International development
Social Justice and Development
Module code: L2107N
Level 5
15 credits in autumn semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework, Essay
What kind of world do we want? What kind of world has been made through development?
On this module, you’ll examine development beyond economic growth. You’ll focus on its cultural, social and political dimensions through a lens of social justice.
You’ll study:
- how development practices are entangled with Western ideals of progress, rationality and individualism
- how these frameworks intersect with social differences, such as class, gender, race, disability and sexuality
- the historical impacts of development
- alternative visions for the future.
These will be considered against a view of culture as ‘tradition’ and an impediment to human flourishing.
You’ll also explore questions of power, politics and coloniality, examining what happens when different interests and commitments collide.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an awareness of different theoretical approaches to social justice and development.
- Summarise the basic debates over the relationship between development, modernisation and social and cultural change.
- Apply theoretical insights to the evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of different forms of development policy and intervention.
- Apply a critical perspective to accounts of development intervention and social change