COURSE CURRICULUM

In the first year of the Global Development program, students are introduced to core concepts and challenges shaping the contemporary development landscape. The year begins with three compulsory modules that offer a foundational understanding of key organisations, perspectives, and global issues. Big Questions for People and Planet encourages critical thinking about complex problems such as poverty, climate change, and inequality through an interdisciplinary lens. Students grapple with essential questions like the sustainability of industrial development and the cultural dimensions of inequality. This is followed by Perspectives on Global Development, where students are introduced to theoretical frameworks such as neoliberalism, human development, and decolonisation. These perspectives are used to critically assess development policy and understand the political, economic, and cultural structures that contribute to global inequality. The Shared Futures module provides an in-depth exploration of the key actors involved in development, from governments to grassroots movements, focusing on how these stakeholders address (or sometimes exacerbate) global challenges. These three modules together build a strong analytical base and encourage students to understand development as a contested, multi-actor process shaped by diverse ideologies and strategies.Year 2 builds upon this foundation by allowing students to select from a range of regional, thematic, or disciplinary modules, enabling them to tailor their learning to specific interests. It also focuses on equipping students with core social research methods, preparing them for independent inquiry and critical evaluation of development practices. In Year 3, students spend a year abroad at a partner university, gaining cross-cultural academic experience and deepening their global perspective on development. In the final year, students choose from advanced modules and have the opportunity to undertake a dissertation, allowing them to explore a specific issue in depth while developing employability and research skills critical for careers in development or postgraduate study.