Students
ANTH715 – International Aid and Development Studies
2014 – S1 Evening
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Chris Lyttleton
Contact via chris.lyttleton@mq.edu.au
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
4
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit considers development studies from two interrelated perspectives: anthropology of development, which examines theoretical approaches to development over the past 50 years, and development anthropology, which engages with contemporary practices within development programs. Importantly it explores how these two broad paradigms feed into changing approaches to donor-driven project implementation. Using case studies to illustrate the complexity of development processes, we consider how major donors and NGOs operate, gender empowerment, mobility and health vulnerability, development-induced displacement, and changing approaches to social impact mitigation.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand why international aid remains such a contested arena within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid and the attendant difficulties in its delivery
- Read widely and actively participate in discussions and presentations concerning the nature of interactions between development agencies and target communities within the developed and the developing world and thereby gain detailed picture of what international aid entails.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the many background factors that influence these outcomes
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Book Review | 25% | 10 April |
| Research Proposal | 15% | 8 May |
| Essay | 60% | 12 June |
Book Review
Due: 10 April
Weighting: 25%
Book review (1500 words due on Wed 10th April; worth 25 %.)
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand why international aid remains such a contested arena within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid and the attendant difficulties in its delivery
- Read widely and actively participate in discussions and presentations concerning the nature of interactions between development agencies and target communities within the developed and the developing world and thereby gain detailed picture of what international aid entails.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the many background factors that influence these outcomes
Research Proposal
Due: 8 May
Weighting: 15%
Research Proposal (1000 words, due on May 8th; worth 15%)
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand why international aid remains such a contested arena within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid and the attendant difficulties in its delivery
- Read widely and actively participate in discussions and presentations concerning the nature of interactions between development agencies and target communities within the developed and the developing world and thereby gain detailed picture of what international aid entails.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the many background factors that influence these outcomes
Essay
Due: 12 June
Weighting: 60%
Major Essay (3500 - 4000 words due on June 12th. Worth 60%)
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand why international aid remains such a contested arena within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid and the attendant difficulties in its delivery
- Read widely and actively participate in discussions and presentations concerning the nature of interactions between development agencies and target communities within the developed and the developing world and thereby gain detailed picture of what international aid entails.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the many background factors that influence these outcomes
Delivery and Resources
The class operates in a seminar fashion with discussion amongst the class of the week's readings framed by ideas introduced by the convenors and students
Weekly seminar Readings and lists of additional material will be posted ion ilearn
Unit Schedule
Schedule of Seminar Topics
Schedule ANTH 715: Seminar Topics
Detailed description of topics and readings in unit guide on ilearn
Week One Thursday March 6 Introduction
Week Two Thursday March 13 Development Theories
Week Three Thursday March 20 Discursive Development
Week Four Thursday March 27 NGOs and new social movements
Week Five Thursday April 3 Student presentations
Week Six Thursday April 10 Student presentations
MID-SEMESTER RECESS
Week Seven Reading/Consultation week
Week Eight Thursday May 8 OECD vs Chinese Development
Week Nine Thursday May 15 Infrastructure and displacement
Week Ten Thursday May 22 Affective politics of the precariat
Week Eleven Thursday May 29 Health and development
Week Twelve Thursday June 5 Mitigating Risk
Week Thirteen Thursday June 12 to be announced
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Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
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