General information

• Study points: 4.00
• Language: English
• Category: Lectures
• Duration: 26.0 hours 
• Periodicity: Taught in the second semester
• POC: POC Antropologie

Taught by

Breusers Mark

Aims

 -Students are familiar with the large development theories and their larger
cultural-historical context
- Students are able to approach and critically analyze development-related
problems from an anthropological and culture-sensitive perspective
- Students are familiar with different methodologies and actors at stake in the development sector and they know how to develop a multi-stakeholder analysis
- Students are familiar with old and new paradigms in development and know how to critically assess these paradigms
- Students have knowledge on what is Project Cycle Management, the different phases, a Logical Framework and Concept Notes
- Students know concepts as Stakeholders, Beneficiaries, budgetting,
participatory development
- They understand links between private sector and development; NGOs, state and development, participation and they can analyze these concepts from a culture-sensitive perspective
- Students know how to search, read and critically analyze articles and texts presenting cases of development projects
- Students know how to elaborate on one of the discussed themes in an
interdisciplinary team: how to gather information, analyze this information
critically, and present the analysis clearly to the rest of the student group

Content

The course is based on practical experiences and case studies. It aims at teaching students how to design and implement development projects while allowing them to challenge the givens of development theory and anthropology. A brief theoretical overview is complemented by lectures focusing on donor strategies and funding mechanisms, project cycle management and case studies about sustainable development, natural resource management, participatory approaches, civil society actors, the tradition-modernity cleavage/overlap and readings from seminal works on culture and development from anthropological and political science perspectives. The role of the private sector as a development/underdevelopment force is also discussed.

Course Material

Reader with articles and suggested reading (to be purchased
from Alpha COPY, Tiensestraat 89, Leuven.)
Course information and documents (powerpoints, outlines of lectures) on Toledo
Calendar with agenda on Toledo

Course activities

- Students follow the lectures and actively participate during lectures
- Students do home-assignments: the critical reading of texts in preparation of lectures, distilling arguments from the texts to use during debates and group works in class
- Elaborate and analyze a pregiven theme from in a group
- Design a Logical Framework from a Concept Note
- Coherently and clearly present group work results for the larger student group during classes

Evaluation description

Examination type:
    written
When?: final examination during examination period
Evaluation type:
    Paper
    Presentation

Explanation

Students may choose between writing a paper or presenting a paper orally.
1. A paper should be about 15 pages, or between 5000 and 6000 words. It should be written as if it concerns a journal article. It therefore consists of a title, abstract and keywords; an introduction, middle part and conclusions; footnotes; reference list and is structured around one’s own selection of reading material (articles, chapters from books, monographs, the texts from the course reader). The paper should consist of a personal and creative reflection upon one or more of the themes discussed in class. It is an essay rather than the summary of texts.
Students are allowed, but not required to present themselves for the oral exam.
 
2. A presentation comprises of the argumentation of the chosen topic, illustrated and presented on the basis of relevant literature, lecture notes which have been processed in a personal way (see above). An oral presentation of a paper should be about 20 minutes and takes place in the form of an exam. Students can bring notes and reading material to the exam. Students have to submit a written preparation for the oral exam. Students are free to choose to present in class.