Syllabus
Politics of Development – PSC 355, Fall '05
Dr. Lisa Sharlach
Phone: 934-8675 Office Hours: W 1-3:30, Ullman 339D Amended September 8, 2005
Course Description:
This class addresses socioeconomic and political problems of developing
countries (also known as “the South,” “the Third World,” and "LDCs" -- Less
Developed Countries).
The exams will cover not only readings and lectures, but also
the material that each student presents on his/her country. In class, you will
present the results of your independent research assignments on the politics of
your country to the entire class.
Readings: Much of the course reading may be found on the
Internet, and is linked to the course web page.
Required text:
Handelman, The Challenge of Third World Development, 3rd edition (2002).
Research Books: (Each student picks one, and no two
students may select the same book. If more than one student wants to read the
same book, it will be awarded on the basis of seniority. Texts with a star are
those that Sterne Library holds. Online books are marked as such).
Walking
Ghosts: Murder and Guerrilla Politics in Colombia*
From the Household to the Factory: Sex Discrimination in the Guatemalan Labor
Force (online)
Llamas, Weavings, and Organic Chocolate: Multicultural Grassroots Development
in the Andes and Amazon of Bolivia
Mexico's Politics and Society in Transition by Tulchin and Selee
To See with Two Eyes : Peasant Activism & Indian Autonomy in Chiapas* Indians,
Oil, and Politics: A Recent History of Ecuador
Silencing the Guns – Haiti
Politics in
a Half-Made Society (Trinidad and
Tobago)
Causes of Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon*
Chile:
Political Economy of Urban Development*Venezuela in
the Chavez Era*
The Press
and Political Culture in Ghana
A History of the Sudan
The Underneath of Things - Sierra Leone
Liberian
Women Peacemakers
People, Power and Democracy - Nigeria
The Battle for Zimbabwe: The Final Countdown
Wildlife and
Communities at the Crossroads (Zimbabwe)
On Becoming
a Democracy (South Africa)
Composers,
Conductors, and Players (South African
foreign policy)
Liberalization Against Democracy: The Local Politics of Economic Reform in
Tunisia
Transforming Mozambique: The Politics of Privatization
Economic Reforms in Ghana
Morocco Since 1830
The Root
Causes of Sudan’s Civil Wars
Asbestos Blues (labor in South Africa)
The Changing Turkey - Online at Brookings
Crescent and Star --Turkey
Political Parties in Turkey
Post-Communist Romania: Coming to Terms with Transition (edited volume)*
Roundtable Talks of 1989: The Genesis of Hungarian Democracy*
Imagining the Nation: History, Modernity, and Revolution in Latvia*
Between Dictatorship and Democracy: Russian Post-Communist Political Reform*
Human Rights in Iran: The Abuse of Cultural Relativism*
Political Ecology and the Role of Water: Environment, Society, and Ecology
in Northern Yemen
Women and the Politics of Military Confrontation (Palestine)
The Great North Korean Famine *
Renovating Politics in Contemporary Vietnam*
Made in Indonesia: Indonesian Workers Since Suharto*
Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir*
Malaysia: State and Civil Society in Transition
India: Emerging Power*
Gender in the Hindu Nation (women Hindu nationalists in India)
India and
the Knowledge Economy: Leveraging Strengths and Opportunities (World Bank)
Pakistan (by Mary Anne Weaver)
Tajikistan: Disintegration or Reconciliation
Grading: |
Exam I |
15% |
Exam II |
25% |
Exam II |
35% |
Paper |
25% |
Reading
Schedule:
I. The Development of
Underdevelopment
8/18 Introduction
8/23 What is poverty?
Ch. 2, “The Definitions of Poverty,” in “Can Anyone Hear Us?” (World Bank)
http://www1.worldbank.org/prem/poverty/voices/reports/canany/ch2.pdf
8/25 What does “development” mean?
Ch. 1, Handelman
II. Culture
and Religion
8/30 What is, and what should be, the role
of religion in Third World politics?
Ch. 3, Handelman
HAVE SELECTED YOUR BOOK BY TODAY!
9/1 What does ethnicity have to do with development?
Handelman, Ch. 4
Survival
9/6 What does terrorism have to do with development?
Terrorism defined
Development and Terrorism
Terrorism-Poverty Myth
Vandana Shiva on terrorism
9/8 What is IPE?
Handelman, Ch. 10, pp. 259-284
III.
Political Economy
9/13 What are the Millennium Development Goals?
UNDP on MDG Please read this page and click on the link to read the
attached page for each of the ten goals.
Terry McKinley on MDGs
9/15 Exam I (on sections I & II
only
9/20 What are the psychosocial effects of
underdevelopment?
Crying Out for Change, Ch. 2
Can Anyone Hear Us? Ch. 6
IV.
Population and Ecology
9/22 How has development in the Third
World affected women?
Handelman, Ch. 5
The Indian Numbers Game and India's Vanishing Girls
9/27 Why are Third World peasants so poor?
Ch. 6, Handelman
9/29 Why are Third World cities so poor?
Ch. 7, Handelman.
Defining squatter settlements Sanitation for All!
Please read the "about us" page and examine the
gallery
10/4 Can a country develop economically without
destroying its environment? Encyclopedia of Sustainable Development --
Please read all subtopics under "principles." Disposable Planet
Please read all six sections, from "Population" to
"Energy." Skip the audio presentations, but do look at the charts and graphs,
please
10/6 What are environmental side-effects of
industrialization?
Hidden Tragedy: Pollution
10/11 Exam II - on Sections III & IV. V. Regimes and Regime Change
10/13 Why is corruption an all-too-common hallmark of
the LDC government?
Global Corruption Report, by Transparency Intl. "Introduction to
Political Corruption.
Vote Buying
Can Anyone Hear Us? Ch. 3
10/18 What is a revolution, and why is it
becoming less common in the Third World?
Ch. 8, Handelman.
Any Which Way
10/20 Why does the military so often take
over the Third World state?
Ch. 9, Handelman, pp. 230 -250.
10/25 Does democracy bring peace and prosperity?
Ch. 2, Handelman.
10/27 What is civil society, and how does it affect
development?
Can Anyone Hear Us? Ch. 4
11/1 Are human rights really universal?
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Please read the full text, but
consult the unofficial document if you need clarification.
ICCPR Mazrui “Pretender to Universalism”
VI. Policy
Issues in Development
11/3 Why must children work?
Short video on child labor
"Helping Hands" Please read the Executive Summary and Chapter II.
Child Labor in Agriculture
Rights of the Child Please read the “full text,” but consult the summary
for clarification if necessary.
11/8 Why must children fight?
Children as Weapons of War
UNHCHR on Children Please read all of the items under "Features" except the
last.
11/10 Why do the babies starve?
Lullaby for the Hungry SOFI 2004 – State of Food Insecurity in the World Please read the
entire document, skimming the tables.
11/15 Does biotechnology
help or hurt development?
FAO report on agricultural biotech. Please read sections A - C.
Terrorism, Agriculture, & U.S.-India Cooperation
11/17 How does HIV affect people in the developing world?
“Having AIDS is Macho” AIDS Global Factsheet
Women and AIDS Please read through Chapter IV.
11/22 How does public health affect poverty, and how
does poverty affect public health?
Dying for Change
11/29 -- Student Presentations of Papers
12/1 -- Student Presentations of Papers, continued.
12/8 – Exam III –On Sections V and VI – 1:30-4 PM
Useful resource:
BBC's Guide to Development-Speak defines much of the
development jargon.
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