ATS2628 · Global inequality and international development

Overview

Why are some parts of the world wealthy while others face persistent poverty, and who really benefits from development? In this unit, you will tackle some of the biggest questions shaping our world today by exploring how global inequality is produced and sustained, from colonial histories to contemporary political and economic systems. You will unpack what “development” actually means, who gets to define it, and why its outcomes are often uneven and contested. Through engaging real-world case studies, you will examine how inequality is experienced across different contexts, while exploring key issues including aid, governance, conflict, agriculture, disasters, and gender inequality. You will be introduced to major theories of development and encouraged to challenge them - asking whether dominant approaches are part of the solution or part of the problem. By the end of the unit, you will be equipped to think critically about global justice, question taken-for-granted assumptions, and imagine alternative futures for a more equal world.

Areas of study: Geographical science Human geography Human rights International studies

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Within semester assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Identify and explain the key concepts of international development, with a focus on the existence of inequalities of wealth, poverty and power;
2. Critically interpret competing theoretical explanations for global inequalities and disadvantage;
3. Analyse and utilise text and other data to support research into inequalities of wealth, poverty and power;
4. Critically assess institutional and other structures that exacerbate and reinforce uneven international development;
5. Develop, justify and communicate strategies for the transformation of patterns of global inequality toward more socially just and sustainable outcomes.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.