Understanding Development (IDEV*1000)
Code and section: IDEV*1000*01
Term: Fall 2025
Instructor: Sharada Srinivasan
Details
We live in a world of extreme wealth and opulence on the one hand and poverty and deprivation on the other. IDev1000 introduces international development with a focus on poverty and global inequality. It aims to enable students to understand what development is with reference to poverty, opulence and inequality; the historical relationship between development and inequality (how development is the cause as well as solution to tackle inequality); and to appreciate the nature of change, the role of various actors and strategies to bring about a less unequal world.
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Understand and appreciate the complex and contentious nature of development and how inequality is embedded through various institutions and processes of development.
- Appreciate the historical and political origins of the international development system;
- Hone practical, ethical and cultural skills to engage in development as a way to understand how change comes about.
- Participate in debates about current development challenges by evaluating different (differing) ideas and perspectives and begin to articulate and communicate one’s point of view.