THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : African Studies

Undergraduate Course: International Development, Aid and Humanitarianism (AFRI08001)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryYEAR 1 STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO SIGN UP TO THIS COURSE.

This course allows undergraduate students to develop an understanding of social scientific and historical engagements with international development, aid, and humanitarianism. It focuses attention on the global challenges relating to, inter alia, poverty, inequality, human rights, the environment, technology, urbanization, public health, and governance.

The course will explore the histories, impacts and legacies of international development planning and policy, introducing students to foundational issues in development studies and offering them the opportunity to conduct a modest research project on a specific theme. The course will explore the relationships between economic growth and inequality, structures of aid and trade, relationships of power and dependency, conflict, urbanisation and migration as well as approaches to public health and the environment.

At the end of the 10 week course, students will be able to discuss and analyse key debates in the theory and practice of international development and will have a firm grounding in the historical and political contexts that continue to frame 'development' at both the local and global level.
Course description The course aims to give you a brief introduction to a broad range of topics, including the roots of development; the colonial roots of global health; philanthrocapitalism and aid; indigeneity, development and post-development; gender and development; governance, NGOs and civil society; issues of governance as expressed online; microfinance and digital financial services; humanitarianism and 'natural' disasters; informality and urban-rural development; development and infrastructure; mining, agriculture and development; and climate, justice and development.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Year 1 students can sign up to this course.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 20, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 9, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 165 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 45 %, Coursework 45 %, Practical Exam 10 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The Degree Examination mark for the course will be based on a combination of:
1) Policy Brief, 45%: Students will be expected to produce a 1,500-2,000-word policy brief by the end of Week 7 on a key development issue. This constitutes a formative feedback event.
2) Exam, 45%: A centrally-scheduled, on-campus exam sat at the end of the Semester.
3) Tutorial Participation, 10%.
Feedback Will be offered on your policy brief and on your exam.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)Exam2:120
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Have a critically informed overview of contemporary international development and humanitarianism, policy making and political economy, locating policy agendas historically and within a global context.
  2. Have an ability to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in social science disciplines to global challenges.
  3. Have a critical understanding of and engagement with key issues, themes and arenas of policy making and intervention in the arena of international development and humanitarianism.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Thomas Molony
Tel: (0131 6)50 6976
Email: Thomas.Molony@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Karen Leung
Tel:
Email: Karen.Leung@ed.ac.uk
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