ADS734 - Geopolitics and Political Economy of Development
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Anthony Ware |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | AID231, AID331, AID731, AID734 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 3-day on-campus intensive (seminars) per trimester 1 x 1.5-hour on-campus lecture per trimester in weeks 1, 3, and 8 (live-streamed) |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 3-day on-campus intensive (seminars) per trimester 1 x 1.5-hour online lecture per trimester in weeks 1, 3, and 8 (live-streamed) |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150-hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit explores crises and development through geopolitical and political economy lenses. It considers how international institutions, laws, systems, structures, and economies impact humanitarian and development work from both the global and contextual scales. The unit explores International legal frameworks (sovereignty, international humanitarian law, humanitarian intervention, peacekeeping), Geopolitical systems and structures (UN approaches, power and foreign policy, securitisation and counter-terrorism) , Political economy of crisis and development (economic crises, globalisation, political economy of aid).
In this unit, students will learn about the legal basis for development and humanitarian response. They will also explore legal tools that enable development and humanitarian action, while critically unpacking the legal basis for why ‘we [the international community] don’t just do something.’ The unit provides an overview and history of the United Nations as it applies to development and humanitarianism – namely peacekeeping, the role of the security council, and its approaches to organising short-term crisis response alongside longer term goals. Finally, the unit delves into issues of political economy of crisis and development, using political economy lenses to interrogate not only the response to challenges but also their root causes.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Students will demonstrate discipline specific, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and will be required to demonstrate a degree of self-management in undertaking research and in communication in the presented final form | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
| ULO2 | Students are required to apply their knowledge of discipline-specific subject matter to a particular case study | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking GLO5: Problem solving GLO6: Self-management |
| ULO3 | Apply a critical understanding of key debates about the relationship between politics and development in the global South to a particular case study | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO4 | Communicate ideas clearly and coherently via essay writing and/or case study presentation | GLO2: Communication |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Written Assignment | 1000 words | 20% | Week 4 |
| Assessment 2: Case Study - in class presentation | 1500 words | 30% | Week 6 |
| Assessment 3: Critical analysis paper | 2500 words | 50% | Information not yet available |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for ADS734 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.