Geographies of International Development

Geog 3682

Summer Session A 2006

Monday – Friday: 9am-12:15pm

Building: RAMY - N1B23

Instructor: Lucas Ward TA: Alisa Zlotoff

Office: Guggenheim 301 & 314 Office: Guggenheim 301 & 312

Phone in 314: (303)492-3684 Phone in 312: 2- 3728

Office Hrs: M-F: 12:15-1 or by appt. Office Hrs: T, Th: 12:15-1:30 or by

appt.

Introduction:

We live in a world characterized by globalized flows of labor, ideas, materials, technology, models of development, and productive relations between people and their environments. The ways that global relations play out in different parts of the world produces patterns of wealth, improved living conditions, and political empowerment for some people and poverty, economic inequality, and political marginalization for others. At the same time, the expansion of global economic and political relations has been linked to numerous cases environmental degradation. The readings, lectures, and assignments for this course address the increasingly complex relations between people, places, and resources as well as the resulting patterns of development and underdevelopment in different parts of the world through the lens of “international development.”

Depending on who is invoking it, “development” has multiple, contradictory meanings. For some development may mean progress, modernity, growth in stages, or economic order, while for others it may mean dependency, inequality or neo-colonialism. As a starting point, this class suggests that international development consists of a series of projects coordinated between many different people and institutions across multiple scales. These projects are intended to transform and generally improve how groups and individuals in different parts of the world experience life. That said, there is a general consensus among those who study “international development” that international development projects, as they have been theorized and practiced for the past fifty years, have failed to free poor nations from what Jeffrey Sachs (who we’ll read in this class) calls “the poverty trap” – a deadly cycle of poverty, environmental degradation, social inequality, and lack of access to health care, education, and other social services.

In this three-week class we will explore the mechanics of international development by focusing on the political and economic relations between international organizations (IMF, World Bank, WTO), nation-states, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and global citizens. We will also investigate how the incorporation of concepts like “local,” “global,” “livelihood,” “sustainability,” “gender,” “race” and “participation” have influenced both the theory and practice of development. In doing so, we will use geographical concepts of space, place, and scale to develop our understandings of what international development means and how it has been practiced in terms of difference, contestation, and negotiation.

The readings for this course are intended to help students better understand key themes of international development. More importantly, perhaps, the goal of the readings is to raise questions about and inspire students to critically examine the ‘taken-for granted’ assumptions that many of us have regarding development and, more broadly, our relationships it. During this class we will constantly return to the following questions:

- What spatial processes and linkages lead to particular development outcomes?

- Whose needs does orthodox development meet best?

- What is development success, and how can it be achieved?

Course Objectives:

This course has four objectives:

Use geographical concepts of space, place, and scale to explore different framings and contestations of development: colonialism, post-colonialism, Development, international development, sustainable development, and participatory sustainable development.

Apply geographical conceptions of development to case studies in developing areas.

Develop a critical understanding of the political and economic relations that underlie uneven geographies of development in order to contribute to development thought.

Reflect critically on previously held thoughts about development.

Keeping up with readings is essential to success in this class. All readings should be completed before the class session indicated in the schedule of readings. Lectures will supplement, not substitute for, the readings and will themselves be supplemented with discussions, activities, guest speakers, and videos.

The schedule of readings, lectures, and exams should be thought of as a loose framework for how this class will flow. The schedule, including reading assignments and paper topics and due dates, is subject to change at any time. Changes to the schedule will be announced in class and it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of these changes. In other words, it’s important to attend class.

Required Texts

Willis, Katie (2005). Theories and Practice of Development.

Perkins, John (2006). Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Other required articles and book chapters will be placed on reserve at Norlin library, will be made available through the library’s e-reserve system ( or will be linked to the schedule of readings on the class homepage.

Note:

Thanks to Dr. Donna Rubinoff and Jamie Gillen for allowing me to use their syllabi as models for this syllabus.

Grading:

No Exams

Research paper project(3 parts * 5 pts, 15 pts, 30 pts)50 points

Debates (2 debates * 5 pts, 10 pts)15 points

Quizzes& Exercises(10 * 3 points each)30 points

Participation(attendance, contribution in discussions)5 points

Student Research Paper/ Project

This paper will consist of two 4-6-page sections devoted to the course segments (the conclusion will be part of the last chapter). The total length of the paper should be between 8-12 pages. Write clearly and succinctly – you will be graded on quality, not quantity.

For this project each student will chose a case study country and a perspective from which to explore the country's development issues (see below) by conducting research for his or her case related to the weekly topics. The first two chapters will be due on the second and third Fridays (see below) during which time students will meet with regional groups to debrief/debate and prepare five minute group presentations to the entire class.

This project will be graded by section and final product based on:

content (quality and detail of the research);
writing (clarity of writing and organization);
and quality of critical thinking (originality of argument and degree to which it engages critically with material covered in lectures, readings, assignments, videos, and discussions

Students will be expected to base their analyses on theoretical and analytical frameworks covered in this course and to clearly reflect their understandings of material from readings and lectures.

Organize your writing with good thesis statements, topic sentences, introductions and conclusions.

Specifications for all Sections: Double space, 12-pt. Times New Roman; 1 inch margins

Students will write the paper from the perspective of:

IMF loan consultant/ World Bank development expert

Head of state of developing country

Consultant for Trans National Corporation

Head of local NGO (student chooses the focus of NGO – e.g. gender equity, environmental issues, human rights issues, political issues)

Member of local civil society/ social movement activist

Section breakdown:

Due Friday May 19th- Paper Description Due:

-Country selection, Annotated bibliography of at least 10 sources including 2 peer reviewed journal articles, 5 sentences on your chosen perspective

Due Friday May 26 - Section 1:Introduction & Economic and Sustainable Development Issues

-This section is intended to introduce your case study country and your chosen perspective on that country's development as well as help you frame the argument that you will make in section II on the "principle" development issue. This section should have at least three parts.

Part I - should introduce your case study and your perspective (who are you, what are your development goals, what “spaces of development” are you concerned with?). From your perspective provide an overview of:
political status of country (state government, relations with other countries)
colonial history (overview, significant aspects of colonialism that impact your country’s current status)
Part II - should consist of a more in depth investigation of the key economic development issues in your country including:
a comparison the quantitative indicators which, from your perspective, most accurately reflect the key development in your case study country
compare and contrast the development of your country to other countries in the region.
obstacles to economic development from your perspective
Part III - should investigate the key sustainable development issues in your country
an evaluation, from your chosen perspective, of the most significant outcomes of sustainable development projects
principle obstacles to sustainable development from your perspective

Due June 2, 2006 - Section II : Key development issue & Conclusion

-In this section, based on your analysis of key economic and sustainable development issues, identify one of the development issues that faces your country as the issue most important to the development of your country. From your perspective, explain in detail why it is the most important issue and how it relates to other key issues. This section should have at least two parts

Part I – Key issue - You should address the following questions in this section
What is the “key” issue?
How does it relate to other important development issues?
How should it be addressed (what type of project & @ what scale?)
who should be in charge of it (relationships between key players)
Part II - Conclusion - 2-3 paragraphs
Why your position is significant (why should other members of the "development community" listen to you?)
What are the most significant challenges to your position and what sorts of changes in the spatial relationships and processes of international development do you propose to meet these challenges.