Development: a global perspective
Associate Professor Kevin O'Connor
6 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton
Objectives Upon completion of this subject students should be able to identify changing trends in technological development, such as transport and telecommunications; give explanatory accounts of how specific developments such as production regimes become global; describe the spatial distribution of economic activity, with a specific focus on the New International Division of Labour; analyse past processes of change that had a global impact and compare these with the modern period.
Synopsis The aim of this subject is to identify, describe and interpret the uneven nature of global development. The principal focus is on the dynamic nature of social change brought about by various processes of globalisation. The developing world is of particular importance because of its vulnerability to these processes. Emphasis is placed on the role of various agents and institutions in determining patterns of change. In particular, the World Bank, IMF, transnational companies and non-government organisations will be closely examined. The subject will consider the impacts of global development on specific areas such as food production, trade and finance, health, wealth creation and the environment. The multifaceted nature of development is emphasised with appreciation of the distinctive problems facing many third world societies and their attempts to manage processes of globalisation. The subject focuses on notions of equity and the need to broaden our understanding of development. Issues of culture, ethnicity and gender are examined along with more conventional economic interpretations. There is a strong emphasis on notions of interdependency concerning processes of change and the variability of outcomes, and on the development of a critical awareness of the various and often contrasting ways in which development as a global phenomenon is interpreted and explained. The subject is designed to introduce the student to later courses in human geography.
Assessment Written (2500 words): 40%
* Examinations (2 hours): 40%
* Practical/tutorial work: 20%
Recommended texts
Dicken P Global shift: Industrial change in a turbulent world Harper and Row, 1986
Donaldson P Worlds apart 2nd edn, Penguin, 1986
| Published by Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
3168 Copyright © Monash University 1996 - All Rights Reserved - Caution Authorised by the Academic Registrar December 1996 |