical and methodological debates and approaches that have informed global development thinking, policy and practice of the past sixty years. The emphasis will be to examine the historical context in which different theoretical approaches to development have emerged and their current practical implications for both the "developed" and "developing" countries.

Drawing from national and international case studies, the course will examine the meanings of the term "development" and the historical process behind the emergence of major global complex issues such as poverty, inequality and injustice. Students will have the unique opportunity to critically reflect and analyze how certain parts of the world came to be classified as "underdeveloped" and in need of "development" solutions.

Students are strongly urged to use this opportunity to think "outside the box," to open their minds to the possibility that no single theoretical position has all the answers, and to consider new ways of conceptualizing and addressing developmental problems around the world

Objectives of the Course

-        To provide students with the tools and theoretical framework for understanding, critically analyzing and assessing various concepts and practical issues and debates relating to development, in both international and local contexts from an 'interdisciplinary perspective.

-        Provide a strong foundation for subsequent courses in Development Studies.

Textbooks and Readings:

De Beer Swanepol (ed.) 2000.       Introduction to Development Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Additional Recommended book (reserved section of the University library)

Allen T and Thomas A. (eds.). 2000.       Poverty and Development into the 21^st Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Vandana Desai and Robert Potter (eds.) 2002 The Companion to Development studies, Arnold: London.

Other useful resources (journals, periodicals, annuals, data bases & web sources) for information on the course

• Alternatives
• Canadian Journal of Development Studies

• Canadian Development Report

• Development Policy Review
• Economic Development and Cultural Change
• IDS Bulletin
• Development and Change
• Journal of Development in Practice
• Journal of Development Studies
• Journal of Developing Area
• Journal of International Development
• Latin American Research Review
• New Internationalist

• New Political Economy

• North South Institute (Ottawa) occasional briefing papers
• World Development
• ODI (London) Briefings (occasional)
• Review of African Political Economy
• Review of International Political Economy
• Socialist Register
• Studies of Comparative International Development

• Third World Quarterly
• World Development
• World Policy Journal

• Amnesty, Human Rights Yearbook
• Bread for the World Institute, Hunger
• Economist, The World In

• MSF, Annual Report
• IISS, Strategic Survey

• UNDP, Human Development Report
• UNICEF, State of the World's Children
• World Bank, World Development Report
• World watch Institute, State of the World
• World Resources Institute, World Resources

 

• IDRC, IDS, UNDP, WORLD BANK, IMF, USAID, CIDA etc      
• AllAfrica.com http://allafrica.com/
• Amnesty International Library, Online Documentation Archive http://web.amnesty.org/library/engworld
• Armed Conflict Report at Ploughshares http://www.ploughshares.ca/
• Ayn Rand Site http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=Newsarticle&id=5219
• Canadian International Development Agency http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/
• The Coady International Institute's Marie Michael Library: http://www.stfx.ca/institutes/coady/coady-library/text/development.html
• Eldis Gateway to Development Information http://www.eldis.org/
• ETC Group http://www.etcgroup.org/

• Global Development Learning Network http://www.gdln.org/
• Human Development Reports: http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004
• Humanitarian Practice Network http://www.odihpn.org/
• IDS Sussex http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/info/index.html
• International Development Research Centre http://web.idrc.ca/ev_en.php
• Internet Modern History Sourcebook http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html
• One World Network http://www.oneworld.net/
• Social Critic http://www.socialcritic.org/
• The UC Atlas of Human Inequality: http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/
• Third World Network http://www.twnside.org.sg/
• Third World Network http://www.twnafrica.org/geraresearch.asp
• World Bank http://worldbank.org/deveforum/index.html
• World Resources Institute http://www.wri.org/

 

Assignments and Evaluation

• MIDTERM EXAM: October 9 (30%)

The exam is designed to test your grasp of the material covered in lectures and tutorials up to the date of the exam. This means that you will be expected to have read all the required and the recommended readings. Exams will also cover lectures by guest speakers, and information from videos/films shown in the class. Detail will be discussed in class.

• FINAL EXAM (30%): Scheduled by registrar.

The final exam follows the same format as the midterm, and will cover all topics covered in the course. Further details will be discussed in class.

• ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION IN TUTORIALS (10%)

Participation in this context means regular contributions towards analysis and facilitation of the assigned readings/articles during tutorials. This means that students must complete the readings before each lecture, and be prepared to contribute to class discussions in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. Marks will be assigned for how well opposing interpretations are expounded and supported with actual evidence, how well they transcend simplistic stereotypes or polemics, how well students identify key ethical issues, and how well they engage the rest of the class in thinking about possible ways forward. If you come to class regularly you will be able to participate; therefore, your participation mark hinges (partly) on your attendance. Participation grades are calculated by factoring in amount of contributions as well as quality of contributions

• FINAL RESEARCH PAPER (30%): To be submitted on December 4, in class. Guidelines for the final paper

Content/style:

• Research papers must have development content. Consult with me if you are in doubt about the appropriateness of or choice of topic for your term paper. You are required to write a 8-10 page research paper (typed, double-spaced). The paper should be a critical assessment of your thinking about the subject being researched.
• Your research paper should begin with an introductory paragraph which clearly states the purpose or objective of the paper. This statement should be presented as an argument that will guide the reader through the rest of the paper.

Citation/Bibliographical formatting

• You should consult a wide range of scholarly sources (approximately 8-10 different sources).
• You must also demonstrate a balance in yours sources (books, journal articles, newspaper clippings, internet sources, etc).
• Pls. note that your paper cannot be written simply from internet sources.
• Each paper must have a well formatted bibliography and proper citation (e.g. quotes must be cited with page numbers). Students can use MLA, APA or Chicago style. For proper bibliographic format visit the University of Calgary library website on the topic.
• Substantial marks will be taken off for improper citation and bibliographical formatting

NOTE:Your grade for the term paper will be based on the following:

• Clarity of problem statement and well explained research methodology
• Quality of grammar and clarity, and logical presentation
• Clear and logical progression of ideas and thoughts throughout the paper
• Understanding and application of lectures, readings and other relevant literature
• Well-informed review or discussion
• Critical reflection (VERY IMPORTANT)
• Appropriate and clear recommendations
• Ideas well referenced (including references for tables, figures etc)
• Variety of relevant references

Further details will be discussed in class.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  YES

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

(Revised, effective September 2008)

 

	Grading Scale
A+	96-100
A	90-95.99
A -	85-89.99
B+	80-84.99
B	75-79.99
B-	70-74.99
C+	65-69.99
C	60-64.99
C-	55-59.99
D+	53-54.99
D	50-52.99
F	0-49

 

Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A- would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will be converted to zero.

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see

The Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To handed in Class