Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

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. 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 analytical, design, reporting and team working skills.

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

- understand the international debates on development and international cooperation, particularly, but not only, in the Global South (critical theoretical knowledge skills);
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);
- acquire familiarity with scientific journals and published researches in this field (critical knowledge skills);
- 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);
- grow interest in doing research on inequalities, rights and more specific thematic issues affecting local and social realities (knowledge and applied skills);
- 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);
- 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
- 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).

Given the Covid-19 pandemic situation, lectures will be provided through Webex-streaming, or recorded and uploaded in Moodle.

Webex: https://unito.webex.com/unito/j.php?MTID=m053ef5480612a0abd39aa4542ee6308a

Moodle page: https://elearning.unito.it/scuolacle/enrol/index.php?id=684

NB: Wednesdays' lectures will be also in class! Welcome to have some presential meetings! You have the option to follow them online through Webex.

The learning assessment will be organized into 3 Modules (see the above section). The first part will be carried out individually, while the other 2 will be done in groups.

1) Theories of Development, International Cooperation, Geography: lectures, group discussions, and reading of scientific articles.

2) Themes: lectures, scientific articles, and Action Research by working groups leading to a final essay linking development approaches, thematic focus, geographic areas, and partnerships.

3) Tools: practical exercises and simulation of project design based on the previous essays, in working groups.

Notes on working group formation:

• 5 members per group
• composition to be decided by the students and approved by the teachers
• groups will be the same for “International Cooperation for Development” and “Doing Research and Fieldwork in International Cooperation” (Bignante, Gusman, Maggio and Shaw)
• Monday 1.3.2021: group formation in connection with the course Doing Research Fieldwork (more information in Moodle and at the lectures)

Further instructions will be available in the syllabus published in Moodle platform. All Q&As, discussions, handouts of materials and works will be sent via Moodle.

The course will be divided into 3 parts, as presented in the program section, with 3 phases of evaluation. The final grade will be the sum of the 3 assignments.

• Individual written test (open-ended questions).

Description: The test will assess students’ knowledge of the topics discussed in module 1 (Development, International Cooperation, and Geography)

Location: in presence OR online (for those who are not able to be in Turin on the exam date)

Date: April 7th, 16:00

Maximum grade: 10

Weight: ⅓ of the final grade

• Group assignment #1 (essay)

Description: About 3.000 words. The essay provides information about the geographical context and the thematic issues that will be addressed in the project designed (see point 3). More detailed information will be provided during the course

Due date: essay to be uploaded by May 17^th at 14:00 CET.

Presentations: group presentations on 18.5 and 19.5, lectures time. All members have to contribute and respond to questions.

Audience: all attending students must give feedback in moodle (forum)

Maximum grade: 10 (average between written essay and individual presentations on 18.5 and 19.5)

Weight: ⅓ of the final grade

• Group assignment #2 (project design)

Description: See Moodle

Due date: at least 10 days before the oral

presentation (see Moodle)

Maximum grade: 10 (average between written essay and individual presentations)

Weight: ⅓ of the final grade

Further instructions will be available in the syllabus published on Moodle platform. All Q&As, discussions, handouts of materials, and works will be sent via Moodle.

 

Non-attending students

Also in their case, the assessment will be based on 3 different exercises:

1) Written test on literature (open-ended questions)

2) Essay: Baseline study on a theme and geographical location (individual or in group)

3) Project design (individual or in group).

Students are welcome to contact the teachers to discuss their assignments.

Sono previsti interventi di esperti esterni.

The course will be divided into 3 parts:

1) Theories on Development, International Cooperation and Geography.

2) Thematic focus on different global issues, such as Food, Mountains, Livelihoods, Gender, Environment and Climate Change, Education, Refugees, BRICS/China in Africa, Heritage, Tourism, Water. Working groups will be focusing on one of these themes, in a specific geographic context. Other themes can be agreed upon with the teachers. The WGs will prepare preliminary studies that could justify an activity of local development and solidarity

3) Tools on project cycle management, design, monitoring, and evaluation: a laboratory for practical exercises. Working groups will be involved in a simulation of a project design.

 

Attending students:

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

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

Non-attending students:

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

2) Bartenev V. and Glazunova E. (2013). International Development Cooperation. Set of Lectures. The World Bank

Only chapters 3 and 4

 

3) Chaturvedi S. et al. (2021). The Palgrave Handbook of Development Cooperation for Achieving the 2030 Agenda. Palgrave, MacMillan

Selected chapters:

1 - Development cooperation in the context of contested global governance

2 - Global cooperation for achieving the SDGs

3 - Development finance and the 2030 Goals

6 - The globalisation of foreign aid

7 - The untapped functions of international cooperation in the age of sustainable development

8 - The difficulties of diffusing the 2030 agenda: situated norm engagement and development  

15 - Challenges and opportunities of the SDG indicator framework for statistical capacity development 

30 - Partnership with the private SECTOR

31 - The role and contribution of NGOs

 

4) HDR 2020 (2020). The next frontier. Human development and the Anthropocene. UNDP

Selected chapters:

1. Overview
2. Charting human development in the Anthropocene
3. Unprecedented—the scope, scale and speed of human pressures on the planet
4. Empowering people for equity, innovation and stewardship of nature
5. Empowering people, unleashing transformation
6. Building nature-based human development
7. Towards a new generation of human development metrics for the Anthropocene

    Table A71 Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index

 

Attendance is strongly recommended, since the course is based on continuous activity in class and group work.