SEMS 146 Development: Local to Global Perspectives - Departmental Website
Subject: Anthropology
Professor Gloria Rudolf - (Syllabus)
Many use the term ‘development' to mean a process of improvement in the human condition. Precisely what needs to be improved, however, and by what means, are hotly contested questions. In this course we explore this contested terrain about the concept of development. We will focus one lens on the societal conditions that bring penalty or privilege to particular groups of people and another on the ways that groups struggle to counter resulting conditions of oppression. The course begins with an examination of some contending theories of development and their perspectives on the causes of and solutions to global inequalities. We then compare these general ideas with specific historical examples illustrating the varied ways that oppressed groups, operating from community to global locations, have struggled to combat such injustices. We also will read about the work of government and non-profit organizations to promote their versions of ‘planned development,' aimed, as they see it, at helping the world's victims. In the end, each student should be better equipped to address such questions as: What is development? How can it be achieved? What might be my own role in achieving it? Methods of evaluation include: Preparation, attendance and participation in classes (30%); Take-home exam (20%); Portfolio of practice field projects (20%); Class presentation (10%); Group design of a planned development project (20%).