Entry requirements

For exchange students only.

Learning outcomes

After the course, the students are expected to be able to

• understand basic concepts, facts, discussions and theories on development
• analyse and discuss the role of aid and conditionality
• have gained an increased understanding regarding the relationship between democracy, governance and development
• account for specific development problems and causes in different regions of the world
• understand and discuss some of the current research problems on development

Content

The course has three themes: Introduction to the development discourse, aid and conditionality, and development in practice. In the first theme the well-known book "Development as Freedom" by Amartya Sen and several articles will introduce you to some of the most important problems and discussions about development. The relationship between development and democracy will be particularly studied. In theme two, development and democracy will be analysed in connection with aid based on William Easterly's book "The White Man's Burden” and a number of articles. Within this theme there is a focus on aid policies and on the concept “democracy promotion”. The last theme is development in practice; a section planned to study development through specific regional cases that allow us to understand some of the problems and possibilities it faces. It includes specific initiatives aimed to deal with the most pressing problems in the field while discussing the ways in which such challenges and programs can be further analysed and theorised.

Instruction

The teaching consists of lectures and seminars. The course is taught in English.

Assessment

Students are examined through a written exam. Active participation in seminars, which include written assignments, gives credit when doing the written exam. Grades are awarded according the scale “failed”, "pass" or "pass with distinction".