THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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

Undergraduate Course: Contemporary Issues in International Development (AFRI10004)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryContemporary Issues in International Development takes a recent topic, one emerging in the news, policy debates or in the academic literature, and provides students with the tools to situate it within the larger academic literature, the political context and methods of analysis.
Course description The purpose of this course is to provide students with the opportunity of strengthening their understanding of the multidisciplinary study of international development at honors level. The course will draw on multidisciplinary expertise within the Centre of African Studies on international development. The course will be taught in a way that is accessible and open to honors students across SPS. The course will therefore meet a growing demand from students for option courses related to international development.

The substantive content of the course will change each year depending on topical issues and will be taught by experts on the issue itself or on particular approaches/methods from amongst permanent and postdoctoral staff. For example, around a UN development agenda or a comparative perspective on an issue covering a particular set of countries or regions, or on a theme that has attracted activism.

In each case, students will learn substantive information about the topic itself but perhaps more importantly they will acquire the generic skills to analyse any phenomenon: how to place it within a larger context, where to look for information about context, the types of variables (whether social, economic, cultural, or political) to consider when analysing the phenomenon, how to identify wider theories and concepts to analyse the phenomenon and how to acquire evidence that would support one theoretical interpretation over another.

2024-25 topic detail
Religion, Morality & International Development

After decades of the exclusion of religion from international development discourses and practice, the turn of the XXI century has seen religion rehabilitated as an important concept and variable in the understanding and implementation of social change and progress. The debate on the issue is really vibrant and academics, researchers, policy makers and practitioners started to reflect on this topic and a new field has emerged, Religion and Development (RaD). In the 10-week course we will investigate implications of working with religion in development theory and in development in practice. Drawing from case-study and problem-based analyses, we will see how religious values, religious leaders and religious organisations in particular more and more influence important debates and practical action around morality, sexuality, health, human rights, gender and the body that need to be taken into consideration when working within international development and politics.

Week 1. Religion and Society in Africa
Week 2. Religion and International Development (RaD)
Week 3. Faith-based Organisations (FBOs)
Week 4. The Spiritual and Methodological Considerations
Week 5. Religion and Health (HIV/AIDS)
Week 6. Religion, Morality and Politics
Week 7. Religion, Sexuality and Development
Week 8. Religion and Human Rights
Week 9. Religion, Gender and Development
Week 10. Course Recap
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Students who have not taken courses in social science subjects should contact the Course Organizer to confirm if they are eligible to take this course.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 4 Social Sciences courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate comprehensive understanding of contemporary debates on the chosen event, from both a theoretical and empirical perspective.
  2. apply specialist in-depth knowledge of specific areas and issues in relation to the chosen event.
  3. critically engage with key explanatory theories, concepts, institutions and issues in the study of the chosen event.
  4. deploy effective communications skills, both written and verbal, to provide clear and concise analysis of the topic at hand.
  5. engage in critical thinking, reflection and debate for academic and non-academic consumption.
Reading List
Bompani B. and Frahm-Arp M. (2010), Development and Politics from Below, Exploring Religious Spaces in the African State, Palgrave-MacMillan, London (2010)
Clarke G. & Jennings M. (2008) Development, Civil Society and Faith-Based Organisations. Bridging the Sacred and the Secular
Deneulin S. and Bano M. (2009) Religion in Development: Rewriting the Secular Spirit, Zed Books.
Lunn J. (2009) 'The Role of Religion, Spirituality and Faith Development' in Third World Quarterly, vol. 30 n. 5, pp. 937-951
Yahya, M. (2007) 'Polio Vaccines. No Thank You' Barriers to Polio Eradication in Northern Nigeria in African Affairs, vol 106, n. 423, pp. 185-204
Benedetti C. (2006) Islamic and Christian Inspired Relief NGOs: Between Tactical Collaboration and Strategic Diffidence? in Journal of International Development, vol. 18, pp. 849-859
Benthall J. (2006) Islamic Aid in a north Malian enclave in Anthropology Today, vol. 22, n. 4.
Clarke G. (2006) 'Faith Matters: Faith-based Organisations, Civil Society and International Development' in Journal of International Development, vol.18, pp. 835-848
Hearn J. (2002), 'The invisible NGO: US Evangelical Missions in Kenya' in Journal of Religion in Africa, vol32, 1
Rakodi C. (2024), Religious Organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia: Connections to Society and the State. Routledge
Hoel N et Al. (2019) Religion, the Body and Sexuality. An Introduction. Routledge
Wilcox M. (2021) Queer Religiosities. An Introduction to Queer and Transgender Studies in Religion. Rowman & Littlefield.
Van Klinken A. & Chitando E. (eds) (2016) Public Religion and the Politics of Homosexuality. Routledge.
Kuria M., Bompani B., van Klinken A. with Parsitau D (2024) Stories of Change. Religious Leaders and LGBTIQ Inclusion in East Africa. Bloomsbury
Cornwall A. eds (2008) Development with a Body: Sexuality, Human Rights and Development.


Other sources of information:
Journal of Religion and Development
Journal of Religion and Sexuality
Journal of Religion in Africa
Critical African Studies
African Affairs
Journal of Modern African Studies
Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE)
Wold Development
Journal of International Development
Development and Change
The Conversation
BBC Africa
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Critical thinking and analysis
Team work
Effective written and verbal communication
Effective research and analytical skills
Keywordsreligion,morality,values,international development,faith-based organisations
Contacts
Course organiserDr Barbara Bompani
Tel: (0131 6)51 3891
Email: b.bompani@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Karen Leung
Tel:
Email: Karen.Leung@ed.ac.uk
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