COURSE CURRICULUM

The Global Development degree offers a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues that shape the world today. In the first year, students are introduced to core concepts in development, engaging with critical global issues like poverty, inequality, climate change, food security, and conflict. The Big Questions for People and Planet module challenges students to think critically about how industrial development can be sustainable and how to ensure peace and security. Students also explore the role of key political lenses in shaping development, including the influence of human development, neo-liberalism, and decolonisation in the Perspectives on Global Development module. The Shared Futures module focuses on how various actors such as states, civil society, and the private sector shape global futures, addressing both the production and solutions to poverty and environmental destruction. Additionally, the Introduction to the Politics of Development module offers a foundation for understanding political theories central to the study of international development. In the second year, students deepen their knowledge by exploring more specialized topics such as the intersection of media and social change in Media, Communication and Social Change, which examines how communication can mobilize citizens, influence policy, and promote human rights. The Culture and Power module further develops the understanding of how power structures impact social experiences and development. This year also includes a range of optional modules allowing students to tailor their studies to regional, thematic, or disciplinary interests.The final year of the degree allows students to select from specialized modules that address critical issues such as humanitarian crises, with the Wars and Humanitarian Crises module analyzing the political, social, and economic consequences of civil wars. Students also have the opportunity to engage in independent research through a dissertation, applying their knowledge to a specific development issue of their choosing.