Module overview
The module aims to introduce students to field of critical development and issues related to poverty, inequality, injustice and policy. As a team-taught module, specific topics may change with occasional changes to the teaching team.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand the relationships between human processes in shaping physical environments (A2)
- Structure conceptual and empirical geographical material into a reasoned argument (B7)
- Understand the discipline of human geography as dynamic, plural and contested (A7)
- Abstract and synthesise information from a range of different geographical sources (B3)
- Analyse reflectively and critically literature in human geography (B1)
- Understand the nature of change in environments created by people (A1)
- Produce fluent and comprehensive written reports on complex topics (C2)
- Assess the merits of contrasting geographical theories, explanations and policies (B2)
- Marshall and retrieve data from library and internet resources (C6)
- Understand the distinctiveness of particular places and regions within the global mosaic (A4)
Syllabus
Specific topics change from year to year, but the following list is indicative:
Thinking geopolitically about global development
Nations and states
Territories and borders
Everyday bordering
'Containment development'
Humanitarian aid and development
Voluntourism
Resisting development
Alternative development pathways (post-capitalism)
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, in-class exercises, recommended reading
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 128 |
| Teaching | 22 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Sara Smith (2020). Political Geography: A Critical Introduction. Black Wiley.
Marcus Power (2019). Geopolitics and Development. Routledge.
Themrise Khan, Kanakulya Dickson and Maïka Sondarjee (2023). White Saviorism in International Development: Theories, Practices and Lived Experiences. Daraja Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Exam | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External