International Development is a core international policy priority, as reflected in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. The aim is for peace and prosperity and the protection of the environment through global partnership. Yet, current conflict and security crises, the effects of climate change, widespread poverty, and unprecedented migration all pose huge challenges to the fulfilment of these goals.
This course explores the pressing issues of international development, and the practical solutions to today's challenges, focusing in particular on the connections between international development and conflict and security, and between international development and environmental and climate change.
You will study the core theoretical aspects of international development, learn about the history of international development, and explore how international development has evolved in recent decades. You will then investigate the practice of international development in contemporary settings, and examine how governments, international organisations, non-state actors, and communities can develop solutions to best address a range of critical challenges. All this will equip you with the knowledge and analytical skills to understand how international development is practised in today's interconnected world, and the expertise to contribute to tackling some of the most pressing international challenges.
You will take three core modules. These explore the key theories and themes of international development, the central philosophies and approaches to the study of International Relations, and the ways in which research in this field is designed and conducted.
You will then select five optional modules, and you can tailor your studies as you wish, choosing modules that interest you most. You might, for instance, prefer modules that explore the security side of international development and examine processes of post-conflict reconstruction, or you might like to study economic and/or environmental aspects of international development. Likewise, you might wish to select modules that explore themes from a theoretical perspective, or you might prefer to choose modules that engage in empirical research. Whichever modules you choose, you will be taught by academic staff who are experts and have long-standing reputations within their fields.
You will then be able to further pursue your particular interest in international development in your dissertation when you will examine a topic of your own choosing in considerable depth.
