Our major in Development Studies offers a comprehensive academic program that uses contemporary social science theories to understand the mechanisms, policies, and practices of development. This field encompasses a wide array of courses that delve into the planning, execution, and repercussions of social, political, and economic transformations. Development Studies scrutinizes the effects of globalization on people across diverse geographical contexts and evaluates concepts like economic viability, democracy, governance, human rights, and environmental sustainability as they apply to culturally distinct contexts. The concept of development, particularly as a state policy and a crucial part of relations between Western industrialized nations and developing countries, gained significance post-World War II with the inception of the IMF/World Bank, and other development banks and aid agencies like USAID and the Australian Development Assistance Bureau. Over time, various theories and approaches to development have emerged, including modernization, dependency, and world system theories from the 60s and 70s, as well as approaches emphasizing empowerment and popular participation through the 90s and 2000s. There is also critical analysis that either challenges the very foundation of development or insists on scrutinizing the networks of social and institutional actors who generate, mobilize, and contest development aid. This major is ideal for students who aspire to a career in development and social justice, and to those who wish to explore critical perspectives on questions of global inequality and transformative change.

Relevant Degrees

• Bachelor of Arts (BARTS)