Disciplines and areas of study
Development studies
Program Coordinator: Dr Michael Connors (Politics).
Since 1945, national governments, multilateral agencies (such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and USAID), and non-governmental organisations have pursued Programs of social and economic change (referred to as ‘development’ or ‘modernisation’) for people mainly in Africa, Latin America and Asia. These Programs are aimed explicitly at improving the welfare of people and relieving social problems such as poverty, disease, landlessness, economic ‘backwardness’, inequality and illiteracy. Keeping in step with the implementation of development Programs are studies about developmental issues, emanating from a range of disciplines including anthropology, economics, history, law, politics, and sociology. While some of these advocate certain developmental theories, policies and practices, several provide critical evaluations of developmental issues and Programs.
The Development Studies Program enables students to become familiar with and acquire an understanding of the various developmental issues covered in several selected units (listed below) offered from a range of disciplines across the university. Issues assessed in the various units include development and underdevelopment, imperialism, dependency, the emergence of newly industrialising countries (particularly in East Asia), gender and development, global environmental problems and development practice.
Programs of study
Students may take a major in development studies, structured according to the following requirements. The major of 130 credit points should include:
- at least 30 credit points of first year units in economics, history, legal studies, politics, sociology or anthropology: students are, however, recommended to take two of the three units ANT1CAG, HIS1CAM and HIS1DEV
- at least 40 credit points of second year units, selected from the list of approved development studies units
- at least 60 credit points of third year units, selected from the list of approved development studies units.
As well, units for the development studies major must be selected from at least two different disciplines.
Important notice: Not all of the units listed below will be available every year. See the unit lists for the specific disciplines, where units unavailable in 2008 will be noted.
| Unit title | Unit code |
|---|---|
| First year units (15 credit points) | |
| Students are recommended to take 30 credit points of the following units: | |
| Conquest of the Americas: Aztecs, Incas, Mayans & Spaniards | HIS1CAM |
| Culture and Globalisation: introduction to anthropology | ANT1CAG |
| Globalisation: the rise of the modern world | HIS1DEV |
| Students may, however, count first year units from any of the following disciplines towards the first year requirements of a major in development studies: anthropology, economics, history, legal studies, politics, and sociology. | |
| Second- and third year units (20 credit points) | |
| Applied Anthropology | ANT2APA/ANT3APA |
| Charting the Colonial Pacific | HIS2CCP/HIS3CCP |
| Comparative Social Movements | SOC2CSM/SOC3CSM |
| Crises in South Asia: weapons, women, well-being | POL2CSA/POL3CSA |
| Critical Social Policy | SOC2CSP/SOC3CSP |
| Development, Globalisation and Culture | ANT2DGC/ANT3DGC |
| Displacement, Flight and Refuge | ANT2DFR/ANT3DFR |
| International Law and International Organisation | POL2ILO/POL3ILO |
| International Relations: the Cold War and the great powers | POL2INR/POL3INR |
| Introduction to Ethnographic Research | ANT2MQA/ANT3MQA |
| Latin America through Film and Popular Culture | HIS2LFP/HIS3LFP |
| Living with Colonialism: resistance and accommodation | HIS2LWC/HIS3LWC |
| Peace and Change | POL2PAC/POL3PAC |
| Political Change and Development in the Third World | POL2DDA/POL3DDA |
| Politics and the Economy | POL2PAE/POL3PAE |
| The Politics of Economic Regions | POL2PER/POL3PER |
| Politics of Non-violent Activism | POL2PNV/POL3PNV |
| Postcolonial Perspectives | ANT2PCP/ANT3PCP |
| Reconciliation | POL2REC/POL3REC |
| Social Policy, Welfare and the State | SOC2SWS/SOC3SWS |
| Sociology of the Environment | SOC2SOE/SOC3SOE |
| South-East Asian Politics: change and conflict | POL2SEA/POL3SEA |
| The World Since 1945 | HIS2WOR/HIS3WOR |
| Other units may be available, by agreement with the area coordinator. |
Honours
The faculty offers a Bachelor of Arts with honours in development studies for students who have completed a Bachelor of Arts. Students who intend to undertake honours in development studies are normally expected to have completed a development studies major with a B average at third year level. Interested students who do not satisfy these requirements are encouraged to consult the Chair of the Development Studies Committee.
Students enrolled in the pass degree who hope to proceed to honours should contact the chair of the committee as early as possible in their course.
The course consists of a research thesis of 12000 to 15000 words, together with two fourth year units from different disciplines, determined in negotiation with the lecturers in charge and the Chair of the Development Studies Committee.
A full description of these units (including the unit name, unit code, credit points, campus/location, unit coordinator, class requirements, assessment, prerequisites, and readings) appears at the end of each discipline entry. For the most recent descriptions of all units, please access the unit database at www.latrobe.edu.au/udb_public.