What is “Development”?
An Introduction to the Study of International Development and Poverty
Gallatin School of Individualized Study
New York University
Waste picker, Manila, Philippines (Source: geography.org.uk)
Professor: Rosalind Fredericks
Office: Room 618, 1 Washington Place
Office Hours: Tues. 3:30-6:30; Weds. 2-3pm
Contact: rcf2@nyu.edu
Course: FIRST-UG 76
Semester: Fall 2012
Time: Tues/Thurs 2:00-3:15pm
Location: Rm. 401, 1 Wash. Place
COURSE DESCRIPTION
From Bono to indigenous community activists in the Amazon, everyone is talking about
“development.” The term, however, means different things to different people and has a
long and contentious history. This class provides an introduction to the study of
international development and poverty from an interdisciplinary perspective. To begin,
Part 1 characterizes and historicizes the uneven geographies of development and
poverty we see today. We will explore some key debates considering the role of
geographical endowments as well as the intertwined legacies of colonialism and
capitalism. We then briefly trace the history and key agencies of intentional
development in the contemporary era. In Part 2, we discuss contrasting paradigms for
what the object of development should be, including: economic growth, social
indicators, political freedom, and happiness. Finally, in Part 3, we explore these debates
through specific topics and case studies, including social movements in India, fair trade
coffee, and structural adjustment in Jamaica. The goal is to provide a clear sense of the
chief objects, processes, actors, and policies of international development in order to
grapple with the important stakes held by these different views on combating global
poverty.
What is “Development”? Syllabus
Fall 2012
REQUIREMENTS
•
Class attendance and participation. You are expected to read all assigned
materials, attend all classes, and participate actively in discussions. If you are
unable to attend class, you must let me know and come to my office hours that
week. In the case that you miss a film screened in class, you must view the film
in your own time. You will only be allowed one unexcused absence during the
semester without penalty. Consistent lateness will be penalized as well.
•
Short papers. The course will be centered on three short writing assignments
engaging the readings with further analysis and research. More details on
specific requirements will be announced a few weeks before each is due. Each
essay should be no more than 3-4 pages long (double-spaced, 12 point font).
1. Colonialism and Development (due Monday, October 1st)
2. What is the Object of Development? (Due Monday, November 5th)
3. Case Studies of Contemporary Development (Due Monday, Nov. 26th)
•
Visit to the United Nations Headquarters (date TBD). In the second half of the
semester, we will be taking a tour of the UN offices in New York. The tour will
be followed by a lecture on “Economic and Social Development.” You are
expected to submit a one-page write up on the UN’s vision of development. Due
date TBA.
•
Final Group Project and Presentations: Each student will be assigned to a group
with two other classmates. During the course of the semester, you will conduct
outside research on the subject matter and prepare a class presentation and
written project report due at the end of the semester.
Presentations: December 11th and 13th. Write-up due Friday, December 14th.
Course Grades:
Attendance/Participation
Short papers:
Visit to the UN
Final group project:
20%
45%
5%
30%
OFFICE HOURS and CONTACT
I will hold office hours on Tuesday from 3:30-6:30 and Wednesday from 2-3pm in my
office by appointment only. You can sign up for office hours here: http://goo.gl/5i46R.
If you are unable to meet during my office hours, email me to schedule a separate
meeting.
Email: I am best reached by email at rcf2@nyu.edu. Although I do encourage you to
stay in touch with issues of concern, I also urge you to be considerate with your emails.
I will do my best to reply within 24 hours.
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What is “Development”? Syllabus
Fall 2012
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
As a Gallatin student you belong to an interdisciplinary community of artists and
scholars who value honest and open intellectual inquiry. This relationship depends on
mutual respect, responsibility, and integrity. Failure to uphold these values will be
subject to severe sanction, which may include dismissal from the University. Examples
of behaviors that compromise the academic integrity of the Gallatin School include
plagiarism, illicit collaboration, doubling or recycling coursework, and cheating. Please
consult
the
Gallatin
Bulletin
or
Gallatin
website
[www.gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/policies/policy/integrity.html] for a full description
of the academic integrity policy.
READINGS and FILMS
Required readings for the course are listed in the weekly syllabus. All readings are
available through Blackboard, in the library’s reserves, or at the NYU Bookstore.
Required books
•
Stiglitz, Joseph, Amartya Sen and Jean-Paul Fitoussi. 2010. Mis-Measuring Our
lives: Why GDP Doesn’t Add Up. New York: The New Press.
•
Kinkaid, Jamaica. 2000. A Small Place. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Related Films
The following is a list of some films relevant to the course. They will either be screened
in class, or you are encouraged to watch them in your own time. Whenever possible,
they have been placed on reserve at the library.
Africa: voyage of discovery (1984)
Life and Debt
Bamako (2007)
Maquilapolis
Between Midnight and the Rooster’s Crow (2005) Our Friends at the Bank (1997)
Big Spuds, Little Spuds (1999)
Poto Mitan: Haitian women, pillars of the
Black Gold: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2006) global economy (2009)
Blue Gold (2009)
Sowing Seeds of Hunger (2008)
Cash Flow Fever (2005)
Small Fortunes
China Blue (2005)
Still Life (2006)
Commanding Heights (2006)
Tambogrande (2006)
Crude: The Real Price of Oil (2009)
The End of Poverty? (2009)
Dam/Age (2002)
T-Shirt Travels (2001)
Darwin’s Nightmare (2004)
The Price of Aid
Drowned Out
The Price of Sugar (2007)
Food, Inc.
The perfect famine (2002)
FLOW: For Love of Water (2008)
The Other Side of Outsourcing (2004)
Garbage Dreams (2009)
The Quiet Revolution
Health for Sale (2007)
Working Women of the World (2000)
Leaving Home for Sugar
Wasteland (2009)
Q2P (2006)
White King, Red Rubber, Black Death
The Women’s Bank of Bangladesh
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What is “Development”? Syllabus
Fall 2012
What is ‘Development’?
An Introduction to the Study of International Development and Poverty
COURSE SYLLABUS
PART 1: INTERROGATING UNEVEN DEVELOPMENT
Week 1: Introduction: The State of Global Development and Poverty
September 4th
o Introductions and course details
September 6th
o Sachs, Jeffery. 2005. “Introduction” and “A Global Family Portrait” in
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (1-25). Forward by
Bono (xii-xv).
o Thomas, Alan. 2000. “Meanings and Views of Development.” Chapter 2
in Poverty and Development, (23-48).
Week 2: The Question of Geography
September 11th
o Diamond, Jared. 1999. Guns, Germs and Steel: The fates of human societies.
New York, NY: WW Norton. (Prologue (“Yali’s Question”), and
Epilogue (“The Future of Human History as a Science”) pp. 13-32 and
403-425.
September 13th
o Sachs, Jeffrey D., Andrew Mellinger and John L. Gallup. 2001. “The
Geography of Poverty and Wealth.” Scientific American March, 70-76.
Week 3: Colonialism, Capitalism, and Development
September 18th
o Davis, Mike. 2001. “The Origins of the Third World.” In Late Victorian
Holocausts: El Nino Famines and the Making of the Third World. London:
Verso. (p.14-27)
September 20th
o Bernstein, Henry. 2001. “Colonialism, Capitalism and Development” in
Poverty and Development Into the 21st Century (p. 241-270).
Film: The End of Poverty
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What is “Development”? Syllabus
Fall 2012
Week 4: The Legacies of Colonialism
September 25th
o Hall, Stuart. 1992. “The West and the Rest.” In Stuart Hall, Formations
of Modernity. Polity Press. Pp 276-320. (Selections)
September 27th
o Hall, Stuart. 1992 (cont.)
Film: Babique-area
Week 5: The Actors and Politics of Contemporary Development
October 2nd
o Hewitt, Tom. 2000. “Half a Century of Development.” In Poverty and
Development in the 21st Century. Chapter 13, pp. 289-296.
October 4th
o Thomas, Alan and Allen, Tim. 2000. “Agencies of Development.” In
Poverty and Development in the 21st Century. Chapter 9, pp. 189-216.
PART 2: THE OBJECT OF DEVELOPMENT: CONTRASTING PARADIGMS
Week 6: Development as Economic Growth
October 9th
o GDP Report, 2011. The World Bank. (1-4)
o Krueger, Anne. 2002. “Supporting Globalization.” Remarks at the 2002
Eisenhower National Security Conference on "National Security for the
21st Century: Anticipating Challenges, Seizing Opportunities, Building
Capabilities", September 26, 2002.
o Ben-Ami, Daniel. 2010. Ferraris for All: In Defence of Economic Growth.
Bristol: The Policy Press. (Chapters 1, 6, and 10)
October 11th
o Stiglitz, Joseph E., Sen, Amartya and Jean-Paul Fitoussi. 2010. “Classic
GDP Issues.” In Mis-Measuring Our Lives. (p. 23-60).
Week 7: Development and Social Indicators
October 18th
No Class (Fall Break)
October 18th
o Human Development Report 2010 “Introduction by Amartya Sen” and
“Summary” and “Overview” HDR 2011.
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What is “Development”? Syllabus
Fall 2012
o Zeney, Eric. 2009. "GDP RIP," New York Times, August 9, 2009.
o Stiglitz, Joseph, Amartya Sen and Jean-Paul Fitoussi. 2011. MisMeasuring Our lives: Why GDP Doesn’t Add Up. (Chapter 2, p. 61-96)
Week 8: Development as Social and Political Freedom
October 23rd
o Sen, Amartya. 2000. Development as Freedom, Chapters 1-2 (3-53).
October 25th
o De Mesquita, Bruce Bueno and George W. Downs. 2005.
“Development and Democracy.” Foreign Affairs, September/October
2005.
Week 9: Development as Happiness
October 30th
o Guide to the Gross National Happiness Index, Center for Bhutan
Studies.
o “Executive Summary” Defining a New Economic Paradigm: The Report
of the High-Level Meeting on Well-Being and Happiness UN
Headquarters, April 2, 2012.
November 1st
o Savage, Michael. 2005. “If you're happy and you know it...Why has
happiness become a matter for public policy?” Spiked. 29 November
2005
PART 3: CASE STUDIES
Week 10: Development and Social Movements: The Narmada Dam in India
November 6th
o Roy, Arundhati. 1999. “The Greater Common Good.”
o Peterson, M.J. Osman Kiratli, and Ilke Ercan. 2010. "Case Study:
Narmada Dams Controversy" International Dimensions of Ethics
Education Case Study Series (2010).
November 8th
o Film: Drowned Out
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What is “Development”? Syllabus
Fall 2012
Week 11: Sustainable Development: The Case of Fair Trade Coffee
November 13th
o Jaffee, Daniel. 2007. Brewing Justice: Fair Trade, Sustainability, and
Survival. (Selections)
November 15th
o Jaffee, Daniel. 2007. (Cont.)
Week 12: Gender Empowerment and Microfinance
November 20th
o Yunus, Mohammed. (Selection)
o Roy, Ananya. 2010. Poverty Capital: Microfinance and the Making of
Development. New York: Routledge. (Selections)
November 22nd
No Class (Thanksgiving holiday)
Week 13: The Politics of Debt and Trade in Jamaica
November 27th
o Kinkaid, Jamaica. 1988. A Small Place. New York: Farrar, Straus,
Giroux.
November 29th
o Film: Life and Debt
Week 14: Public Health and Social Justice in Haiti
December 4th
o Farmer, Paul. 2003. Pathologies of Power. (Selections)
December 6th
o Farmer, Paul. 2003. (Cont.)
Week 15:
Group Presentations on December 11th and 13th
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