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Departmental Notes
Subject Code: DEVS
World Wide Web Address: http://www.queensu.ca/devs/
Head of Department: Marcus Taylor
Department Manager: Barbra Lalonde
Department Office: Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Room B411
Department Telephone: 613-533-3301
Department Fax: 613-533-2986
Chair of Undergraduate Studies & Placement Coordinator: Paritosh Kumar
Undergraduate Office E-Mail Address: devs.student@queensu.ca
Chair of Graduate Studies: Mark Hostetler
Graduate Office E-Mail Address: devsgrad@queensu.ca
Overview
Global Development Studies is an interdisciplinary degree program that empowers students to better understand and shape the driving forces of change in our interconnected world. To open up a wide range of career choices and options for further study in Canada and internationally, the program connects big-picture analysis with problem-solving approaches based on deep empirical knowledge. This unique combination gives students skill sets that help them realize their commitment to making the world a better place. Through careful analysis of contemporary challenges in the fields of poverty and livelihoods, cross-cultural communication, environmental sustainability, human rights, and indigenous studies, we help students appreciate development as a relationship rather than as a characteristic of particular places and people.
The Department offers Major, Joint Honours, and Minor courses of study. We are an interdisciplinary department, working closely with the Departments of Geography, Environmental Studies, History, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Political Studies, Sociology, Economics, and Gender Studies as well as the Queen’s Aboriginal Council. Students enter the program in second year and will follow a 200-level curriculum focused on foundational courses that establish the key building blocks for development studies as a field. Topic courses at the 300-level facilitate a broadening of the perspectives and a deepening of knowledge. 400-level courses for Major and Joint Honours students offer the opportunity to specialize in seminar settings led by leading experts in the field.
Special Study Opportunities
DEVS 306 and DEVS 307
Cuban culture and Society I and II courses, part of an exchange agreement between Queen's and the University of Havana, have been offered since 2008. Each is a 3.00 unit undergraduate course. DEVS 306 takes place on Queen's campus during the winter term (January-April). DEVS 307 begins at Queen's after the April exam period with a four-day predeparture session and continues for two weeks at the University of Havana in Cuba. DEVS 306 is a prerequisite for DEVS 307 (the Havana companion course), but DEVS 306 can also be taken on its own.
The aim is to introduce students to some of the main events and highlights of Cuban society, history, politics, and culture, with a focus on the period from the Cuban revolution (1959) to the present. DEVS 306 combines readings, film screenings, and active classroom discussions. In DEVS 307 in Havana, the instructors are drawn from the University of Havana faculty as well as practicing artists, filmmakers, and musicians. Enrolment in DEVS 307 is through an application process. Ancillary fee is estimated to be $3200 for travel costs. Course application forms are available through the Global Development Studies Department, https://www.queensu.ca/devs/undergraduate-program/international-study-program-cuba.
These courses have been offered annually since 2008 as DEVS 305/6.0 and were renumbered to DEVS 306/3.0 and DEVS 307/3.0 in May 2020. This short video created by a former student in 2020 contains interviews with past students who explain their experience in Havana. To watch the video, click the link below or copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://youtu.be/ehUoAgiJoWA
This course introduces students to Cuban society and culture. The focus is 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. This is a prerequisite for DEVS 307 Cuban Culture and Society II, held in Havana.
LEARNING HOURS 120(36L;84P)
An experiential learning course that takes place in Havana, in collaboration with U of Havana. Begins with pre-departure sessions at Queen's followed by two weeks in Havana. Havana instructors include professors, musicians, filmmakers, artists. Havana site visits include museums, art schools, organic gardens, galleries, medical schools, theatres.
NOTE Field Trip (Havana, Cuba): estimated cost $3,200 (students must apply to take this course).
Independent Work Study Abroad Program:
DEVS 410 and DEVS 411
One of the most attractive features of the Global Development Studies program at Queen's is the opportunity it affords students to complete a placement in a development context and get hands-on field experience for credit. Many of our students maintain that their placement is the highlight of their academic career. The experience-based learning within a DEVS 410 internship courses refines practical skills for the workplace and enhances cross-cultural understanding and communication skills while helping students understand the role of history and power in shaping the global world. Students have travelled to places such as Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Costa Rica, Laos, Ghana; have worked with organizations such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Oxfam, Shastri, Polaris Institute, World Bank, Canada World Youth, SOS Children's Village, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity; and have been engaged with projects as diverse as AIDS education, land erosion prevention, human rights, and new immigrants to Canada.
The placement itself (6.00 units) usually takes place over the summer months following completion of the third year of study but requires pre-departure training in the Winter Term. These units are not considered complete until the co-requisite Post-Placement Seminar (3.00 units) is completed in the following Fall Term.
Enrolment in the DEVS 410 and DEVS 411 program is through an application process. Application forms are available through Global Development Studies Department, www.queensu.ca/devs. Very limited funds are available through an application process to support internships, but in general, students are responsible for all costs.
Summer Semester at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
DEVS has partnered with the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa to offer a six-week summer semester abroad taking place from mid July through August. This unique study-abroad opportunity at a world-class university gives students the chance to choose two seminar-level courses on topics covering diverse aspects of contemporary African society and development. In addition, there is also a guided series of weekly cultural activities in-and-around the city of Johannesburg with Queen’s and South African instructors. Lastly, there is a weekly reading course with the other students on South African literature.
Students earn a total of 9.00 DEVS undergraduate credits for successfully completing the Summer Semester. Enrolment in the Summer Semester requires students to have taken DEVS 363 or permission of the department. Ancillary fee is estimated to be $1500 for the programme fee and accommodation. Accommodation is provided in a secure, self-catering centre on campus. Food, flight, and transportation costs are not included, and students are required to make sure they have appropriate health insurance. Applications are open to third year and above students in good standing and are due in early January. The relevant forms will be made available through the Global Development Studies Department website in December http://www.queensu.ca/devs
Semester in Shanghai
Courses taken in the Queen’s Semester in Shanghai program offered through the International Programs Office are pre-approved as option courses in DEVS Plans.
http://www.queensu.ca/ipo/outgoing-students/semester-shanghai
Global Action and Engagement Certificate (GAEN)
The Global Action and Engagement certificate is a new program bringing together the Department of Global Development Studies, Arts and Science Online within the Faculty of Arts and Science, and partners in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa. The program design is flexible to meet the needs of a wide range of learners, from those seeking preparation for work overseas to those who have participated in activities such as global service learning, international experiential learning, volunteer abroad and community-engagement fieldwork and practicums, and seeking formal education or training in global development to better understand the contexts.
The certificate will comprise of 18.00 units of undergraduate courses, including 15.00 units of core courses and 3.00 units selected from a number of option courses. Global Engagement (DEVS 280) is the culminating course centered on active, collaborative, and self-reflexive modes of learning. It will lead students to reflect upon and unpack previous experiential learning activities that have taken place in the context of global development, while preparing them for future global engagement. Note only 9.00 units from the GAEN certificate can be counted towards your degree program.
Courses
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.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
NOTE Also offered at the Bader College, Herstmonceux. Learning Hours may vary.
Explores the relationships between global economic integration, technological change, environmental sustainability, political systems, and cultural diversity. Introduces essential interdisciplinary perspectives for complex global challenges from poverty to climate change and builds the foundations for ethical cross-cultural engagement.
Canada in the World will help students build knowledge and analytical capacities in global development, with a focus on Canada. The course examines how processes of global development are differentiated across borders and axes of gender, racialization, and colonization. Students will explore applications of theories of global change.
This Introductory course to the field of global development studies provides the foundations for interdisciplinary study and action. It provides the thematic grounding and analytical tools to help engage pressing issues using multiple perspectives and a diversity of knowledges.
NOTE DEVS 100 offers a comprehensive 6.0 unit introduction to Global Development Studies. Given the impact of Covid-19 on student course loads, DEVS is also offering DEVS 105 as a 3.0 unit introductory course in the winter term of 2020-21. This course serves as an alternative gateway into global development studies and can be used instead of DEVS 100 as a prerequisite for students seeking to concentrate in DEVS after their first year.
Development in Practice focuses on institutional efforts to frame, plan, and manage development and change towards sustainable, just and positive outcomes. It will examine political negotiations in setting strategic development agendas and goals. It also includes critically learning about practical planning approaches used in development programs.
An introduction to Indigenous ways of knowing organized on a historical basis, from creation to present day, emphasizing Indigenous cultures and experiences in Canada. Students will critically examine colonialism. Indigenous perspectives will be introduced through lecture, reading and assignments, and from contributions from elders, members of Indigenous communities and Indigenous scholars.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
Indigenous Studies II - Resistance and Resurgence highlights the perpetual resilience and resistance of Indigenous communities as they grapple with gendered settler colonialism. The re-emergence of Indigenous knowledge and governance within the settler nation state, and the re-building of Indigenous communities is examined in detail through topics such as contemporary issues in Indigenous healing, art, teaching and learning, Indigenous protest, and socio-political life. Students will engage in work that aims to center the voices of Indigenous people.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
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
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
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.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
Examines the relationship between development and environmental change by introducing social science perspectives on themes including energy, agriculture, climate, urbanization, and water. With a focus on combining macro- and micro-analysis, the course reflects on the meaning of development in an era of global environmental transformation.
This course is designed for those interested in undertaking a critical analysis of the gendered impact of the globalization process and development policies with a focus on women in the Global South.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
This course explores current thinking around the motivations for, and ethical implications of, working with communities on issues of social justice, inequality, and sustainable development. Students will engage in self-reflexive practices and work collaboratively to create tools and action plans for ethical global engagement in the future.
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
Lectures and courses offered by regular and visiting faculty on development topics related to their research interests. Consult the departmental homepage for further details of specific course offerings each year.
Lectures and courses offered by regular and visiting faculty on development topics related to their research interests. Consult the departmental homepage for further details of specific course offerings each year.
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.
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 course will take place at the University of Havana during the month of May. NOTES 1 Students are expected to pay an ancillary fee for travel and accommodation while in Havana. Estimated cost $3200.00.
2 Students must apply to take the course. Applications are available in the DEVS office during the month of September.
3 Students are expected to attend a pre-departure orientation in late April/early May prior to leaving for Havana, Cuba.
4 Costs and application deadlines will be posted on the DEVS website.
This course introduces students to Cuban society and culture. The focus is 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. This is a prerequisite for DEVS 307 Cuban Culture and Society II, held in Havana.
LEARNING HOURS 120(36L;84P)
An experiential learning course that takes place in Havana, in collaboration with U of Havana. Begins with pre-departure sessions at Queen's followed by two weeks in Havana. Havana instructors include professors, musicians, filmmakers, artists. Havana site visits include museums, art schools, organic gardens, galleries, medical schools, theatres.
NOTE Field Trip (Havana, Cuba): estimated cost $3,200 (students must apply to take this course).
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.
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.
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.
Over the past several decades, business - particularly large multinational corporations - have come to play an increasingly dominant role in global development. This course will interrogate the structures, processes and practices employed by corporations as the forge new partnerships with states, global development organizations and corporations.
This course examines cities and urbanization in countries in the South, looking at similarities and differences between and across regions, and the extent to which these cities connect (or not) with urban areas in the North.
HIV/AIDS is one of the most pressing development issues in the world today. This course examines the cultural, political, economic, and other social factors that contribute to its transmission and intractability, and which help to explain the differential impact of the disease upon societies worldwide. Particular attention is paid to the ways that specific social/sexual identities and practices arising from inequitable class, gender, race, and ethnic relations, affect the prevalence of HIV, the ability to contain its spread, and the human costs that it entails.
This course analyzes the political economy of resource extraction, focusing on Canadian extraction, domestically and globally. Students will critically examine historical and contemporary extraction and its role in economies, livelihoods and transnational movement (e.g. migration and colonialism), and explore
alternative extractive futures.
Examining issues facing Indigenous individuals & communities that include ongoing cycles of violence, historical unresolved grief, the transmission of intergenerational trauma, & systemic injustice. Determinants of conflict, war, & disputes by navigating a complex landscape that includes race, gender, & the commodification of violence are examined.
The first part of the course introduces students to critical theories and debates on NGOs governance, state-society relationships and democracy. The course begins with a broad look at theories of international development and how our understanding of the process of development has changed over time.
The course examines contemporary issues 'forced' migration of people to obtain theoretical understanding of processes shaping human mobility and the debates governing inclusion or exclusion of people.
The course prepares students for fieldwork in global development. It connects theory with practice through in-depth, skills-based modules on economic literacy, results-based management (RBM), and policy advocacy. Students will apply core concepts and best practices to effective proposal writing, project management, and policy advocacy.
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
This course builds on DEVS 280/3.0 by facilitating an 80-hour experience related to global engagement. Students will engage with concepts of ethical engagement and relationship building as they are guided through a practical experiential learning opportunity in the field of global engagement.
NOTE Only offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.
This course first provides the historical and regional context necessary to understand urban southern Africa's contemporary struggles, then examines strategies to address key development challenges and how they may be creating opportunities for new ways of thinking about citizenship in South Africa and the Global South more generally.
Challenges students to examine how colonialism/decolonization shapes settler states and how understandings of indigeneity and sovereignty have been impacted by the relationships between the colonizer and the colonized. Addresses how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can work towards decolonization through 'unlearning' and re-presencing.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
The future of globalization is highly uncertain. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of global supply chains. The rise of mercantilist policies has also brought the rules-based order for trade into crisis. In this course, students will examine this shifting landscape and what it means for global development. Students will learn about the World Trade Organization and key regional trade and investment agreements. Students will also assess alternatives to the current system, with a focus on fair trade. Finally, we will explore wildlife trade and how trade affects climate change.
Seminars offered by regular and visiting faculty on development topics related to their research interests. Consult the departmental homepage for further details of specific course offerings each year.
Seminars offered by regular and visiting faculty on development topics related to their research interests. Consult the departmental homepage for further details of specific course offerings each year.
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.
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.
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 participating in the study period at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg will pay an ancillary fee for programming (e.g. cultural field trips, busing). Students will pay all travel and living costs while studying at Wits. The study period at Wits is mid-July to end of August.
600 years of colonialism have greatly harmed this planet's people and environments. Complementary lifeways can balance cognitive, emotional, and physical realities and inform intellectual, scientific, and artistic enquiry. This course attempts to strike that balance, through academic inquiry and visceral experience, in the classroom and on the land.
NOTE Students are required to make application. Contact Department for application information.
NOTE Students are expected to pay an ancillary fee for travel and food costs while in the field. The estimated cost is $400.
Seminars offered by regular and visiting faculty on development topics related to their research interests. Consult the departmental homepage for further details of specific course offerings each year.
NOTE Taught concurrently with DEVS 8XX/3.0.
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 identify a willing supervisor from DEVS or a cognate department and receive permission of the Department of Global Development Studies.
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.