Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

The course aims at

(1) introducing and unpacking the debate around the notion and the main characteristics of local and global development;

(2) illustrating the interplay between local development and global dynamics;

(3) presenting and assessing study cases particularly relevant in the field.

(4) discussing the contribution of sociology to the debate on development

At the end of the course students should be able to

(1) identify and compare the mainstream and new perspectives on global and local development;

(2) assess and reconstruct the interplay between local development and global dynamics;

(3) critically review theoretical approaches to development and clearly express their point of view.

In addition to that, students will strengthen their ability of understanding, summarising, and discussing academic papers related to global and local development. Moreover, they will develop their skills in collaborative group work.   

The course aims at introducing students to development as a highly contested field, with shifting frontiers, and a set of processes, practices, and values.

The course

(1) presents elements of mainstream and critical perspectives on development;

(2) unpacks the relation between global development and local development ;

(3) presents relevant study cases;

(4) analyses the interplay between global and local development and the conflicts, the problems, and the opportunities that arise from it

(5) reviews key concepts for development such as social, environmental and health justice, ownership, cooperation, and sustainability.

Lessons will be both theoretical and practical with a mix of traditional lectures, classroom discussion and group work. Active participation of the students during the lectures is warmly encouraged.

Attending students 

Students are considered as "attending" if they have attended at least 75% of the lectures.

The final exam consists of a short written report (3500 words) and an oral presentation/discussion of an academic paper to be carried out in groups of 2-3 students. The report must be sent at least 10 days before the exam.

The assessment criteria are the following:

a) the ability to reorganise the acquired knowledge and to apply it in the assessment of relevant study cases;

b) the ability to engage with the course contents in a thoughtful and critical way;

c) the ability to understand and summarise in a clear and effective way the main arguments of an academic paper;

d) the ability to cooperatively plan and manage group work activities.

Active participation during the lectures is considered a plus.

For AGIC's students: The final grade will be integrated with the grade of Development Economics and International Cooperation  (arithmetic mean of the two grades).

Non attending students

The final exam consists of a written essay (3500 words) on one of the topics of the course. The report must be sent at least 10 days before the exam.

The assessment criteria are the following:

a) the ability to reorganise the acquired knowledge and to apply it in the assessment of relevant study cases;

b) the ability to engage with the course contents and learning material in a thoughtful and critical way;

c) the ability to understand and summarise in a clear and effective way the main arguments of relevant books and academic articles.

For AGIC's students: The final grade will be integrated with the grade of Development Economics and International Cooperation (arithmetic mean of the two grades).

Attending students:

1) Handnotes of the lessons 

2) Essays, chapters and academic papers analysed and discussed during the course (available on the Moodle platform);

Non attending students: 

1) Hooks, G. (Ed.). (2016). The sociology of development handbook. Univ of California Press. (Introduction, 1, 2, 5, 10, 11, 14, 16, 23, 24, and 27)

2) K. Raworth, The Doughnot Economics, Corberstone, 2018;

3) 2 academic papers on a topic of your choice, chosen in agreement with the lecturer.