Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT: PRACTICES AND PROJECT DESIGN M-Z

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT: PRACTICES AND PROJECT DESIGN M-Z

Anno accademico 2023/2024

Basic knowledge on development theories and approaches, key issues and themes.

Suggested reading:

Sachs W., The Development Dictionary. A Guide to Knowledge as Power, Zed Books, 2010.
Currie-Alder, B, 2016: The state of development studies: origins, evolution and prospects, in: Canadian Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 5-26
Horner, R. / D. Hulme (2017): Converging divergence? Unpacking the new geography of 21st century global development, Global Development Institute, Working Paper 2017-010, Manchester 2017 https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/58547219/Horner_and_Hulme_2017_Con

Sommario insegnamento

• Obiettivi formativi
• Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi
• Programma
• Modalità di insegnamento
• Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento
• Attività di supporto
• Testi consigliati e bibliografia
• Note
• Strumenti didattici
• Scheda del corso

Obiettivi formativi

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

This course contributes to the realization of the study curriculum by introducing to histories, theories and practices of development and international cooperation, and preparing for possible research actions. Development studies tackle complex issues and cannot be confined either within a single discipline, or within a specific approach, as it refers to a multicultural world with entangled stories and histories; however, we will adopt a geographical entry point. As a value-based academic field including instrumental knowledge for practice, ethical reflexivity will be included. The course will interact with scholarly debates from human geography, but also political sciences, social and cultural studies, political ecology and indigenous studies, with participatory approaches and civil society empowerment as ultimate emancipatory goals. Some thematic fields of international cooperation (e.g. food systems; cultural heritage; etc.) will be specifically explored, highlighting their role in development theories and practice. Finally, the course will provide students with tools to understand rationalities and structures of development projects, and skills for participatory project design and locally based evaluation.

The course aims to enhance students’ ability to apply key concepts and approaches autonomously and to encourage the acquisition of transversal skills that will enable them to activate such knowledge and skills in contexts and for different purposes.

Risultati dell'apprendimento attesi

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course students will be able to:

1. understand the international debates on development and international cooperation, particularly, but not only, in the Global South (critical theoretical knowledge skills);
2. develop critical thinking on theories, policies and practices that are reflected in cooperation programs, recognizing political ontologies and epistemic diversities brought by different subjectivities (critical theoretical knowledge skills);
3. acquire familiarity with scientific journals and published researches in this field (critical knowledge skills);
4. recognize different actors in cooperation, their priorities and discourses across the recent history and in current times, especially through the United Nations Agenda 2030 (knowledge and understanding skills);
5. grow interest in doing research on inequalities, rights and more specific thematic issues affecting local and social realities (knowledge and applied skills);
6. familiarize with programs of aid and funding mechanisms worldwide (e.g. from the EU, the UN and the World Bank) (technical knowledge and applied skills);
7. experience participatory research methods and project design for either research or development action, interacting with diverse institutions and social groups (capacity to use methodological strategies and practical tools); and
8. practice written and oral communication skills, in particular: active reading and synthesis skills, critical thinking, problem solving, knowledge and writing skills, teamwork ability, design) (communicative and diverse skills).

Programma

COURSE CONTENTS

The course will be divided into 5 parts, respectively focusing on:

1) Fundamentals  of development and international assistance. Focus on ontologies of development and contemporary framework of international assistance; critical definitions of development- modernity, cooperation-coloniality; postcoloniality and postdevelopment; financialization of development; Alternative perspectives on development (e.g. feminism, pluriverse approach).

2) Geography's contribution to international cooperation and development projects: Territorial analysis approaches and methodologies; critical perspectives on mapping and cartography (postcolonial cartographies, counter cartography, participatory mapping, indigenous mapping).

3) AID and cooperation theories: What is development cooperation? Evolution of doctrines of development cooperation. Rationalities and criticism about current development cooperation. AID architecture: Actors, scales, channels, typologies of development cooperation; Data, statistics, source for and on development cooperation; Flows of development cooperation; Traditional and emerging donors; AID management and organizational aspects of international development assistance; Italian cooperation; South-South cooperation; monitoring and impact evaluation of aid programs and projects; PCM tools (Project cycle, Problem and objective tree, LogFrame, Gant…); Impact analysis; Theory of change; Participatory approaches.

4) Thematic fields of international cooperation: food and/in development cooperation, gender, migration, and participation.

5)  Project design and monitoring (with the support of an external expert); Applying the tools and logic of PCM approach, choosing a theme, country and territory, actor, partner, and donor.

Modalità di insegnamento

TEACHING METHODS

Face-to-face lectures

Lectures and training materials will be available on the course Moodle page.

The course requires the active participation of attending students, through group work and other active learning methodologies.

Modalità di verifica dell'apprendimento

LEARNING ASSESSMENT 

The course will have 3 steps of evaluation.

1) First Individual written test (open ended questions) (mid-course) (25% of the final grade)

2) Second Individual written test (open ended questionsn + critical analysis of an academic paper) (at the end of the course) (25% of the final grade)

3) Group assignment (project design: essay + oral presentation of the essay) (50% of the final grade)

Details on the assessment methods will be communicated at the beginning of the course and on the Moodle page.

Attività di supporto

Guest speakers will be invited.

There will be 2 visiting professors on South South Cooperation and other selected topics about international development cooperation.

The exercise on PCM will be tutored by a practitioner, expert on project design

SUGGESTED READINGS 

1) Lecture notes by the teachers (available as "teaching materials" on the Moodle page of the course).

2) Scientific articles, policy documents, technical reports, and guidelines for project design and evaluation: they will be uploaded in Moodle.

Further readings:

Carmody P. (2019) Development Theory and Practice in a Changing World. Routledge.

Note

Attendance is not compulsory but strongly recommended, as there will be activities in class, group work, reading of articles from international literature, and writing of reports and projects.

The interaction between students and teachers will take place on the course Moodle page.

More information on the Moodle Page

• Materiale didattico
• Bacheca appelli
• Orario lezioni
• Vai a Moodle
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• Studenti registrati
• Invia email agli studenti registrati
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