James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2023

EV5952 - Critical Issues in Global Development

Subject Description

This subject critically interrogates leading theories, issues and debates in global development. By tracing intellectual histories of development from the European Enlightenment towards present global challenges and agendas such as climate change and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the subject offers a diversity of perspectives on global change and development. Attention is given to the historical, social, and political contexts of core concepts such as people-centred approaches to development, gender and development, global inequality, participatory development, indigenous futures, south-south cooperation, and post-development. Students will gain an appreciation of the contested and interdisciplinary nature of development studies, and engage with a range of case studies that examine how key development issues have been addressed in policy and practice across local, national and global scales. By assisting students in exploring the assumptions and arguments that underpin various approaches to development, the subject seeks to cultivate a critical reflexivity towards their own assumptions and professional practice.

Learning Outcomes

• demonstrate a critical understanding of the history of development theories and how key concepts of development discourse have changed in relation to shifting historical, social and political contexts
• demonstrate familiarity with the range of stakeholders that constitute the global development landscape and their relationships
• demonstrate an understanding of the intersectional dynamics of global socio-economic inequality and the inherently political nature of development practice
• demonstrate an understanding of the relevance of different theoretical perspectives and debates to practice and policy issues
• create original written work and visual presentations that deliver critical analyses of development through the adoption of relevant theoretical frameworks and primary sources
• appreciate the complex interlinkages between the 'global' and the 'local'

Subject Assessment

• Oral > Presentation 1 - (20%) - Group
• Reflexive Diary - (60%) - Individual
• Written > Media article - (20%) - Individual

Note that minor variations might occur due to the continuous subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.

Special Assessment Requirements

None

Assumed Knowledge:  None

Availabilities