Rural Development in the Global South
The course consists of three blocks where each takes place during one week with five activities (e.g. lectures, seminars). The first block focuses on a history of ideas in our subject while the latter two expand into two key contemporary themes developed in the field.
1. Rural development, post-colonialism, and beyond
The first block will provide an introduction to the evolution of thinking in rural development from more "mainstream" approaches to critical development studies, post-colonial critiques, and beyond.
2. Rural transformations
The second block will explore key thematic issues relating to rural transformations including: dynamics of agrarian change in the contemporary era; changing relationships between state, society, and the market; shifts in rural livelihoods; and social vulnerability and resilience.
3. Politics of natural resources and the environment
The third block will examine issues relating environmental politics, including: natural resource governance and contestation, the politics of "participation", and continuity and change in global environmental agendas and their implications for welfare and justice of resource dependent populations.
The course is based on the knowledge and current research that takes place at the Division of Rural Development, SLU and includes interaction with many of the lecturers and researchers who do research across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
P000059 Rural Development in the Global South, 7.5 Credits
Subjects
Rural DevelopmentEducation cycle
Postgraduate levelGrading scale
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
Accepted as a PhD student.Objectives
This course gives a basic introduction to the subject rural development with a focus on the Global South. It covers the basics about the origins and evolution of development as a concept as well as its critiques, while also touching upon a variety of thematic areas central to contemporary debates in the field. The course is divided into three blocks (1) Rural development, post-colonialism, and beyond; (2) Rural transformations; (3) Politics of natural resources and the environment.
Theory and discussion is oriented toward critical approaches within development studies that seek to foster debate about the idea of ‘development’ and its many manifestations, dimensions of power and politics within development processes and potential opportunities for cultivating more just, secure, and sustainable futures.
Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:
- describe historical trends in theory and practice of rural development in the Global South;
- critically engage with contemporary debates surrounding key development issues surrounding rural transformation and the politics of the environment;
- apply theory used within contemporary discussion on rural development to analyze and investigate issues within their own area of research.
Content
The course consists of three blocks where each takes place during one week with five activities (e.g. lectures, seminars). The first block focuses on a history of ideas in our subject while the latter two expand into two key contemporary themes developed in the field.
1. Rural development, post-colonialism, and beyond
The first block will provide an introduction to the evolution of thinking in rural development from more "mainstream" approaches to critical development studies, post-colonial critiques, and beyond.
2. Rural transformations
The second block will explore key thematic issues relating to rural transformations including: dynamics of agrarian change in the contemporary era; changing relationships between state, society, and the market; shifts in rural livelihoods; and social vulnerability and resilience.
3. Politics of natural resources and the environment
The third block will examine issues relating environmental politics, including: natural resource governance and contestation, the politics of "participation", and continuity and change in global environmental agendas and their implications for welfare and justice of resource dependent populations.
The course is based on the knowledge and current research that takes place at the Division of Rural Development, SLU and includes interaction with many of the lecturers and researchers who do research across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Additional information
This course is part of the research school People, Society and Sustainability, a joined research school between the Department of Economics and the Department of Urban and Rural Development.Responsible department
Department of Urban and Rural Development
Litterature list
Literature list will be provided four weeks in advance of the first meeting. One key mandatory article/chapter to deepen understanding in relation to each lecture will be provided. Other reading, optional for those interested in that specific topic, will be provided as additional reading.
Reading or revisiting a short basic introduction to Development Studies and development thinking such as Björn Hettne’s ‘Thinking about Development’, 2009, Zed Books, is recommended as a preparation for the first week.
The readings and lectures of the week will be discussed during a seminar each Friday, where students also get to reflect on how the new things they have learnt relate to their PhD topics.