UCSSCGEO227.5 ECTSEnglishBachelor
Development Studies: Varieties of Development
Faculteit—
NiveauBachelor
Studiejaar2026-2027
Beschrijving
Course goals
After completing this course students are able to:
- critically evaluate the concept of development and different development paradigms, including critical perspectives to development from various standpoints: (e.g. post-development, feminist approaches, and decoloniality);
- recognise and analyse specific patterns and processes of development unfolding at varying geographical scales and in different spatial contexts;
- examine and compare interventions and strategies that are employed by different sets of agencies and actors, such as those by (inter)national, regional, and local institutions, as well as those by households and individuals themselves;
- demonstrate academic skills, integrate different sources of information, alongside interacting and developing/improving communication skills.
Relationship between assessment and learning goals:
Grades will be composed as follows:
- Documentary review: 15% (assesses learning objective 1, 3 and 4)
- Written assignment: 20% (assesses learning objective 1)
- Exam: 30% (assesses learning objectives 1 and 2)
- Presentation: 20% (assesses learning objectives 2, 3 and 4)
- Blog post: 15% (assesses learning objective 4)
Content
Development Studies: Varieties of Development
This course examines both contemporary and historical development processes and patterns, with a primary focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. While centred on the Global South, it also adopts a comparative perspective that moves beyond the conventional Global North/South divide, highlighting interconnections, entanglements and mutual influences across regions. Drawing on social, economic, cultural, political, and institutional dimensions, the course explores development as a layered and multifaceted process with diverse and uneven impacts on the ground. Through a geographical lens, we analyse economic and societal transformations in developing and emerging countries, playing close attention to spatial differences and cross-scale dynamics. Key questions guiding the course include: What are the principal dimensions of development in the Global South? What drives change, and who shapes it? Which structural opportunities and constraints influence development trajectories? What strategies are pursued to foster development, and how do individuals and communities experience, negotiate, and contest development interventions? At its core, the course encourages critical reflection on the multiple meanings of development. Students are invited to interrogate dominant paradigms and to engage with the varied local expressions of development within an increasingly interconnected yet fragmented world.
Format
The course runs over 16 weeks, with two sessions per week. It is structured as a discussion-based seminar that combines presentations, guided literature study, debates, essay writing, and a final written examination. Each session is organised around a specific segment of the literature, typically in the form of one or more academic journal articles. Students are expected to prepare thoroughly by engaging in critical reading and systematic note-taking, which form the foundation for in-class discussions. In addition to the core reading are provided for several sessions. During the first part of the course, students will conduct a critical review of a documentary and write a short essay. A written examination will take place toward the end of the semester. The final weeks are dedicated to in-class presentations on topics related to the central themes of the course. These presentations are complemented by a creative blog post that connects academic debate to broader audiences and contemporary issues.
This course examines both contemporary and historical development processes and patterns, with a primary focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. While centred on the Global South, it also adopts a comparative perspective that moves beyond the conventional Global North/South divide, highlighting interconnections, entanglements and mutual influences across regions. Drawing on social, economic, cultural, political, and institutional dimensions, the course explores development as a layered and multifaceted process with diverse and uneven impacts on the ground. Through a geographical lens, we analyse economic and societal transformations in developing and emerging countries, playing close attention to spatial differences and cross-scale dynamics. Key questions guiding the course include: What are the principal dimensions of development in the Global South? What drives change, and who shapes it? Which structural opportunities and constraints influence development trajectories? What strategies are pursued to foster development, and how do individuals and communities experience, negotiate, and contest development interventions? At its core, the course encourages critical reflection on the multiple meanings of development. Students are invited to interrogate dominant paradigms and to engage with the varied local expressions of development within an increasingly interconnected yet fragmented world.
Format
The course runs over 16 weeks, with two sessions per week. It is structured as a discussion-based seminar that combines presentations, guided literature study, debates, essay writing, and a final written examination. Each session is organised around a specific segment of the literature, typically in the form of one or more academic journal articles. Students are expected to prepare thoroughly by engaging in critical reading and systematic note-taking, which form the foundation for in-class discussions. In addition to the core reading are provided for several sessions. During the first part of the course, students will conduct a critical review of a documentary and write a short essay. A written examination will take place toward the end of the semester. The final weeks are dedicated to in-class presentations on topics related to the central themes of the course. These presentations are complemented by a creative blog post that connects academic debate to broader audiences and contemporary issues.
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