SOSC 1430/1439 9.0
Introduction to International Development Studies
Mid-Term Take-home Exam
December 2023
Due Date:
December 6, 2023, before 11:00 pm (no extensions!)
Weight:
20% (each question = 33.3% of mid-term grade)
Length:
700-800 words (each question)
Format:
Answers must be double-spaced (Word, font 12)
Submission: turnitin (main eClass page)
Instructions
• Students must answer 3 essay questions, one from each of sections A, B, and C.
• Answers must a) be in essay format (no point form); b) include relevant ideas, concepts/terms; and c)
provide examples to illustrate the ideas.
• Answers must draw from class materials (readings, lectures, tutorial discussions, videos, etc.). Outside
sources not allowed.
Section A - Answer one of the following three questions:
1. Debates about development and the environment highlight the dilemma of reconciling economic
growth and environmental sustainability. Drawing on what you have learned in this course, discuss
the following questions: Could this dilemma be resolved? How could governments seeking to
foster social justice and environmental sustainability deal with this dilemma?
2. Class materials discussed various approaches to conceptualize gender and to address gender
inequalities in the Global South. In what ways has learning about gender and development
impacted on your ideas about the topic when you started this class?
3. The modernization and dependency perspectives provide two contrasting explanations for the
existence of development and underdevelopment. Compare and contrast the main propositions of
these perspectives and discuss their respective strengths and weaknesses. In your opinion, which
perspective offers the best insight to understand underdevelopment in the global south? Why?
Section B - Answer one of the following two questions:
1. How do class materials connect colonialism to the emergence of European capitalism and the
underdevelopment of other parts of the world?
2. Class materials argued that experiences of colonialism varied significantly across non-European
regions. Explain why colonialism can best be understood as a “double-sided equation” by
discussing two experiences of colonialism covered in course materials. The two cases should
come from different world regions.
Section C - Answer the following question:
1. Following political independence, Third World countries faced many challenges in their efforts to
overcome the legacy of colonialism. Identify the main economic, political, and cultural dimensions
of this legacy and explain how they impacted the future development of these countries.
THE END