• Offered by Crawford School of Public Policy
  • ANU College ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
  • Classification Advanced
  • Course subject Policy and Governance
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Course convener
    • Prof Sharon Bessell
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in First Semester 2020
    See Future Offerings

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In 2015 over 150 world leaders agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals, as the global agenda to promote shared prosperity and well-being for all over the following 15 years. The SDGs quickly became synonymous with development, and now shape domestic and international development policies.. What theories, ideas and assumptions underpin the SDGs?  Are they a departure from international efforts that came before? Do the 17 SDGs represent a genuine consensus on development, or do they mask ongoing deep divides?
The SDGs represent agreement on a global agenda to ‘promote prosperity while protecting the planet.’ Yet as poverty and inequality continue to plague the lives of much of the world's population, development often seems elusive. Despite the representation of the SDGs as a global consensus, the very concept of development remains contested.
This course critically examines some of the major themes that have shaped – and continue to shape – global development efforts. It places several of the themes represented in the SDGs under the spotlight, exploring their origins, the often contested ideas and theories that underpin them, and the ongoing debates. The course does not assume there is a single or a correct approach towards development. Rather, using the SDGs as a prism, it aims to explore and critically assess the ideas, values and assumptions that have shaped international development agendas.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

On successful completion of this course, students will:
1.      Have a deep understanding of different, often competing, conceptualisations of ‘development’
2.      Have a sound knowledge of several major theories of international development
3.      Be able to critically analyse the strengths and shortcomings of major theories
4.      Have a strong understanding of several themes that dominate the contemporary international development agenda
5.      Be able to critically analyse the strengths and shortcomings of dominant themes

Indicative Assessment

Test     (relates to Learning Outcome 1)         40%

Essay  (relates to Learning Outcomes 2-3)     50%

Seminar Attendance and Contribution (relates to Learning Outcomes 1-3)      10%

In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle. 

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

30 contact hours over about 11 weeks; please see the timetable on the Crawford School website for details.

Prescribed Texts

There are no prescribed texts. However depending upon availability and suitability, an especially topical contemporary book may be set. The cost of this book is always kept to a minimum by using a cheap hardcover or paperback edition. 

Preliminary Reading

Students are encouraged to commence reading the material presented in the Reading Brick before classes commence.

A select bibliography of books, articles and electronic sites is provided via the course Web CT site for all students enrolled in POGO 8072

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2020 $4050
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2020 $5760
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

First Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
2463 24 Feb 2020 02 Mar 2020 08 May 2020 05 Jun 2020 In Person View

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