THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Postgraduate Courses (School of GeoSciences)

Postgraduate Course: Development: Principles and Practices (PGGE11211)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe overwhelming objective of this course is not about how to do development but rather what it means to do development, as the latter helps appreciate the intersection between development and social justice.
Course description The DPP course aims to introduce students to the field of development by offering an overview of its theoretical underpinnings and historical linkages; its inherently contested and ideological nature and how it pans out in contemporary practice. We start by appreciating the ways in which different ideologies have shaped understandings of development theories to glean the deeply political nature of various theoretical foundations underpinning development. We then intend to offer a working knowledge of how 'development' has been shaped, where it is going, and why it remains complex and contradictory, and hence its practices contingent.

DPP is structured to appreciate the academic endeavours around development theories and practices. A complimentary and more applied module; 'Professional Skills in Environment and Development' is available in Semester 2 (Course Code PGGE11267).

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  30
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) There are two components of assessment within this course unit; one which is a group project and presentation and another which is an individual essay from a set of essay topics linked to the themes covered within the course. The group project and presentation will assess current approaches to development and is worth 40%, while the essay of 3000 words is worth 60%.

Key Assessment Dates:

Week 6: Essay plan
Week 7: Group presentations
Week 11: Essay due
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Acquire advanced knowledge for developing a reasoned arguments by evaluating, interpreting and providing a critique of complex evidence;
  2. Understand the relationship between theory and practice, both in a 'development' context and in the formulation and conduct of academic research;
  3. Begin to develop an appropriate academic writing style and method;
  4. Learn to critique and comment on scholarship on development and its contemporary practices, through written word and via debate, dialogue and conversation
Reading List
Suggested Texts:

Brooks, Andrew (2017) The End of Development: A Global History of Poverty and Prosperity London: Zed Books

Chang, Ha-Joon (2014) Economics: The User¿s Guide London: Pelican (an imprint of Penguin)

Willis, Katie (2005) Theories and Practices of Development London and New York: Routledge [Suitable for those of you new to development theory and as a simple introductory text]

Suggested Reading(s):

Escobar, Arturo (1995) Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of the Third World Princeton University Press: Princeton, NJ.

Murray-Li, Tania (2014) Land¿s End: Capitalist Relations on an Indigenous Frontier Duke University Press: Durham & London

Rai, Shirin (2008) The Gender Politics of Development London: Zed Books

Sanyal, Kalyan (2007) Rethinking Capitalist Development: Primitive Accumulation, Governmentality and Post-Colonial Capitalism London: Routledge
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsDevelopment theories,debates,practices and international challenges.
Contacts
Course organiser Course secretaryMs Louisa King
Tel: (0131 6)50 2543
Email: Louisa.King@ed.ac.uk
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