Learning objectives
1. At the end of the course, students will have a robust knowledge of the diverse organisations involved in international development, their evolving mandates, policies and practice and their impact on the everyday life of African societies.
2. Have a critical understanding of how the development discourse is shaped and contested by different development organisations and actors.
3. Possess an interdisciplinary understanding of how principles, ideals and ideas shape development practice.
4. Ability to learn. Students will learn through lectures, group work, individual analysis and discussion of the topics covered in class. During the course, students will also learn how to write a short policy briefing focusing on specific international development issue in Africa
Prerequisites
none
Course unit content
Africa is one of the most important sites of international development interventions. This course develops a foundation for the critical analysis of institutions and practices in the field of international development in the African continent and investigates what development means to these different actors. Drawing from case studies, the course examines the tensions and contradictions arising out of the interaction between institutions and practices. The course examines the practices of various key actors ranging from bilateral (i.e. FCDO, USAID) and multilateral development agencies (i.e.World Bank, IMF) to civil society groups (i.e.NGOs, social movements), from humanitarian aid to health to religion. Relying on a multidisciplinary approach, the course tracks how the meaning of development is constantly interpreted, contested and negotiated within the African continent, the largest recipient of ODA funding and development projects.
Full programme
More specifically the course classes will cover the following topics:
1.International Development in Africa: a brief history; 2.Key Concepts and Approaches to development; 3. Ideologies and practices: 4.Bilateral development assistance; 5.Ideologies and practices: Multilateral institutions; 6. The African state as object and agent of development; 7. NGOS and the NGO-ization of development; 8.World Vision, CARITAS, Muslim AID and the role of religion in development; 9.South-South and South-North Migration, a developmental challenge; 10.CARE, the UNHCR, and humanitarian perspectives on development; 11.The WHO, the Fund, and the politics of global health; 12.Food security and climate justice in Africa; 13. Non-Western development organisations in Africa (the rise of China, India, Russia, Japan .). 14. Decolonising Development and Institutions.
Bibliography
a) Book chapters and journal articles selected by the course convenor. These will be indicated in the online portal in due course.
b) The Routledge Handbook of African Development, edited by Tony Binns, Kenneth Lynch & Etienne Nel, 2018 (except section 7 and section 8).
c) The Birth of Development: How the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization, and World Health Organization Changed the World, 1945-1965, Amy Staples, 2006.
d) Students must choose one of those books:
a. Africa in Transformation: Economic Development in the Age of Doubt, Carlos Lopes, 2019
b. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, Walter Rodney, 1972 (various editions)
c. Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa, Dambisa Moyo, 2009
e. Gambling on Development: Why some countries win and some lose, Stefan Dercon, 2022
Teaching methods
Lectures by the convenor (presentations integrated with power point slides and videos), discussions and debates, group and individual exercises in class.
Assessment methods and criteria
Students are expected to submit a 4-page policy briefing on a development topic/issue/problem in Africa (scored up to 3 points). Passing this practical test gives access to the oral test. Oral exam will be on the topics covered in class.
Other information
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2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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