Globalisation and Inequality
Full course description
This course critically focuses on structural issues of development in a global context. Globalization refers to the increasing interdependence of markets, states and civil societies and the resulting effects on people and their environment. By also addressing inequalities, the structural differentiations among actors in terms of access to means, opportunities and resources, issues of (re-)distribution are taken into account as well. The course acknowledges colonial legacies in the field of development by examining development agendas in the post-colonial period and discovering how (neo-)colonial thinking, policies, actors and spaces still play a role in 21st century development challenges. Moreover, it investigates interdependencies on a global, transnational, national and local level, while considering the role of public, private and civil society actors. Thus, it aims to understand underlying development processes and unlock the ongoing debates. The course focuses on the following themes:
Globalization and development; the Sustainable Development Goals; a history of colonialism and inequality; the agencies of development; democratization, human rights and development; health and development; global migration and remittances; and climate crisis, consumption patterns and the North-South divide.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, students:
- can understand and analyze issues of globalization and inequality from several disciplinary perspectives;
- can connect issues of globalization, inequality, poverty and development;
- are able to understand theories, concepts and historical roots of global social, political and economic inequality;
- are able to describe and institutionally place the main global and international actors and networks in the field of development, including their aim, impact and effectiveness;
- are able to critically discuss contemporary issues in development and the developing world, in particular:
- (Post-)colonial legacies;
- Democratization, human rights and development;
- Health and development;
- Global Migration and remittances;
- Climate crisis, consumption patterns and the North-South divide;
- are able to analyze changes in 21st century geopolitical perspectives with regards to development, including the growing impact of the emerging (e.g.BRICS) countries and South-South development initiatives;
- are able to discuss the relations between the various global crises and recent development policies (e.g. the Sustainable Development Goals).
Prerequisites
n/a
Recommended reading
- Textbook: Hopper, P. (2018). Understanding development: 2nd edition fully revised and expanded. Polity;
- A selection of e-journal articles and (UN) development reports;