IDS Teaching Module MENU: Books Publications Articles Videos and Films Assignment Ideas Web Sources This teaching module consists of information collected from participants at the workshop of the Canadian Consortium for University Programs in International Developments Studies (CCUPIDS) held October 1-3, 2004 in Nova Scotia. Funding for this initiative was provided by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Books   The Africa Child – Camara Laye (Fiction) A sympathetic view of African Society at first contact. Originally in French–L'enfant Noir. The Africa House – Christina Lamb. Penguin. One fascinating colonial life in Zambia. Am example of the way Africa might have unfolded if the war had not thwarted the plans set out by the Hailey commission. Arriving Where We Started: 25 years of Voluntary Service Overseas – Michael Edwards. VSO and IT Publications. 1983. The start VSO UK. A Bed for the Night – David Rieff: good, but flawed; makes for a good essay. [Menno Simons College] The Big Catch: A Practical Introduction to Development – A.F. Robertson (1995): a simulation exercise that gives students a variety of perspectives on a development initiative, great for smaller classes. [Dalhousie University] Big Structures, Large Processes, Huge Comparisons – Charles Tilly (1984) [St. Mary’s University] The Book of Secrets – M.G. Vassanji. (Fiction) (1994) McClelland and Stewart. A view of the colonial officer through the eyes of the colonized. Set in Tanzania / Uganda. An example of an increasing number by authors from a range of development diasporas telling their ‘roots' and ‘consequences' stories about the experience of development. Another example. Cinnamon Gardens. Shyam Salvadurai. Burger's Daughter – Nadine Gordimer. (Fiction) Penguin. A primer on South African apartheid. Important for today's student to read as apartheid rapidly moves from current affaires to history. Community Power and Grassroots Democracy: the Transformation of Social Life – Michael Kaufman and Haroldo Dilla Alfonso. IDRC Zed. Books. 1997.Popular Participation, local democracy, social movements in the Caribbean. The Companion to Development Studies – Vandana Desai and Robert Potter (eds.) (2002) [University of Calgary] A Continent for the Taking – Howard H. French. One explanation for why African leaders carry on the European task of underdeveloping Africa. Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples – Linda Tuhiwai Smith (1999): Tuhiwai Smith reminds us that “The ways in which scientific research is implicated in the worst excesses of colonialism remains a powerful remembered history for many of the world’s colonized peoples” (p.1) and calls for research which is “respectful, ethical, sympathetic and useful” (p.9). [University of Manitoba] “Development and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho” Majid Rahnema with Victoria Bawtree (dir.) The Post-Development Reader – Ferguson, James (1977) [University of Ottawa] Development Dictionary – Wolfgang Sachs (eds.) (1992) [University of Calgary] Ecology Control and Economic Development in East African History – Helge Kjekshus Heinemann. (1977) See especially Chapter 1, ‘A Demographic Review' for just how wrong Europeans were when they tried to explain the environment / ecology found on arrival in Eastern Africa. For a more recent article on the same issue see. Inventing Africa. Fred Pearce. New Scientist. 12 August 2000. p30. Empire Writing – Eleke Poemer. (Fiction) Oxford World Classics. 1998. An anthology that reveals much about the roots of international development through colonial literature. Fieldwork in Developing Countries – Devereux and Hoddinott (eds.) (1993): a great methods book, especially ch.12, “Thinking About the Ethics of Field Work”, a great resource for graduate and undergraduate students planning to carry out field research or for community interviews. [Dalhousie University] The Fugitive – Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Pengiuin. A Story based on the struggle against the Japanese in Indonesia. Also his Buru Quartet (This Earth of Mankind, Child of All Nations, Footsteps, The House of Glass) tells the story of Indonesia's struggle against the Dutch: the work started as stories told to other prisoners when a political prisoner on Buru Island from 1969-1979. See: http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/MT/99/Sum99/mt9j99.html Global Futures: Shaping Globalization – Jan Nederveen Pieterse (ed.) (2000) [St. Mary’s University] Globalization and Development Studies – Frans J. Schuurman (2001) [University of Calgary] Globalization and Social Change – Diane Perrons (2004) [Queen’s University] Globalization on Trial: the Human Condition and the Information Civilization – Farfang Raji. IDRC Kumarian. The Great Transformation: ThePolitical and Economic Origins of OurTtime – Karl Polanyi Beacon Press How Europe Underdeveloped Africa – Walter Rodney (1972) Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications   An Ice Cream War – William Boyd. Fiction based on the 1914-1918 War in East Africa. The Inca Smiled – Richard Poole. One World Oxford. (1993). The growing pains of an aid worker in Ecuador. Dedication "With great love and admiration for American Indians. May the trials, Lord, soon be over". Journey Without Maps – Graham Greene (1980) Penguin. Travel in Liberia in the 1930s. Goes some way to explaining recent events (outcomes?) in Liberia. King Leopold's Ghost – Adam Hochshield. A history of the (Belgium) Congo, proving that Walter Rodney had a point. The Lab, the Temple and the Market: Reflections at the intersection of Science – Sharon M. P. Harper Religion and Development. IDRC Kumarian. 2000. The Land of Lost Content – Ian Smillie. Deneau. (1985). A more analytical examination of the history of CUSO. Most of what Ian Smillie has written should be on any IDS reading list for Canadian. To mention one that IDRC assisted with. Lords of Poverty – Graham Hancock (1989): teaches critical analysis of NGOs and the work they do. [Dalhousie University] Lunatic Express – Charles Miller. Building the East African Railway. Colonial venture cum adventure. Man Deserves Man – Bill McWhinney and Dave Godfrey. Reyerson. 1968. The beginnings of CUSO. Volunteer's stories. The Moon Also Sets – Osi Ogbu. (Fiction) East African Educational Publishers. (2002). Coronation Street, Nigeria. Dry Water. Paul Vitta. ISBN 1593440200. A modern African political thriller. Getting rave reviews. Still trying to get my hands on a copy. Mr. Johnston – Joyce Cary. (Fiction) Confusion and chaos in the mind of a Nigerian in the 1920s. Should be read along side Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. On a Hinge of History: the Mutual Vulnerability of South and North – Ivan. L. Head. U of T Press. (1991). A thoughtful essay on the fact that the North and South live on the same planet. The Other World: Issues and Politics of the Developing World – Joseph Weatherby et al. (2005) [University of Calgary] Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingslover. (Fiction) I wonder what Walter Rodney would have made of this? The Politics of the New International Financial Architecture: Reimposing Neoliberalism in the Global South – Susanne Soederberg (2005) (Fernwood in Canada / Palgrave in the US) [Queen’s University] Poverty and Development into the 21st Century – Tim Allen and Alan Thomas (2001) [Queen’s University] Power and Participatory Development – Nelson and Wright (eds.) (1995): an edited collection of readings on participatory development including chapters on methods, practice, case studies and theory. [Dalhousie University] Promises Not Kept: Poverty and the Betrayal of Third World Development – John Isbister (2003) [University of Ottawa] Recreating the World: Practical Guide to Building Sustainable Communities – J&M Bopp (2001) [University of Calgary] "Report from the Bahamas" Moving Towards Home: Political Essays – Jordan June (1989) [University of Manitoba] The Report of the commission was published as An African Survey: A study of the Problems Arising in Africa South of the Sahara – Lord Hailey (1938) Oxford University Press. A fascinating set of plans for ‘the powers' to do better, first for themselves and then for the ‘natives', in Africa, Before the Hitler War got in the way. Rivers of Blood, Rivers of Gold – Mark Cocker: good but flawed, makes for a good essay. [Menno Simons College] A Small Place – Jamaica Kincaid: a novel study [Trent University] States of Development: On the Primary Policies in Development – Adrian Leftwich (2000) The Story of An African Farm – Olive Schreiner. (First published in 1883 under the pen name Ralph Irons). Cassandra Editions. 1977. The Boer at home. Strong Societies and Weak States: State-Society Relations and State Capabilities in the Third World – Joel Migdal (1988) [St. Mary’s University] Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe: a novel study Understanding Development – John Rapley: a good introductory book for first year students. It is challenging at first, but appreciated once read. [Trent University] The Village in the Jungle – Leonard Woolf. (Fiction) OUP.(1981). Woolf was a colonial officer in Ceylon from 1904-1911. The novel is autobiographical. The second volume of Woolf's autobiography–Growing: 1904-1911. The Hogarth Press is also a light on the colonial experience in South Asia. The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart – Ruth Behar (1996) pp1-33: Behar argues for researching and writing ‘vulnerably,’ claiming the need to draw deeper connections between one’s personal experience and the subject under study. [University of Manitoba] The Women, Gender and Development Reader – Nalini Visvanathan (ed.) (1997) [University of Calgary] Articles   Kay, Cristóbal “Why East Asia overtook Latin America: Agrarian Reform, Industrialization and Development” Third World Quarterly vol.23, no.6 (December 2002) [University of Ottawa] Lautier, Bruno “Pourquoi faut-it aider les pauvres? Une etude critique du discourse de la Banque Mondiale sur la pauvreté” Revue Tiers Monde vol. 43, no.169 (janvier-mars 2003) [University of Ottawa] Videos and Films   Amandla: A Revolution in Four Part Harmony – Tells the story of black South African freedom music and the central role it played against apartheid. Specifically considers the music that sustained and galvanized blacks for more than 40 years. Focuses on the struggle's spiritural dimension named for the Xhosa word for "power". [Wilfred Laurier University] Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh – Introduction to International Development [St. Francis Xavier University] Another World is Possible – (2002): presents a sampling of the discussions and events from the 2002 World Social Forum where public officials, non-governmental organizations, indigenous nations, farmers, and others gathered to discuss world issues and strategies for effecting change. [University of Calgary] Banking on Life and Debt – presents a report that focuses on major criticisms of the World Bank and the IMF. Senior officials from each of these institutions respond to these charges. [University of Calgary] Beyond McWorld: Challenging Corporate Rule – Uses footage from the International Symposium on Corporate Rule, where speakers challenge the effects of globalization and free trade, and deplore corporate rule replacing national governments. [University of Calgary] Bomb Under the World – (Human Race Series): looks at the broad consequences of Western-style consumerism taking hold in large developing countries. [University of Calgary] Bread and Blue Jeans – (Paths of Development Series): examines Canada’s relationship with developing countries and how trade with these countries can seriously affect Canadian jobs and industries. [University of Calgary] Breaking the Silence – focuses on a Canadian sponsored development program to provide assistance to southern Africa in their battle with the AIDS epidemic. [University of Calgary] Chile: defeat of a Dictator – on non violence mobilization and the defeat of Pinochet’s referendum to extend his rule. [University of Ottawa] Cry Freetown (paired with Black Hawk Down) – Camaraman Sorious Samura returns to Sierra Leone to expose the horror of his country's civil war. Challenges the developed world to witness the growing crisis in Africa and to confront the fact that they must bear at least some of the responsibility for what is happening. [Wilfred Laurier University] Culture and Development – Ismail Serageldin, Vice-president of the World Bank takes viewers on a visual trip into the manifestations of cultural expression and their links to development. [University of Calgary] Developing Stories series: The Legacy of Malthus (1994), Seeds of Plenty, Seeds of Sorrow (1992), The Dish Ran Away with the Spoon (1992) – Bullfrog Films [Menno Simons College] Discontinuous Market Change & Strategic Repositioning – (Global Business Series): discusses the globalization of business. Module one targets information technology as a major force in reshaping business. Module two uses Spain’s olive oil industry to illustrate reorientation of business practices and module three addresses strategic repositioning with a case study of Nokia. [University of Calgary] Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask – on Fanon’s life and work. [University of Ottawa] Future Conditional: Global Climate Change – presents an impartial, balanced account of what is known and not known about changes in climate that may be brought about by human activities. It also addresses two issues critical to any response to global warming: balancing economic growth and environmental protection and adapting to climate change. [University of Calgary] Gandhi (segment on the Salt March) [St. Francis Xavier University] Invisible Wall – Presents issues of the power in food politics, roles of multi-national corporations, Third World debt and trade barriers in fueling poverty and environmental destruction in the world's poorest countries. [Queen’s University] It Takes Knowledge…Preserving Our Environment – (Global Links Series): explores the role of knowledge for sustainable development. It also examines how new knowledge is helping to preserve cultural heritage – sometimes called the ‘built environment’. [University of Calgary] Java Jive – a film on coffee production (useful for discussions of commodities, trade, marketing, agricultural production, farm laborers, gender inequality) [Dalhousie University] Life + Debt – a film by Stephanie Black which explores structural adjustment in Jamaica. Agriculture, factory work, government interviews. [St. Mary’s University] Long Night’s Journey into Day – on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission [University of Ottawa] Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood And Corporate Power – Takes a close and critical look at the world Disney films create (in terms of the stories told about race, gender and class) and reaches disturbing conclusions about the values propagated under the guise of innocence and fun. [Queen’s University] The Money Lenders – Focuses on five developing countries faced with critical economic and environmental problems and the role of the World Bank and the IMF. Documents both the charges by critics as well as responses by top World Bank, IMF and government officals. [Trent University] Narmada: A Valley Rises – a film about the Sardar Sarovar dam project in Central India (useful for discussions of development projects that fail and why, as well as how communities cope in the face of adversity and fight injustices) [Dalhousie University] No Logo – (2003): Reveals the reasons behind the backlash against the increasing economic and cultural reach of multinational companies. Using hundred of media samples, No Logo shows how the commercial takeover of public space, destruction of consumer choice, and replacement of real jobs with temporary work- the dynamics of corporate globalization- impact everyone, everywhere. [University of Calgary] Stephen Lewis – any video recording of his public presentations is sure to inspire students to think about development challenges in the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. [St. Francis Xavier University] To Be a Woman: African Women’s Response to the Economic Crisis – International Health and Development [St. Francis Xavier University] Tools of Exploitation (‘The Africans’ Series) – Contrasts the impact of the West on Africa and the impact of Africa on the development of the West, looking at the manner in which Africa's human and natural resources have been exploited before, during, and after the colonial period. (04) [University of Calgary] Trading Futures: Living in the Global Economy – Series ‘Nature of Things’ : presents a special report on the Global Economy examining how it is affecting us and the planet we live on. [University of Calgary] Turbulence – Meet squatters in Paris, families living on welfare in Quebec, factory workers in Thailand, teachers in Ontario, fish processors in Senegal, and some of the market speculators and fund managers who help dictate economies worldwide. Highlights the unprecedented power of the financial markets and the threats they pose to democracy. [St. Francis Xavier University] Visionaries: Barefoot Economist – Manfred Max-Neef is a Chilean economist trying to address the problems of Latin America. He runs schemes funded by International Agencies which addresses the poverty and social upheaval of this region. [University of Calgary] Waiting – a film on the Sudan famine (useful for discussions of famine, food insecurity, war/conflict) [Dalhousie University] War By Any Other Means – (Viewpoint Series): explains why poor countries are required to send millions of dollars in debt interest payments to industrialized nations and how this impacts the economy and the daily lives of the hungry in the poorest countries. [University of Calgary] Water for Tonoumasse – shows the efforts of a group of villagers in southern Togo to get clean water to their village and chronicles the success of an innovative water project there. Who’s Counting: Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics - Waring challenges the myths of economics, its elitist stance and our tacit compliance with political agendas that masquerade as objective economic policy. [Trent University] Assignment Ideas   Annual Forum on International Trade – This cross-disciplinary, academic event integrates faculty, staff and student expertise at StFx in a discussion of issues related to international trade. Participants will exchange ideas regarding the economics, politics and sociology of trade and how it relates to business and development. Basic questions that have been used include: “Who benefits from international trade?” “Who benefits from subsidies?” and “Who is responsible for ensuring that corporations act in a socially responsible manner in international investment?” The forum has integrated courses from each of the following disciplines; Economics, Anthropology, Development Studies, the Coady International Institute, and Business Administration. The goal of this assignment is to encourage undergraduate students from different disciplines as well as Coady participants (all of whom are development professionals) to discuss topics related to international trade. [St. Francis Xavier University] Article Review – students ‘review’ four scholarly research articles on the same theme as a review essay. I give them a list of themes to choose from, and a question to guide each theme. These articles are available from online journal databases through our library, so I can verify their sources. This assignment works extremely well for avoiding plagiarism, and gets students engaged with scholarly articles. It is also easy to discern average from excellent papers, as the average students will just discuss each article in turn, while the excellent papers provide an intergrated synthesis of the four essays in their review. [Trent University] Brainstorm – Why are farmers committing suicide in India by drinking pesticide? Groups discuss, come up with reasons. Reasons usually fall into psychological, economic, and structural categories. Used as part of class entitled What is development theory? The intention is to identify different categories of explanation and link them to the notion that development studies are interdisciplinary and integrative. [St. Mary’s University] Community Project – Student groups select a project for the term. This project involves meeting with a client group or organization, developing a project plan, implementing the project, and writing a final report for the organization. [University of Calgary] Community Research Presentations – students must present the results of their research, orally and in person, to the people in the community they are studying. This creates a lot of nervousness-to be blunt-, students generally hate it-but it keeps them honest, and it’s a great tool for building solidarity. In my context, students from the University in the area we study in come and hear the reports and have good, critical comments to make. One Canadian student described having to present as allowing for the possibility that, “we could get caught with our pants down”, and I would argue that students demonstrating their willingness to make themselves vulnerable in this way is important in challenging the imperialism of research, for both the “researcher” and the “researched.” It also, at least in my context, serves as a demonstration of different ways to do research, something that the university with which I work in Nicaragua has asked for. So it’s a “giving back” of various sorts, as well as a challenge for students to be reflexive about the kinds of knowledge they produce and will tell others about the places they have been and the people they have met. [University of Manitoba] Compare and Contrast – Rodney and Hailey and Kjekshus for the Europeans' Future for Africa. Cookbook – the requirement to have students combine a cookbook, Ayn Rand, and the “New American Century Website” [Wilfred Laurier University] Country Comparisons – asks students to compare the trajectories of two countries from the Global South over the last 40 years or so. Students are assigned the countries to avoid everyone choosing the same pair of countries. It is a challenging assignment, but students tend to like it once they’ve completed it. [Trent University] Creative Assignment – the requirement that they combine a chapter from Peter Singer with almost anything, from a rap song, to a work of art, to a dense statistical summary, to a novel. [Wilfred Laurier University] Experiential Learning – Independent, experiential learning for students who have gone overseas, found an ‘opportunity’ (e.g. volunteers with an NGO or do paid work). We’ve encouraged our students to combine the experiential learning with research and get credit. The student has to find the opportunity and a faculty member willing to supervise. They agree on the “output” for credit (typically a paper which incorporates the ‘experience’ as a case), and the student then does it. [University of Calgary] Group Projects – group will submit a research report to instructor the day before the presentation. Each group is expected to do library research and web search on the topic. Groups are encouraged to contact community associations/groups or individuals for further information and research. Each group will present their finding s for 25 minutes, allowing five minutes for question and answer. Groups may present in a creative manner, such as skits, t.v. shows, or video presentations. [University of Calgary] Impact Assessment – A work-and-thought-in-progress workbook on globalization’s impact in your own community. [Wilfred Laurier University] Karimlan Simulation Game­ – Environment and development land-use issues, based on the creation of a national park in Tanzania. Contact: nyap@yesa.com [St. Mary’s University] Model Conference / Town Hall Meeting – a good participatory exercise for large classes (as big as 210 students). In the past I’ve organized model UN simulations; however, the idea that worked the best was a model town hall meeting where “community members” were required to react to a potential development project. The activity encouraged role playing and researching the many different facets/perspectives on this issue. [Dalhousie University] Novel Study – In previous years we have had an essay assignment around the novel we assign. We have had problems with plagiarism with this assignment, however. This year we are trying an assignment based on particular (controversial) questions posed for each week, and students can choose one of these as the focus of their essay. The idea here is to develop skills for building an argument. [Trent University] Novel Study – Read five novels by diaspora authors and describe they have to say about the roots and consequences of development. Compare what they say through story telling with a (instructor's choice of current theoretical / nonfictional analysis of development) Simulation Exercises – Domistan materials for Humanitarian Aid & Conflict Class (based on ideas from Jim Good, Sphere project training of trainers workshop) or hearing on Bakun Dam construction based on Bakun Dam materials. [Menno Simons College] Small Groups – in small groups, students were asked to do an in depth interview with a faculty person who has considerable research experience in a cross-cultural setting. The objective was to develop an understanding of research methods and challenges one may encounter in doing research in a cross-cultural setting. [Queen’s University] Special Interest Summaries – for linking theory and practice. The students are required to write a 500-750 word paper summarizing an event they participated in (a guest speaker, volunteering with an organization, etc) and analyzing the event in relation to course readings / lectures. [Dalhousie University] Volunteer Assessment – The place of ‘volunteerism' (of the CUSO, VSO, Peace Corps variety) is being scrutinized in donor circles. For some it is past its due date as valid approach to development yet for others (Canada Corps) it just needs a make over. What has volunteering done for anyone at home and abroad—start with its origins in the 1960s and go on from there. Web Sources   AllAfrica.com http://allafrica.com Amnesty International Library, Online Documentation Archive http://web.amnesty.org/library/engworld Armed Conflict Report at Ploughshares http://www.ploughshares.ca Ayn Rand Site http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=Newsarticle&id=5219 Canadian International Development Agency http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca The Coady International Institute’s Marie Michael Library: http://www.stfx.ca/institutes/coady/coady-library/text/development.html Eldis Gateway to Development Information http://www.eldis.org ETC Group http://www.etcgroup.org Global Development Learning Network http://www.gdln.org Human Development Reports: http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004 Humanitarian Practice Network http://www.odihpn.org/ IDS Sussex http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/info/index.html International Development Research Centre http://web.idrc.ca/ev_en.php Internet Modern History Sourcebook http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html One World Network http://www.oneworld.net Social Critic http://www.socialcritic.org The UC Atlas of Human Inequality: http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu Third World Network http://www.twnside.org.sg/ Third World Network http://www.twnafrica.org/geraresearch.asp World Bank http://worldbank.org/deveforum/index.html World Resources Institute http://www.wri.org Questions / Comments? 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