LECON5212 Advancing Global Progress Course Descriptor

Course Overview

Why are some countries poorer while others are richer? In what ways does modern history, such as the legacy of colonialism, shape economic and material progress today? In what ways is economic life different for people in different parts of the world? Why does our use of language matter when working across a range of contexts and with people from different backgrounds?

This course has a twofold aim. Firstly, the academic content focuses on helping students understand the differences in the pace of economic development in different countries, using evidence from Economics and other areas of Development Studies. Secondly, and equally importantly, the course develops some key skills needed for paid, voluntary, or entrepreneurial work on topics related to economic development.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable and Employability Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, discussion boards) to orientate and engage students  in their  studies.

The scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course are:

Lectures/seminars/workshops

40 scheduled hours – typically including induction, consolidation or revision, and assessment activity hours.

Version 1:all sessions in the same sized group

OR

Version 2: most of the sessions in larger groups; some of the sessions in smaller groups

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups. 

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study.

Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessment are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Summative Assessments

The assessment requires students to describe a range of conditions and experiences of distant others, analyse academically the causes and consequences of those conditions, and communicate the stories, analysis, or policy priorities in ways appropriate to a range of professional communications in the field of development policy.

The course is assessed via portfolio to fulfil the experiential element of the assessment. The contents of the portfolio may change periodically, but it should include a number of diverse elements, with elements such as the following:

• A policy brief or similar document (for example, a one-page summary of a complex issue or study for a non-specialist and media audience);
• A small social media campaign on a given topic (for example, a video in a format suitable for YouTube, a thread suitable for Twitter, or a series of short videos suitable for TikTok);
• A short presentation (10 minutes) on a given topic;
• A concise (1,000 words) academic essay on a given topic.

Further information about the assessment can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or in office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is for a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

Core textbook: Todaro, M.P. and Smith, S.C. (2020) Economic Development, 13th edition. Pearson. (The 11th edition (2012) and 12th edition (2015) in either e-book or hard copy are all acceptable ways of accessing the text.)

Indicative Topics

Note: Comprehensive and current topics for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative topics provided below is used as a general guide and part of the approval/modification process only.

Students will study the following topics:

• Dependency theory and the legacies of colonialism
• Poverty in the UK and abroad
• Sectoral development: Agriculture, industry, and services
• Industrialisation and economic growth
• Urbanisation and migration