Applied Environmental Science Minor (Level 3)
Geography Major (Level 3)
Geography Minor (Level 3)
Geography Single Honours (Level 3)
Human Geography Dual Honours (Level 3)
Human Geography Major (Level 3)
Human Geography Minor (Level 3)
Are economic development and environmental concerns always opposed? Why doesn't environmental conservation seem to work? And what areas should be conservation priorities to sustain global ecosystems? What does international development assistance do for the people who depend most directly on their local environments for their livelihoods? This module helps students find their own answers to some of these pressing questions by introducing them to development geography. Students explore key ideas from this subdiscipline including political ecology - the study of environments as products of social action - and performative economy - the idea of 'economy' as an abstract realm we bring into being by describing it. Their own examinations of in-depth case studies of economy and ecology enable students to come to original conclusions about the probity and feasibility of different pathways towards - and definitions of - 'development.'
demonstrate ability to identify and critically evaluate different theories of economic development and environmental transformation, especially in relation to the ways these theories explain spatial inequalities among and with nation states and global regions; ability to describe and critique the empirical basis on which these differing theories were developed will be achieved by assessments: 1,2
demonstrate ability to select and interpret the relevant literature concerning current debates in development geography; to prepare and present in written form a reasoned argument evaluating research methodologies and differing and contested interpretations of development outcomes, and to place these interpretations in the context of wider and on-going debates in Human Geography and the social sciences will be achieved by assessments: 1,2
10 x 1 hours seminars
55 hours essay preparation
15 hours essay plan preparation
20 hours seminar preparation
40 hours independent study
2000 words, title to be selected from a set list
2 hour exam in which students will answer 2 questions from a list of 6
This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.