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Course Modules

Development and environment: theory and policy

» To provide advanced understanding and critical awareness of key theoretical and policy issues pertaining to development and environment;

» To examine social and natural scientific interpretations of sustainability and related issues of geographical scale;

» To impart an advanced understanding of the how different philosophical and theoretical approaches to development influence the processes of policy formulation and implementation.

Topics covered include: defining and understanding development; social and natural scientific approaches to sustainability and development; theorising development and environment - conventional and post-structural approaches; equilibrium and non-equilibrium approaches to policy and practice, and questions of scale; debating global warming and desertification; the sceptical view - Lomborg and his critics.

Globalisation and governance

» To critically interrogate the terms globalisation and governance with a particular focus on North-South relations and sustainable development;

» To consider how existing modes of global governance are contested and resisted throughout the world by examining the anti-globalisation movement and the role of NGOs;

» To improve and enhance students' communication and presentation skills by carrying out individual land group presentations within the module.

Topics covered include: globalisation and governance; contested governance - anti-globalisation; contested governance - North-South relations and the global commons; NGOs and governance - conditionality of aid - NGOs and governance - humanitarian aid.

Grassroots development

» To critically evaluate theories, policies and practices, regarding implementing development at grassroot level through the bottom-up participatory approach and involvement of community. This should enhance student's evaluative ability towards theoretical and practical development.

» It is intended that students should be able to recognise the existing modes and impact of various interventions and different approaches adopted.

» To enhance understanding and the role of different actors (NGOs, international agencies, Northern Charitable NGOs, community organisation) in the development process and extend knowledge on the complex interdependencies in contemporary development.

Topics covered include: the role of NGOs; community based development and management; fairtrade; appropriate technologies; indigenous knowledge; ICT4D; NGO-donor relationship.

Participatory methods

» To provide students with an opportunity to develop their understanding of the theoretical ideas behind participatory methods in development, an awareness of the range of methods available, and a chance to put some of these methods into practice;

» To build on introductory work on participatory methods in geography covered in the Research training element.

Hazards and vulnerability

» To investigate the concepts of hazards and vulnerability within the context of development, focusing on both physical and human environments and the interactions between them;

» To encourage students to consider how these concepts vary spatially and socially, as well as how they can be used to develop policy interventions.

Topics covered include: hazards and vulnerability - physical and human contexts in developing areas; humid tropical land degradation; desertification and salinisation; global warming and food security in the tropics; poverty, health and the urban environment; vulnerability within the HIV/AIDS epidemics.

GIS and remote sensing for development project management, assessment and monitoring

» To provide a practical training in the use of GIS to store, manipulate and analyse data from a variety of sources and disciplines, including remotely sensed imagery;

» To provide practical exercises that will demystify the mechanics of using GIS and remote sensing;

» To encourage an awareness of the appropriate use of GIS and remote sensing tools in the development context.

Livelihoods and sustainability

» To consider the ways in which individuals, households and communities ‘make a living';

» To give students the opportunity to evaluate the ways in which the concept of ‘livelihoods' has been operationalised in development policy and practice;

» To examine the range of livelihoods available (or not) within the Global South.

Topics covered include: the ‘Sustainable Livelihoods Approach' and livelihoods frameworks; livelihoods and sustainability in peri-urban areas; livelihoods in coastal and lacustrine environments; the urban informal sector: survival strategy or growth strategy; social capital; migration as a livelihood strategy.

Participatory environmental monitoring

» To examine various types and approaches to participatory environmental monitoring;

» To examine the process of setting up a participatory environmental monitoring system;

» To give students practical experience in developing a participatory monitoring system and analysing the data produced from the system.

Water and development

» To examine some of the key issues in water resource management at both the global and local scales;

» To examine water resources in their political context;

» To examine hydrological and environmental aspects of water resource management at the catchment scale.

Topics covered include: ‘Water wars' and transboundary conflicts - The Middle East; the politics of water - issues of gender; utilising natural runoff in semi-arid environments - principles and problems of water harvesting; water resources and natural hazard - The ‘Himalayan Dilemma'; large dams - evaluation of environmental and social impacts; managing wetlands and fisheries in SE Asia

Tools for development and environment

» To give students the basic skills in assessing and evaluating the project cycle, including developing indicators and using the logframe;

» To give students the opportunity to in key communication tools including briefings, oral presentations, report writing, and website development.

 

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