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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : South Asian Studies

Postgraduate Course: Key Debates in South Asian Development (SAST11003)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummarySince the early 1990s, several countries in South Asia have experienced unprecedented levels of economic growth and rapid social change. Yet the region is still home to a vast proportion of the world's poorest people. This course explores how South Asia became a 'development problem' in the decades since decolonisation, and focuses on the persistence of poverty despite the massive inflows of international development assistance in its various forms. We explore different dimensions of inequality to highlight the differential access of diverse social groupings to economic and social resources, and examine the impact of such inequalities on people's ability to benefit from development inputs in various sectors, such as agriculture, health, and education. This course complements Politics and Theories of Development by providing South Asia-specific examples. It is also a stand-alone option for other MSc programmes.

This course complements Politics and Theories of Development by providing South Asia-specific examples. It is also a stand-alone option for other MSc programmes.
Course description Academic Description:

A vast proportion of the world's poorest people live in South Asia; yet the sub-continent has seen massive inflows of international development assistance in its various forms.

This course explores how South Asia became a 'development problem' and the various strategies employed over the decades since colonial times to bring about social, political and economic transformation in South Asia. It considers the theories underpinning specific development strategies and initiatives, the social and political contexts in which they were undertaken, and the reasons for success and failure. The course will focus on specific examples of development initiatives in South Asia, considering the interaction amongst the range of actors involved (states, elites, peasants, civil society, multinational corporations, multilateral institutions, donors, NGOs, etc.). This course complements Politics and Theories of Development, providing South Asia-specific examples. It is also a stand-alone option for other MSc programmes.

Outline Content:

Introduction: course outline, South Asian poverty amidst economic growth
Historical background: colonial and post-independence development processes
The state, governance and corruption in South Asia
Fracture lines & intersectionality: class, gender, caste, community
Population growth and demographic challenges
Agricultural transformation, livelihoods and migration
Micro-finance and empowerment
Human development: health
Human development: education
Social movements: protest and violent conflict

Student Learning Experience:

The course is taught through lectures and seminars. Students will read key texts rooted in the history and politics of development in South Asia. Specific emphasis is given to contemporary debates in South Asian development. Students design, plan and write an essay for this course.

At the end of the course students will:

Have gained familiarity with the major historical factors affecting development in South Asia;

Have gained an understanding of how major development
theories have been applied in practice in different South Asian countries;

Will be able to examine critically the social, political and economic factors affecting development strategies.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2018/19, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  30
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 176 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The course is assessed by one long essay (maximum 4000 words) on a key development challenge in South Asia. Students must decide the topic for their essay in consultation with the course convener. All the students should submit a one paragraph abstract for feedback and guidance. All students will also make non-assessed presentations in during class sessions
Feedback Prior to writing the final essay, all the students should submit a one paragraph abstract for feedback and guidance. All students will also make non-assessed presentations in during class sessions and feedback will be provided by the instructor and the class.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. show familiarity with the major historical factors affecting development in South Asia
  2. comprehend the major dimensions of social, political and economic inequality in South Asia and why such inequalities are so resilient
  3. show understanding of why poverty is so persistent in the region
  4. show understanding of some of the obstacles to successful implementation of development programmes and economic and social policy more generally
  5. understand how major development theories have been applied in practice in different social and economic sectors
Reading List
Collier, P. 2007. The Bottom Billion: Why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it
Gupta, A. & K. Sivaramakrishnan (eds) 2010. The State in India After Liberalization: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
Narayan, D. & E. Glinskaya (eds) (2006) Ending Poverty in South Asia: Ideas That Work
Mosse, D. 2004.Cultivating Development: An Ethnography of Aid Policy and Practice
Shah, A. & J. Pettigrew (eds) 2010. Windows into a Revolution: Ethnographies of Maoism in South Asia
Spencer, J. 2007. Anthropology, politics and the state: democracy and violence in South Asia
World Bank (2009) South Asia: The End of Poverty http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:20969099~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:223547,00.html
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserMr Jeevan Sharma
Tel: (0131 6)51 1760
Email: Jeevan.Sharma@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Jack Smith
Tel: (0131 6) 51 1485
Email: jsmith40@exseed.ed.ac.uk
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