Students
ANTH3023 – Development Studies: Global Economic Inequality, International Aid, and Human Rights
2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Timothy Lynch
Contact via 'Contact' on iLearn
B516 25 Wally's Walk
By Appointment
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
Why are some countries rich and others poor? Why do billions live on less than $5 a day while the 26 richest billionaires together own as much wealth as the poorest 50 percent of the planet’s people? What, if anything, should we do about this? This unit tackles these questions anthropologically, focusing on international aid as a key means of closing the gap between rich and poor. We will focus on a number of key topics. Specifically, we will explore the history of global poverty and economic inequality, the emergence of human rights as a key vocabulary for staking claims to economic equality, and the complexity of the relationship between culture and development, examining in some detail the ways in which culture can both impede and aid development projects. Finally, we will pay some critical attention to why programs designed to help people in the developing world have sometimes fallen short of their intended goals. |
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:
- ULO1: Analyse and articulate how and why international aid remains such a contested arena within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- ULO2: Read widely and actively participate in discussions concerning interactions between development agencies and target communities within the developing world and thereby gain a detailed picture of what international aid entails.
- ULO3: Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid, what makes development assistance successful in improving lives and/or why there are often difficulties in achieving this.
- ULO4: Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the complex factors that influence these outcomes.
- ULO5: Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories relevant to international aid.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay 1 | 15% | No | Week 5 |
| Participation | 15% | No | Weekly (from Week 2) |
| Take-home exam | 30% | No | 'Week 14' |
| Essay 2 | 30% | No | Week 12 |
| Quizzes | 10% | No | Fortnightly (from Week 3) |
Essay 1
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 15%
500-700 word short essay on a designated topic.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Analyse and articulate how and 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, what makes development assistance successful in improving lives and/or why there are often difficulties in achieving this.
- Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories relevant to international aid.
Participation
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: Weekly (from Week 2)
Weighting: 15%
Active participation in tutorials and class discussion is expected (for internal students).
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Analyse and articulate how and why international aid remains such a contested arena within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- Read widely and actively participate in discussions concerning interactions between development agencies and target communities within the developing world and thereby gain a detailed picture of what international aid entails.
- Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid, what makes development assistance successful in improving lives and/or why there are often difficulties in achieving this.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the complex factors that influence these outcomes.
- Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories relevant to international aid.
Take-home exam
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: 'Week 14'
Weighting: 30%
This assessment entails two short essays based on assigned questions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Analyse and articulate how and 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, what makes development assistance successful in improving lives and/or why there are often difficulties in achieving this.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the complex factors that influence these outcomes.
- Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories relevant to international aid.
Essay 2
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 30%
1500 word essay on a designated topic
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Analyse and articulate how and 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, what makes development assistance successful in improving lives and/or why there are often difficulties in achieving this.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the complex factors that influence these outcomes.
Quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Fortnightly (from Week 3)
Weighting: 10%
Quizzes based on lecture content
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Learn to think critically and reflexively about recent debates informing development, the motivations behind international aid, what makes development assistance successful in improving lives and/or why there are often difficulties in achieving this.
- Examine the social outcomes that emerge from programs of international aid by looking beyond the rhetoric and developing an appreciation of the complex factors that influence these outcomes.
- Demonstrate command of anthropological knowledge and theories relevant to international aid.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
Lectures will be held each Thursday between 10am and noon, Room 102 Wally's Walk. Recordings of the lecture will be available through 'Echo' on the unit iLearn page.
Tutorials will be held for internal students from Week 2, while external students will participate through a weekly discussion forum.
All required readings will be available through Legato on the unit iLearn page. Other readings will be available through the Macqyuarie University Library.
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Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Complaints Resolution Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
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Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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- Workshops
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Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook