Course Objective

The aim of this course is to introduce students to development sociology
and more in particular to gain insight into issues of poverty, global
inequality and development. Students will develop an anthropological
perspective on developmental issues in the Global South.

Learning outcomes:

Knowledge and understanding - The student has acquired knowledge and
understanding of:
(1) the development and globalisation related phenomena and their global
effect on health, gender, urbanisation, migration, etc.

Application - The student has acquired the competences to:
(2) understand and analyse the historical, sociocultural and political
dimensions of international development and globalisation and their role
in shaping contemporary world.

Making judgements - The student is able to:
(3) tcritically assess ideas on globalisation and development.

Course Content

The development of a capitalist economy in the North and the ongoing,
global restructuring of the economy have impacted on economic and social
development of the global South. Policies of states, supranational
development agencies, and local NGOs to raise the standard of living in
the so-called less developed countries have not attained the success
levels hoped for. In fact, growth-oriented policies may have negative
side effects, such as increased inequality, both within and between
states, and ecological degradation. In this course, we analyse the
interactions between (inter)national stakeholders and local populations,
substantiating how particularly the so-called “poor” people experience
inequality and poverty. We also highlight potential and experienced gaps
between intentions and outcomes of development policies and look at what
anthropology can contribute to ‘development’ debates and policy
implementation.

Teaching Methods

Lectures.

Method of Assessment

Final exam.

Literature

To be announced in the course manual (see CANVAS)

Target Audience

2nd year bachelor students in Cultural Anthropology and Development
Sociology; Students in the minor Development and Global Challenges;
Students in the minor Anthropology; The course is also open as an
elective course.