The Developing World

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website : http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject is an introduction to the developing world and development studies. Development is concerned with change in the developing world. Increasingly an anthropology-led field of study, it nevertheless draws on perspectives from Political Science, Economics, Sociology and Geography. The focus in this introductory subject is on the relationship between rich and poor countries of the modern world, on global inequality and ways of understanding and addressing it. Imbalances in wealth, health, information and power are central themes. The historical causes of the current disparity and the emergence of a global political economy that divides the word into haves and have-nots will be investigated. The relationship between poverty, population and resources in various parts of the world will also be explored. The subject will include extensive use of case studies by anthropologists and development workers from various parts of the world, ranging from places in which Australia has a direct interest such as East Timor, the Solomon Islands and Bougainville to more distant impoverished regions and communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, South America and South East Asia.

• be introduced to key terms and concepts used in the field of development studies and methods of measuring inequality and the distribution of income on a global scale.

• understand historical causes of the current disparity in income and the emergence of the political economy of the modern world system.

• be familiar with the relationship between poverty, population and resources in various parts of the world.

• have some understanding of the particular issues influencing development in different countries and regions.

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

• Bachelor of Biomedicine
• Bachelor of Commerce
• Bachelor of Environments
• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Science
• Bachelor of Engineering

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

• have practice in speaking and writing clearly and reading carefully

• have experience of methods of critical inquiry and argument leading to improved analytical skills

• have acquired awareness of issues relating to cross-cultural communication and development.