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Introduction to Global Development Studies adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of contemporary issues concerning the development of so-called “less-developed” or “developing” countries. Following a discussion of what it is exactly that development is supposed to be fixing or making better, we will review the leading theories of economic, political and social change that have been adopted by anthropologists, economists political scientists and others over the past fifty years. We will consider how these theories have shaped past and current debate on the definition and goals of the development process. We will compare and contrast the approaches adopted by international institutions (such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund) and alternative development organizations such as non-government organizations, as well as rural communities themselves. We will also examine how, why and under what circumstances development efforts have excluded or disadvantaged certain social actors and degraded the natural environment, and how these impacts have affected development discourse and practice. Finally, our discussions of the practice of development will also encompass case studies of actual development projects. In the final section of the course, we will evaluate a controversial development project – the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Central India – through a role-playing exercise.

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