Studying at York
Global Development Politics - POL00106M
- Department: Politics and International Relations
- Module co-ordinator: Dr. Judith Krauss
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
Module summary
This core module aims to outline for students key emerging themes in the study of global development
politics. It will run in the autumn semester and offer a framework for the overall programme. The purpose of
the module is to help students understand the transformations in the global order within which
contemporary development processes and projects are embedded. An understanding of these
transformations will enable students to appreciate the changing politics of development which make it
imperative to consider the global factors shaping development (rather than drivers confined to the Global
South). It will engage students with a broader range of interactions and trade-offs between environment,
society and economy.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Module aims
The assessment has been chosen in response to Faculty and external examiner feedback promoting real-
world assessments. Consequently, students will be assessed based on a 15 to 20-minute podcast (to be
submitted as an audio file and a script) which will reflect on one key module theme. This asks students to
produce a public-facing output intended for an informed, but non-academic audience, that draws on
academic and policy literature, and presents their thoughts in a clear, concise manner verbally, much like
they will have to do in their professional and civic lives going forward. The podcast format helps them hone
verbal communication skills in addition to the writing skills which are required to produce a clear, accessible
script for the podcast. It also produces an output which they can share or reference with future employers
and stakeholders. Both the output and the skills that students learn from it reflect the module's Freirean
understanding of education as part of a wider project of critical thinking and societal transformation. The
technical skills required will be very limited, as all smart phones now have an audio recording function.
However, if that is not available, alternative provision to allow access to microphone will be made.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will know:
The historical evolution of ideas about and practices of (global) development;
The shifting balance of power that frames the contemporary global order and international political
economy;
The emerging role of the Global South, and the agency of Global South countries in shaping ideas of
development;
Key global challenges facing the world today;
The social processes that underpin emerging global challenges such as climate change and
biodiversity loss; and
The politics of framing, negotiating and addressing key global challenges across social,
environmental and economic domains
Module content
The contents of the module will include:
Week 1: Introduction: Debates in global development: A connected politics perspective
Week 2: The New International Economic Order and its “unfailure”, Washington Consensus, Beijing
Consensus and beyond
Week 3: BRICS
Week 4: Southernisation of development
Week 5: Citizenship
Week 6: Polycrisis and global development
Week 7: Climate justice
Week 8: Conservation in the Anthropocene
Week 9: Transforming value chains in the 21 st century
Week 10: Sustainable Development Goals and beyond
Assessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Podcast |
N/A | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Reassessment
| Task | Length | % of module mark |
|---|---|---|
| Essay/coursework Podcast |
N/A | 100 |
Module feedback
Students will receive written timely feedback on their formative assessment, which will be a 500-word plan
for their podcast. To prepare students for what is expected, possibly in cooperation with Louise Frith (PGT
academic skills expert), we will offer a session/s in which students can present their podcast idea verbally,
and obtain constructive feedback from tutors and peers.
Indicative reading
Horner, R. and D. Hulme (2020) From international to global development: New geographies of 21 st century
development. Development and Change 50(2): 347-378. DOI: 10.1111/dech.12379
Kothari, A., Salleh, A., Escobar, A., Demaria, F., Acosta, A. (Eds.), Pluriverse: a post-development dictionary.
Tulika Books.
Krauss, J.E., Jiménez Cisneros, A., Requena-i-Mora, M. (2022) Mapping Sustainable Development Goals 8, 9,
12, 13 and 15 through a decolonial lens: falling short of ‘transforming our world’. Sustainability Science 17,
1855–1872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01112-3
Mawdsley. E. 2018. The ‘Southernisation’ of Development? Asia Pacific Viewpoint 59(2): 173-185.
doi:10.1111/apv.12192
Pailey, R. (2021) De-centering the “White Gaze” of Development. Development and Change 51(3): 729-745.
DOI: 10.1111/dech.12550
Quijano, A. (2007) Coloniality and modernity/rationality. Cultural Studies, 21 (2-3), pp. 168-178,
http://doi.org/10.1080/09502380601164353
Roy, I. and S. Hickey (Forthcoming) Global Development Politics. Routledge