Instructors – David McDonald (Fall) Richard Day (Winter)

Course Title: Canada and the "Third World"

Introduces basic theoretical concepts of development studies, the history of global inequality, and short histories of alternative development strategies. Case studies of Canada’s ties to the so-called third world will include missionaries, military, business, and aid. Canadian colonialism over First Nations peoples will introduce basic issues in Aboriginal Studies.  Syllabus (PDF 744KB)  

NOTE Also offered as a distance course. Consult Continuing and Distance Studies at http://www.queensu.ca/cds/courses/devs.html

Instructors – Robert Lovelace

Course Title: Introduction to Aboriginal Studies

An introduction to Aboriginal world view and culture organized on an historical basis, from Creation to 1969, emphasizing Aboriginal culture and experience in Canada. Aboriginal perspectives will be introduced through traditional teaching methods and contributions from elders and other community members. Syllabus (PDF 513KB)

NOTE Also offered as a distance course. Consult Continuing and Distance Studies at http://www.queensu.ca/cds/courses/devs.html

Instructors – Robert Lovelace

Course Title: Topics in Aboriginal Studies

Re-evaluation of conventional knowledge based on aboriginal world view and culture and the introduction of a decolonized perspective on contemporary issues. Guest speakers will provide detailed examinations of specific topics such as current issues in Aboriginal spirituality, art, education and politics.

NOTE Also offered as a distance course. Consult Continuing and Distance Studies at http://www.queensu.ca/cds/courses/devs.html

LEARNING HOURS 120 (36L;84P) PREREQUISITE Level 2 or above. DEVS 220/3.0 or permission of the Department of Global Development Studies.

Instructors – Susanne Soederberg

Course Title: The Global Political Economy of Development

Applying global political economy perspectives to key aspects of development finance. Topics include the introduction of basic economic terms, the role of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization, and the growing roles of Transnational Corporations and financial markets in development. Syllabus

NOTE Also offered as a distance course. Consult Continuing and Distance Studies at http://www.queensu.ca/cds/courses/devs.html

LEARNING HOURS 96 (24L;12T;12O;48P) PREREQUISITE DEVS 100/6.0 (DEVS 100/6.0 can be taken concurrently in exceptional circumstances). EXCLUSION No more than 3.0 units from DEVS 230/3.0; POLS 262/3.0.

Instructors – Paritosh Kumar

Course Title: Culture and Development

Provides students with a broad overview of debates relating to development and culture, including issues of religion, music, sport, art and literature, and how these interact with economic policy and

political change.

PREREQUISITES DEVS 100/6.0 and DEVS 230/3.0. (DEVS 100/6.0 can be taken concurrently in exceptional circumstances).

Instructors – Villia Jefremovas

Course Title: Cross-Cultural Research Methods

A study of practical issues related to development research and program evaluation in development settings, using a case-study approach. Topics include information retrieval, cross-cultural research methods, basic data analysis, and results-based project evaluation.  Syllabus (PDF 167KB)

PREREQUISITES DEVS 100/6.0 and DEVS 230/3.0 and DEVS 240/3.0 (DEVS 100/6.0 can be taken concurrently with DEVS 230/3.0 or DEVS 240/3.0 in exceptional circumstances).

Instructors – TBA

Course Title: Cuban Culture and Society

This course is designed to introduce students to Cuban society and culture. The course will focus especially on the period from the Cuban revolution (1959) to the present. Students will examine some of the main events and highlights of Cuban history, politics and culture in this era. Two weeks of this four-week intensive course will take place at Queen’s and two weeks at the University of Havana.

NOTES 1 Students are expected to pay an ancillary fee for travel and accommodation while in Havana.

2 Students must apply to take the course. Applications are available in the DEVS office.

3 Students are expected to attend a pre-departure orientation.

4 Costs and application deadlines will be posted on the DEVS website.

PREREQUISITE Level 3 or above and registration in any Arts and Science Plan.

EQUIVALENCY DEVS 309/3.0.

Instructors – Marcus Taylor

Course Title: Labour and Global Development

Explores the relationships between the production of goods, the lives and livelihoods of workers, and socio-economic development at local, national and global levels. Issues include: the international division of labour; global commodity chains; technological change; labour markets; informal sector; genders in production; unions and labour rights.  Syllabus (PDF 170KB)

PREREQUISITES DEVS 100/6.0 and DEVS 230/3.0.

Instructors – Mark Hostetler

Course Title: Technology and Development

An introduction to the socio-economic, cultural and political factors surrounding technology and its relationship to the development process in both advanced industrial societies and developing nations. Student project groups will focus on particular realms of technology in development and the interaction of politics and policy with technological choice and design, including appropriate, intermediate and sustainable technologies.

PREREQUISITE Level 3 or above and (registration in any DEVS Plan or registration in any Applied Science Program), or permission of the Department.

Instructors – Marcus Taylor

Course Title: Theories of Development

Provides students with an overview of theories that underpin the development enterprise, and critiques of development, through the use of primary texts and critical appraisals. Syllabus

PREREQUISITES DEVS 100/6.0 and DEVS 230/3.0 and DEVS 240/3.0. (DEVS 100/6.0 can be taken concurrently with DEVS 230/3.0 or DEVS 240/3.0 in exceptional circumstances).

EXCLUSION No more than 3.0 units from DEVS 340/3.0; POLS 346/3.0.

Instructors – Colleen Davison

Course Title: Global Health and Development

This course is a critical examination of the field of Global Health and the current state of health development initiatives. Students will learn how health has been defined and measured worldwide and how this has impacted health development activities. Students will be exposed to examples of global health initiatives in such areas as nutrition and food security, water and sanitation, indigenous peoples health, health impact assessment, HIV and health systems strengthening and will be asked to thinking critically about why they exist, how they function and the impacts they are producing. In addition, students will engage in an "action project" to gain an experiential understanding of global health and development. Syllabus

PREREQUISITE Level 3 or above and registration in any DEVS Plan, or permission of the Department.

EXCLUSION No more than 3.0 units from DEVS 321/3.0; DEVS 392/3.0 (2007-08).

Instructors – Villia Jefremovas

Course Title: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Those people who have been defined as indigenous live within a large range of social, economic, political and cultural systems and within a wide range of nation-states. In recent years, there have been new international forums and forms of legislation to recognize indigenous peoples, their cultures and their economic and political rights as indigenous/aboriginal peoples, often coupled with recognition of the ownership of land and resources. These new initiatives have often released a storm of controversy over what constitutes ‘indigeneity’ and how this status is to function within liberal democracies based on individual rights. This is especially important for those working in the development field because new international rules have been developed for work with these populations. This course will look at issues concerning indigenous peoples from a comparative perspective, using examples from both settlers states, in which pre-existing populations were displaced by large scale migrations of culturally different populations, such as Canada, US, and Australia; and those in which the majority populations and indigenous populations were differentiated by the processes of the processes of resistance, assimilation and conquest, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Guatemala.

This course will consider the debates over the definition of “indigenous” identity and indigenous rights from a historical and comparative perspective, internally and in relations to mainstream groups; the relationship of indigenous peoples to the state, NGOs as well as to dominant cultures within the nation-state; national policies put into place for indigenous peoples and the impact of these policies on internal dynamics of indigenous groups; the link that new legislation has made between indigenous peoples and the environment and the implications of this link for indigenous peoples.

PREREQUISITE Level 3 or above and registration in any DEVS Plan, or permission of the Department.

Instructors – Mohammad Abdou

Course Title: War of Dreams: Social Movements of the Middle East Today

This course focuses on the insurrectionary movements for social change that are currently sweeping across the Middle East, from Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya to Bahrain, Syria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. These movements have been variously referred to as ‘the Arab Spring’ or the ‘Islamist Winter’. In order to better understand them we will trace their roots in Middle Eastern history, European colonialism and resulting anti-colonial struggles, looking at the theory and practice of current and previous social movements, as well as the relevance of Islam, in both local and global contexts. Syllabus(PDF 780.29KB)

PREREQUISITE Level 3 or above and registration in any DEVS Plan, or permission of the Department.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: Work Placement in Development Studies

Provides students with first-hand experience working with an agency involved in international development, either in Canada or abroad. The placement will normally be for 10-20 weeks, to be negotiated with the sponsoring agency. Students are required to attend preparatory meetings, prepare a work-study proposal, a research paper on the placement and maintain a journal on a continuing basis while on their placement. In addition to academic requirements, students are required to enroll in the Queen's Emergency Support Program, attend pre-departure orientation and complete Queen's Off-Campus Activity Safety Policy (OCASP) requirements.

NOTE Students are normally responsible for all costs associated with participation in this course.

LEARNING HOURS 260 (60G;200P)

PREREQUISITES Level 3 or above and registration in the DEVS Major Plan and departmental approval in advance from the Head of Global Development Studies.

COREQUISITE DEVS 411/3.0 (Under special circumstances a student can substitute DEVS 502/3.0 (Directed Readings in Development Studies) for DEVS 411/3.0. Permission for the latter may be granted to students who have completed all other degree requirements, and who do not need to return to Queen's University campus following completion of their placement. Students must seek prior approval from the Placement Coordinator, Global Development Studies for this option).

EXCLUSION No more than 1 course from DEVS 410/6.0; DEVS 420/3.0; DEVS 432/6.0.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: Post Placement Seminar in Development Studies

Required for students who have successfully completed the course requirements for DEVS 410. The course will provide a forum for students to debrief and to critically examine their placement experience. Evaluation based on presentation, participation, journal synthesis and a final report.

PREREQUISITE DEVS 410/6.0 and Level 3 or above and registration in the DEVS Major Plan and departmental approval in advance from the Placement Coordinator, Global Development Studies.

EXCLUSIONS No more than 1 course from DEVS 411/3.0; DEVS 432/6.0.

ONE-WAY EXCLUSION May not be taken with or after DEVS 420/3.0; DEVS 421/3.0.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: Study Placement in Development Studies

Participation in an organized educational or cultural exchange, either i) one term of studies at a developing-country university, or ii) an exchange program in a developing-country setting with an organization such as Canada World Youth or Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute for at least 6 weeks. Students are required to prepare a work-study proposal, a risk assessment of their placement and attend a pre-departure orientation. Assessment will also be based on a journal and final report.

NOTE Students are normally responsible for all costs associated with this course.

LEARNING HOURS 124 (40G;84P).

PREREQUISITES Level 3 or above and registration in the DEVS Major or Medial Plan and departmental approval in advance from the Placement Coordinator, Global Development Studies.

EXCLUSION No more than 1 course from DEVS 410/6.0; DEVS 420/3.0; DEVS 432/6.0.

EXCLUSION No more than 3.0 units from DEVS 420/3.0; DEVS 421/3.0.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: International Exchange at Fudan

For students who spend one semester at Fudan University in Shanghai. Includes a five-day pre-departure orientation session, a daily journal, a final report reflecting on their experience as a whole and how it fits with development theory and practice as they have learned it in class, and post-semester meetings and presentations as part of the re-entry learning experience. Winter Term.

PREREQUISITES DEVS 430/3.0 and DEVS 431/6.0 and DEVS 432/6.0 and registration in the DEVS Major Plan.

EXCLUSION No more than 1 course from DEVS 410/6.0; DEVS 421/3.0.

EXCLUSION No more than 3.0 units from DEVS 420/3.0; DEVS 421/3.0.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: Introduction to Modern Chinese History at Fudan

The course surveys Chinese history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with particular focus on events and developments occurring in Shanghai. Assignments include oral presentations, reading reports, and a research paper. The course may also include visits to site of historical interests. Fall Term.

NOTE This course is part of a Study Abroad program in Shanghai, which will require students pay a program fee to cover costs over and above tuition, as well as travel accommodation and subsistence. Further details of the estimated costs can be obtained from the Department of Global Development Studies Office.

PREREQUISITE Departmental approval in advance from the Placement Coordinator, Global Development Studies.

COREQUISITES DEVS 431/6.0 and DEVS 432/6.0.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: Shanghai and Globalization at Fudan

Examines Shanghai's place in an era of globalization, with emphasis placed on the interrelationship between development theory and current changes in China. The course includes both Queen's and Fudan students in an integrated classroom setting at Fudan University, Shanghai, and will expose both groups of students to different ways of thinking, and provide intercultural exchange. Fall Term.

NOTE This course is part of a Study Abroad program in Shanghai, which will require students to pay a program fee to cover costs over and above tuition, as well as travel, accommodation and subsistence. Further details of the estimated costs can be obtained from the Global Development Studies office.

PREREQUISITES Departmental approval in advance from the course instructor and the Placement Coordinator, Global Development Studies.

COREQUISITES DEVS 430/3.0 and DEVS 432/6.0.

Instructors – Please contact the DEVS office

Course Title: Work Placement or Field Research Practicum at Fudan University

Provides students with an opportunity to gain practical development experience or to conduct field research under the guidance of a Fudan instructor. For the Work Placement, Queen's students are paired with Fudan students and then linked to a development organization working in Shanghai. For the Research Project, Queen's students are paired with Fudan counterparts and undertake research on an important development theme, submit a written paper and do a class presentation. Both the placement and research project will involve at least 10 hours of field work per week for 12 weeks. Fall Term.

NOTE This course is part of a Study Abroad program in Shanghai, which will require students to pay a program fee to cover costs over and above tuition, as well as travel, accommodation and subsistence. Further details of the estimated costs can be obtained from the Global Development Studies office.

PREREQUISITES Departmental approval in advance from the course instructor and the Placement Coordinator, Global Development Studies.

COREQUISITES DEVS 430/3.0 and DEVS 431.

EXCLUSION No more than 1 course from DEVS 411/3.0; DEVS 432/6.0.

Instructors – Adam Davidson-Harden

Course Title: Post-war Development and Peace building

This course examines systemic and contextual challenges and opportunities faced by post-war societies through case studies. Special attention will be given to the effects and nature of neoliberal approaches to reconstruction and peacebuilding efforts and the ‘liberal peace thesis’. The means by which societies recover from the social devastation of war and conflict, as well as the role of governments and civil society organizations and agencies will be critically explored in this context. Case studies raised in the course will draw on experiences from the regions of Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East.

Instructors – Scott Rutherford

Course Title: Canada and the Era of Decolonization

Instructors – Villia Jefremovas

Course Title: Rural Development

Instructors – Alexandre Emboaba Da Costa

Course Title: Race in Development

This course provides students with a critical historical perspective and the theoretical tools to analyze the integral role racial and ethnic differences play within capitalist development. From the colonial and post/colonial reproduction and contestation of domination, hierarchy, and inequality, to development’s recent turn to race, ethnicity, and culture as a means of inclusion, we explore the diverse ways such "differences" gets deployed within development discourses and practices. The course is especially attentive to the ways in which race and ethnicity structure power, privilege, and knowledge production, and considers the implications this has for re-thinking development theory and practice.  Syllabus(PDF 81.12KB)

Instructors – Mark Vardy

Course Title: Climate Change and Global Development

Over the past decade, the spectre of anthropogenic climate change has increasingly cast a shadow over debates in development studies. It is widely accepted that climate change mitigation – the reduction of CO2 emissions – will not be rapid enough in timeframe or sufficient enough in scale to avoid significant global warming. In its impact on hydroclimatic phenomena, climate change will have manifest social implications particularly in regions of the global South characterised by significant dependence on agriculture for livelihoods, insufficient physical infrastructure and overburdened public institutions. In response, measures to promote climate change adaptation are seen as requiring immediate mainstreaming within national policymaking and international development initiatives to safeguard material wellbeing and social identity . However, there is significant disagreement on what successful adaptation involves, how it should be fostered and who should promote and finance it. This course overviews these debates in both the academic and policy literature. We examine the many projected impacts of climate change, their differentiated impact upon societies, and current public policy responses to them. With a specific focus on questions of equity, we examine how vulnerability to climate change impacts is socially constructed and how such vulnerability manifests itself in different social spaces, from the rural to the urban. As such, the course seeks to balance focus on the broad analytical questions surrounding vulnerability, resilience and adaptation with case studies drawn from a wide range of countries across the global South. Syllabus(PDF 137.19KB)

Instructors – Abel Chikanda

Course Title: Migration and Development

Instructors – Marc Epprecht

Course Title: HIV in Global Context

The course will involve a critical review of the literature on a clearly-defined topic relevant to development, a synthesis of ideas, and a final thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.

NOTE The student must pay a modest fee for the binding of the departmental copy. The estimated cost is $20.

NOTE The student must identify a willing supervisor from DEVS or a cognate department and receive permission of the Department of Global Development Studies.

PREREQUISITES Minimum Cumulative GPA of 3.50 and Level 4 and registration in the DEVS Major or Medial Plan.

EXCLUSION DEVS 450/3.0.

501 Approval form (PDF 7KB)

501 Course outline (PDF 28 KB)

This course enables a student or a group of students to explore a body of literature on a selected topic in development. The focus may be by theme, by region or by academic approach and can span the humanities, social sciences and environmental sciences. NOTE The students are responsible for approaching a professor with whom they wish to work and who is willing to undertake this project.

PREREQUISITES Minimum Cumulative GPA of 3.50 and Level 4 and registration in the DEVS Major or Medial Plan.

502 Approval form (PDF 7KB)

502 Course outline (PDF 21KB)