MA International Social Development (Part Time)

Key details

MA INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (PART TIME)

Start Year

2021

Attendance

Part Time

Award

Degree of Master of Arts

Duration (years)

Why do micro-credit interventions, designed to empower women, often contribute to continuing gender inequalities? What role do policy elites play in causing ethnic conflicts? What social changes explain rising levels of witchcraft accusations across many societies, and how can social development practitioners engage with these cultural practices? What are masculinities and how do they affect men’s vulnerability to HIV? How can we, as social development practitioners, build interventions that can support people to reshape their lives and promote wellbeing? What roles should the state or civil society be playing in social development? These are a taste of some of the fascinating questions and challenges you’ll tackle in your degree.

The MA International Social Development enables you to understand local and global challenges to people’s wellbeing, in order to better inform solutions. You’ll also learn about success stories and positive development processes, which offer these potential solutions to problems. The academics teaching on the course bring their current research into the learning sessions, so that you have the chance to study at the cutting edge of research and new knowledge.

The course often analyses social development issues and interventions at the community level, focusing on the social actors on the ground who might be implementing or ‘receiving’ the intervention’s resources. Only by examining how and why people respond to interventions can we understand the effects or outcomes of interventions.

Whichever topics or themes you wish to focus your learning and expertise on, you’ll be able to tailor and build your degree from the wide range of modules available to you – allowing you to make your mark.

About

Take on the challenge of social development issues such as vulnerability, resilience, gender inequality, education and health. These fascinating topics are at the forefront of global development goals, and on the agendas of key international development agencies such as the UN and the World Bank.

You’ll have the opportunity to learn about theory, analytical skills and practices, which inform more appropriate and effective social development interventions. You’ll also be able to add professional skills and work experience to your academic learning, for example by taking an internship in the summer with a social development organisation, and by taking one or more of our professional training workshops.

You’ll graduate with the skills, and – if you choose the work placement option – relevant experience, to work in a range of social development fields and organisations, from the community level to project design and policy.

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Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

The six modules you complete in the autumn and spring will be assessed through coursework, such as an essay, a seminar presentation or a policy brief. In some of these modules you might also take a test upon its completion.

For each module you’ll have the chance to practice your skills and ideas for the coursework with a ‘formative’ piece of work, for example the chance to get feedback on your essay plan or a mock test. The course exam is at the start of the summer semester and is based on the two main core modules.

You’ll get feedback on your assignments from the academic staff, which both explains the marks you receive and also supports you to develop your skills for subsequent work.

Structure

At the heart of this Master’s programme are two complementary core modules. In the first semester Social Analysis for International Developmentprovides you with an understanding of key concepts from social theory, notably from anthropology, sociology and political science, and we can apply these to social development challenges, policies and practices. Examples you might examine include poverty and micro-finance interventions, ethnic conflicts and peace building, or the structural drivers of HIV. Concepts of social structure, power and people’s agency are applied to all these key development issues.

In the second semester you study Gender Diversity and Social Development, a module which explores relations between public policy, social development and various forms of diversity and difference, including race, ethnicity, disability and gender. It has both a practical and theoretical orientation, and will help you analyse diversity and its relevance to social policy and practice at the local, national and international levels. You’ll explore a range of different approaches for addressing diversity and difference, for example targeting and rights-based approaches.

In addition to these two core modules, in the second semester you can also choose a third core module. If you wish to focus on health-related issues, you can opt for the Health and Development module, or if you would prefer to focus on education, you can pick Education Policy and Practice in Development.

Building around the three core modules, you’ve the opportunity to develop your own profile of learning and expertise by choosing three elective modules, two in the autumn and one in the spring. You can choose from modules which help you build more applied and professional skills, research skills (especially if you are thinking of moving on to a PhD) as well as those offering further learning in the fields of politics, gender analysis, education or the use of media in global development.

In the summer semester (May to August) there are two more core modules: the Course Exam based on the two core modules, and then you can choose from either the Dissertation or the Development Work Placement option. This last module enables you to focus and build substantial expertise and skills in an area of social development, which you can take to employers for further research.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching

In the School of International Development you’ll be taught by leading academics in the field of social development. These academics are active in research, with disciplinary or inter-disciplinary specialist expertise from anthropology, sociology, politics, and social geography, and with research expertise in various social development issues such as health, education, conflict, urban livelihoods and migration.

Your learning will be through lectures and also through participatory workshops and smaller group sessions. We encourage small group work, discussion, and active student-led sessions because these are often the most effective learning methods.

In some modules there are key reading workshops each week, which help you build deeper understanding of the most important materials. We also have pre-assessment workshops to help you think through and prepare your essays or policy papers.

Independent study

In the summer semester you have the option of doing an independent piece of research (the Dissertation), or the credited Development Work Placement.

With the dissertation you can focus your learning on a specific social development issue and research question. You’ll further develop your independent research and analytical skills, and develop a high level of expertise in one particular subject – expertise which potential employers will be interested in. You can choose to do fieldwork in the UK or abroad, or you can do a more desk-based research project.

An alternative to the dissertation is the Development Work Placement, which lasts for about 10 weeks over the summer. You can choose the organisation where you work, as long as they meet basic quality standards and the work you do is appropriate for the degree. You’ll write an analytical report after your internship, which is assessed.

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Open Days

Assessment for Year 2

You’ll get feedback on your assignments from the academic staff, which both explains the marks you receive and also supports you to develop your skills for subsequent work.

Structure

Teaching and Learning

Teaching

Independent study

In the summer semester you have the option of doing an independent piece of research (the Dissertation), or the credited Development Work Placement.

Admissions Live Chat

Open Days

This is the first year of your taught masters programme. Students may with the consent of the Course Director take some modules in their second year of study.

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll get feedback on your assignments from the academic staff, which both explains the marks you receive and also supports you to develop your skills for subsequent work.

Compulsory Modules

SOCIAL ANALYSIS FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7021A

Credits 20

Effective social development and policy are based on sound conceptual foundations, and this module focuses on the conceptual tools that underpin policy relevant social analysis. You will develop skills to analyse social contexts which influence interventions and social change (‘development’), using concepts from sociology, anthropology and political analysis. There is an old development adage that ‘if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you give him a fishing rod you feed him for a lifetime’. Think about social theory and concepts as a fishing rod! The module is about social concepts and theory, but we always apply these concepts to practical social development issues and interventions. You will apply your knowledge and understanding of social concepts to important international development issues, for example (and these can vary each year) the social analysis of HIV, the social analysis of poverty & micro-credit interventions, or the social analysis of conflict and peace.

Optional A Modules

(0-20 credits)

DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES

Code DEV-7001A

Credits 20

You will explore different theoretical ideas and debates about development, and place these in their historical and political contexts. You will critically assess the various ways in which development has been conceptualised, from the end of the Second World War to the present day. You will cover topics including modernisation theory; dependency theory; the role of the state; neo-liberalism and the Washington Consensus, neo-institutionalism and the post-Washington Consensus; poverty and basic needs; human development and capabilities; equity and justice; rights and empowerment; and sustainable development. A key point of the module is to show how ideas in development emerge and how they shape policies and practice in development in the present day.

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7002A

Credits 20

The aim of the module is for you to gain an understanding of current debates on the principles and theories linking education to development in a range of social contexts. The module will introduce you to theories of education and development, including international and comparative education. These are examined in relation to the broader challenges of development. Topics in the module may include: theories of human development and capabilities, human capital and rights based approaches, concepts of equity, social justice and inclusive education. You will examine schooling in contexts of chronic poverty and post-conflict societies, models of schooling and de-schooling, formal and non-formal education, the challenges of linguistic and cultural diversity, inclusive education and disability, gender inequalities, Islamic education, and the education of nomads and other migratory groups.

GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7003A

Credits 20

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a solid grounding in gender analysis of development, and to enable you to understand the link between gender and key debates within development studies such as poverty, violence, religion and the role of men in gender and development. The module introduces and explains the range of ideas, debates and tools, which are the foundations of gender analysis, within a discussion of key issues in gender analysis of development: the nature of the household and kinship, gender roles, power and empowerment, and environmental change. The unit stands alone as a foundation for gender analysis of development, it also builds the necessary basis for the more applied units which follow in the spring semester, and for dissertations based on gender topics. If you are writing your dissertation on a gender topic you will need to have completed this module.

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS

Code DEV-7005A

Credits 20

The course lectures and seminars will include the following topics: • Development research & research ethics • Research design and method; sampling, questionnaire design, interviews • The role of qualitative methods in quantitative research and mixed methods • Participatory and action research • Design and implementation of household surveys on various topics, e.g. income, consumption, employment, health, nutrition, education, etc. Basic data processing and statistical analysis and presentation are shown based on tools such as Excel, SPSS and STATA.

GOVERNANCE, DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7023A

Credits 20

“Good governance” and durable democracy are key items on the international development agenda. However, despite their prominence in the development discourse, it remains contested not only how to achieve these political development goals, but also how to define them in the first place. The aim of Governance, Democracy and Development is to critically assess the possible definitions, contested causes and arguable consequences of “good governance” and democracy. Key topics to be discussed in the module include how to define and measure democracy and “good governance”, explanations for the emergence of democracy, theories on the survival of democracy and dictatorship, local forms of governance and democracy, aid and governance, trust and cooperation, the effects of democracy and dictatorship on prospects of economic development, and key challenges to democracy in the 21st century. Throughout the module, you will be expected to assess the strengths and limitations of central concepts and theories from the academic debate by applying them to relevant empirical evidence, such as political regime trends in Turkey or the economic effects of recent elections in Kenya.

PROJECT DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

Code DEV-7058A

Credits 20

The module offers you a critical introduction to and perspectives on development interventions and development projects in particular. Our aim is to equip you with key development tools and techniques that are required in a professional setting. The module provides you with both a practical grounding in tools and techniques for project design and management, but also a critical awareness of the tools' limitations. We cover the key tools such as context and evidence reviews, theories of change, logframes, monitoring and evaluation plans, and how these must react to different kinds of programming - ranging from a rapid onset humanitarian intervention to longer term development programmes. You will also learn important skills in budgeting, communications, and leadership within this module. Central to the module's approach is an experiential learning approach which gives you the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the tools and develop your understanding of good practices through case studies and do-it-yourself exercises. Our exercises offer realistic scenarios and challenges, drawing on the teaching team's experiences in the sector. The assessment is based on an authentic exercise that you may encounter in your careers - the formulation of a proposal for a development intervention. We reflect on the limitations of these tools and this experience, introducing some of the key critiques of projectised development, and giving you the transferrable skills tools to analyse and navigate the power relations of the development sector..

Optional B Modules

(0-20 credits)

RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND AGRARIAN CHANGE

Code DEV-7020A

Credits 20

Poverty and hunger remain key developmental challenges, driving poor health and ill-being on the one hand and conflict and violence on the other. This is the central question addressed by this module. In this module, you will explore different approaches to understanding rural livelihoods. You will be equipped with the tools and frameworks to critically assess different strategies for livelihoods-building and their implications for poverty and inequality, including those of class and gender, at the micro-level. Starting with an understanding of key concepts of poverty, food security, gender, capabilities, capitals and entitlements, you will apply these to a host of contexts and programmes through seminar discussions. This will enable a deeper understanding of the interconnections between the wider policy context, the social structure that shapes entitlements, the assets available to groups and individuals and their livelihood strategies. You will also explore the links between the rural and urban, and the changes over time. You will have an opportunity to experience some of the dilemmas confronting the rural poor through an experiential game.

ECONOMETRIC METHODS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7025A

Credits 20

The aim of this introductory module is to introduce you to basic econometric theory and provide you with sufficient knowledge and practical skill for competent use of econometrics in empirical research. The module also enables you to understand and interpret econometric research results. By the end of the module you’ll have acquired sufficient knowledge and skill to apply multivariate analysis of cross-sectional and time-series data to a wide range of macro- and micro-economic problems of development. In addition to lectures, the module includes computer workshops on Stata (widely used econometrics software) and seminars.

WELFARE AND EVALUATION IN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7038A

Credits 20

This module provides you with an introduction to the theory and practice of impact evaluation. The focus will be on issues around evidence-based policy making, approaches to wellbeing, and their practical application in terms of evaluating the effect of development interventions on the quality of people’s lives. The first part discusses the notion of evidence-based policy, introduces the students to the area of evaluation and reviews the role of programme theory in evaluation. The second part addresses the theory of welfare, with particular reference to poverty, inequality, and multi-dimensional ill-being as well as cost effectiveness. The third part considers policy and evaluation in practice looking at a range of sectors and contexts.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT I: SCIENCE, IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION

Code DEV-7042A

Credits 20

Climate change presents a challenge to development that is both complex and urgent. Populations in less developed countries are amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A multi-disciplinary approach allows us to understand the causes, consequences and responses to climate change in the 21st century. This module explores the causes of climate change, its impacts on development and the role of adaptation in reducing vulnerability to climate change and promoting climate resilient development. The first part of the module covers key aspects of climate change science necessary for an essential understanding of the causes and expected future impacts of climate change. The second part of the module focuses on the theory and practice of adaptation to climate change at different scales, from national policy making to local level case studies. A programme of lectures, workshops and group and individual work allow students to explore the module material. This module gives you sufficient grasp of the scientific underpinnings of climate change science to engage confidently in debate with non-specialists on the causes and consequences of climate change. It also gives you the theoretical and applied knowledge to research and plan for adaptation to climate change.

GLOBAL MEDIA STUDIES

Code DEV-7044A

Credits 20

This module will provide you with a broad, current and inter-disciplinary understanding of the changing role of the mass/news media today. You’ll look at the structure of media globally as well as in the UK. You’ll consider, from several different academic perspectives, how media content is produced and circulated and what shapes these processes. You’ll also examine how media affects peoples and societies and review debates about media influence and power. Within this module you will also be introduced to relevant research methods for critically analysing media content and be guided through critical readings of key research in this area.

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Open Days

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.

This is the second year of your taught masters programme. Students may with the consent of the Course Director take one extra module in their first year of study (excluding the dissertation).

Assessment for Year 2

You’ll get feedback on your assignments from the academic staff, which both explains the marks you receive and also supports you to develop your skills for subsequent work.

Compulsory Modules

Optional A Modules

(60 credits)

DISSERTATION

Code DEV-7056X

Credits 60

Production of a short (8000-12000 words) dissertation on an approved topic.

DEVELOPMENT WORK PLACEMENT

Code DEV-7057X

Credits 60

This module gives you an opportunity to identify, apply for and do an internship or work placement, worth 60 credits, as an integral part of your Masters programme. You would take this module in the summer semester as an alternative to the Dissertation module, and it is open to most MA /MSc programmes. The placements are for a period of 8-10 weeks between May and, preferably, the end of July. In recent years, students have done placements across a range of United Nations institutions, in specialist consultancy and research Organisations, and non-governmental organisations both in the UK and across the world. You are responsible for finding a suitable placement but will be given a range of support from International Development which includes giving the students access to the International Development internship host data base compiled over nearly a decade; advice on identifying appropriate placements; advice on CV design, fund-raising (where necessary), health and safety, ethical considerations etc.; facilitate communication between student and potential host, in some cases acting as a mediator. Whilst we cannot guarantee a placement we are confident that most students who take this module and apply themselves to identifying an internship, will be successful. The module is assessed by the production of an Analytical Report based on the internship which allows you to reflect both on the content of the placement, and the personal expense of undertaking this work.

Optional B Modules

(20 credits)

EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PRACTICE FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7011B

Credits 20

The aim of this module is to help you understand and critically examine, policy-making processes and specific policies for educational development. You will discover the relationships between policy and practice in a range of international, national and local development contexts. Through this module you will explore different approaches to policy development and familiarise yourself with dominant global policy agendas in education - asking who makes or influences policy, and considering policies as socially situated documents, practices and processes. The module introduces you to education policy options and practices to address a range of development challenges and how related strategies are enacted in practice; drawing on policy theory and ethnographic and school-based research, as well as practical sessions to critique policy-related writing, examine models of educational quality and curricula, and explore issues of school-related gender based violence.

HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7027B

Credits 20

This module provides a broad introduction to health issues in a context of development. It reviews different cultural understandings of health, and relationships between health, socio-economic change, livelihoods and poverty. The module also examines health policies of particular relevance to developing countries. While we look at health issues in general, we pay particular attention to links between HIV/AIDS and development.

Optional C Modules

(0-20 credits)

DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES

Code DEV-7001A

Credits 20

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7002A

Credits 20

GENDER PERSPECTIVES IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7003A

Credits 20

RESEARCH TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS

Code DEV-7005A

Credits 20

GOVERNANCE, DEMOCRACY AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7023A

Credits 20

PROJECT DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

Code DEV-7058A

Credits 20

Optional D Modules

(0-20 credits)

RURAL LIVELIHOODS AND AGRARIAN CHANGE

Code DEV-7020A

Credits 20

ECONOMETRIC METHODS FOR DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7025A

Credits 20

PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBALISATION

Code DEV-7028A

Credits 20

Globalisation refers to the increasingly interconnected nature of social life on our planet. It has been described as ‘the most important change in human history’. You will critically examine a number of key debates about globalisation: about what is driving the process, and about what impacts it is having – for example, on economic development, poverty and inequality, conflict, and the environment. This module takes an inter-disciplinary approach, presenting different conceptual frameworks within which contemporary globalisation is analysed.

MEDIA AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7030A

Credits 20

The media play an increasingly important role in international development - from promoting mass mobilisation and participation to facilitating the flow of information locally, nationally and internationally. Media are also central to encouraging charitable donations, promoting democracy and human rights, and delivering public health messages during emergencies. You’ll gain a critical introduction to the broad range of issues relevant to the relationship between media and development. You’ll explore the fields of development communication, media development and media representations of development. This module is accessible to students who have not studied media before and to students on degrees relevant to media, with no previous experience of studying international development.

WELFARE AND EVALUATION IN DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7038A

Credits 20

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT I: SCIENCE, IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION

Code DEV-7042A

Credits 20

GLOBAL MEDIA STUDIES

Code DEV-7044A

Credits 20

Optional G Modules

(0-20 credits)

CONTEMPORARY WORLD DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7000B

Credits 20

The objective of Contemporary World Development is to examine key debates around development objectives, processes and agencies. While issues discussed here are of contemporary significance, references will be made to the historical contexts in which these debates have arisen. Concerns central to development policy making will be reviewed through theoretically grounded critical perspectives. Topics covered include the Millennium Development Goals, donors and aid politics, state and NGOs, and poverty.

RURAL POLICIES & POLITICS

Code DEV-7004B

Credits 20

Around three-quarters of the world's poor live in rural areas and within most developing countries the gap between the rural poor and better off urban residents continues to widen. The lives of the rural poor can be greatly influenced by policies in areas such as agriculture, land, social protection, natural resources, health, education and trade. This module reviews important policies and issues in these and other areas. It also guides students to critically analyse policy choices within specific contexts. Rural Policies & Politics recognises the importance of looking at rural policies with consideration of particular socio-economic and political contexts, as well as in relation to larger-scale trends that are affecting rural areas including globalisation, urbanisation, de-agrarianisation, and rapid technological change.

CONFLICT, CIVIL WARS AND PEACE

Code DEV-7015B

Credits 20

The number of violent intrastate conflicts has outweighed the number of violent interstate conflicts for more than five decades. Yet it was only with the end of the Cold War that academics and policy-makers started paying more attention to the possible causes and consequences of large-scale intrastate violence. Today, questions of effective conflict management, especially of large-scale civil wars, are among the top priorities of international development agencies. The aim of the Conflict, Civil Wars and Peace module is to critically assess the possible causes and consequences of violent intrastate conflicts as well as their implications for the wider development agenda. Key topics to be discussed in the module include causes, dynamics and consequences of different types of violent conflict, strategies and causes of terrorism, the role of gender during and after violent intrastate conflicts, the (contested) relationship(s) between natural resource wealth and civil wars, institutional approaches to conflict management, the rationale and possible effects of third-party intervention in civil wars, and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, including state- and peace-building as well as transitional justice. Throughout the module, you will be expected to assess the strengths and limitations of central concepts and theories from the academic debate by applying them to relevant empirical evidence, such as the role of gender during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 or the performance of Bosnia and Herzegovina's post-civil war power-sharing arrangement.

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

Code DEV-7036B

Credits 20

The main aim of the module is to prepare students for carrying out qualitative data collection and analysis following various approaches and techniques. It will provide you with the skills to use a number of different social science research methods to collect and analyse data. It will also give a basic understanding of how to link research questions and methods and of research design more generally, as well as data analysis, data management, and producing a piece of written work from the data.

MEDIA AND DEVELOPMENT IN PRACTICE

Code DEV-7039B

Credits 20

You will be working in the university and in the local community to design, implement and evaluate your own ‘live’ media and development project. The aim of this module is not only to provide you with the opportunity to gain experience of media and development in practice but also to provide the opportunity to reflect on that experience. Past projects have involved content production, audience research, social media strategy, project design and capacity building. This module is not taught through conventional lectures and seminars. Instead, there are opportunities to talk, listen and reflect on our work and the issues and processes encountered. An important element of this process is peer review.

GLOBALISATION, BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7047B

Credits 20

This module provides an analysis of the way in which global production is organized and the roles played by the state, business and civil society and the relations between them. It focuses on key business actors such as transnational and looks in depth at issues of resource extraction in developing countries. Various aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility including relations with local communities and workers, as well as the impacts on the environment and human rights, are discussed.

Optional H Modules

(0-20 credits)

ECONOMIC POLICY ANALYSIS

Code DEV-7017B

Credits 20

You will examine a selection of topics in applied development economics that are important for government policy – chosen from areas such as international trade, foreign investment, government taxation and spending, labour markets and employment, agriculture, finance, business regulation, energy and climate change. You will look at the economic theory relevant to each topic, and how government policies have worked in practice.

MACROECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT

Code DEV-7029B

Credits 20

This module will provide you with an understanding of macroeconomic theory and policy in developing countries. This will include an evaluation of alternative theories of economic growth and their policy implications, and an analysis of the macroeconomic effects of external shocks. By the end of the module, you will have a good understanding of modern theories of economic growth and open economy macroeconomics, and be able to apply those theories to economic policy issues in developing countries.

POLITICAL ECOLOGY

Code DEV-7033B

Credits 20

This course seeks to provide students with a solid understanding of political ecology theory and to enable them to apply this theory for analyzing environment and development problems. After a brief introduction to key theoretical concepts in political ecology, students review key contributions to major policy fields in environment and development. They do this in a series of reading seminars, covering agriculture and biotechnology, climate change, conservation, fisheries, forestry, water management and other fields. The course ends with a workshop on the role of policy in political ecology.

APPLIED METHODS FOR IMPACT EVALUATION

Code DEV-7037B

Credits 20

This module will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the most important methods of impact evaluation. For that purpose, it will provide you with instruction in and hands-on experiences of the main quantitative and qualitative impact evaluation methods, with an emphasis on the quantitative.

GLOBALISED AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS

Code DEV-7045B

Credits 20

The aim of this module is to understand how forces operating at the global scale affect food and agriculture. These forces include trends in farming and trade, environmental change, policy developments, and social movements. Food security is a central theme: we explore different ways food security is defined, and how it is contested internationally, considering global institutions like FAO, interest groups, and diverse policy agendas (e.g. food sufficiency, nutrition, sustainability). The module considers a range of issues currently affecting food and farming systems: environmental change, changing diets (more meat, processed foods), `post-production' concerns with food safety or farming’s impact on ecosystems, global agribusiness, agricultural innovation systems, and global-scale changes in food prices. Students will gain critical understanding of debates around these issues and of how different policy actors engage with them. These actors include firms, public R&D institutions, farmers' movements, and major donors and philanthropic organizations. An abiding concern is understanding impacts for the poor and vulnerable, particularly smallholder farmers, but also consumers in the North and South, and those involved in value chains. The module will help students develop a critical and inter-disciplinary understanding of key international policy debates that have relevance to agriculture.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT II: GOVERNANCE, POLICY AND SOCIETY

Code DEV-7051B

Credits 20

This module critically examines international/national climate change governance, policy and societal impacts from and responses to climate change and climate change policy. The first half of the semester will discuss the history and politics of the international climate change negotiations and then critically examine the way the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change operates. You’ll look in detail at several items under negotiation with significant implications for developing countries and we will discuss global carbon markets. The second half of the semester will turn to the interface of climate change and society. It will discuss participatory governance and urban responses to climate change as well as critically examining ethical/justice related debates, the role of energy demand and lifestyle in tackling climate change. The seminars will be interactive and enable you to understand the international negotiating process and ways to engage positively with climate change.

EMERGING AND STRATEGIC CHALLENGES IN DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT

Code DEV-7059B

Credits 20

In this module, you will explore the ways development is changing, at the cutting edge of rapidly shifting geopolitical, social and economic realities. New actors are entering the fieldwork and disrupting the traditional ways aid has been seen and done. New funding models are emerging, from the power of philanthrocapitalism, to the financialization of aid and the presence of private sector partnerships at the forefront of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this module you consider what these trends mean for the sector, and how they are different to the small scale charity and NGO work and formal bilateral institutions which many people associate with development. At the same time, human populations face new challenges, from climate change to migration and chronic poverty, that future aid workers need to understand and know how to stay abreast of. This module looks at a range of these specific sectoral or thematic issues. These include understanding how climate change will shape the futures with our resident experts, as well as considering how and why education goals are and aren’t being met. You will develop an understanding of how the means of aid delivery plays a central role in determining its effects, exploring how concepts of culture are deployed in planning, and how the sector responds to demands for decolonisation. Throughout, you will develop a critical perspective on a range of cutting edge issues and challenges that will help position you to understand the work of the sector today and tomorrow.

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Open Days

Important Information

Entry Requirements

Degree classification

2.1 or equivalent

Degree subject

Social Science

Additional entry requirements

Applicants should normally have a good undergraduate degree from a recognised higher education institution. The University will also take into account the employment experience of applicants where relevant.

If you do not meet the academic requirements for this course, you may be able to study one of the International Graduate Diploma programmes offered by our partner INTO UEA. These programmes guarantee progression to selected masters degrees if students achieve the appropriate grade. For more details please click here:

International Graduate Diploma in International Development

Students for whom english is a foreign language

We welcome applications from students whose first language is not English. To ensure such students benefit from postgraduate study, we require evidence of proficiency in English. Our usual entry requirements are as follows:

IELTS: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in only two components with 6.0 in the others)
PTE (Pearson): 64 (minimum 59 in only two components with 64 in the others)

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

Other tests, including Cambridge English exams and the Trinity Integrated Skills in English are also accepted by the university. The full list of accepted tests can be found here: Accepted English Language Tests

INTO University of East Anglia

If you do not meet our English requirement for this course, our partner INTO UEA run pre-sessional English courses which can be taken prior to the start of your course. For further information and to see if you qualify please contact intopre-sessional@uea.ac.uk

Intakes

This course is open to UK, EU and International applicants. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.

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Course Reference Number: 1544729

MA INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (PART TIME)