FLKM4320 Development studies: Power and Inequality Course description

This course deals with central theoretical and methodological issues relating to power and inequality in developing countries.

No prerequisite knowledge required.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has thorough knowledge of important theoretical and empirical issues linked to inequality and power in the Global South.
• has advanced research-based knowledge of global inequality and poverty.

Skills

The student:

• is capable of explaining how theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches influence findings on the relationships between power and inequality in the Global South.
• is capable of comparing and critically assessing theories and methods applied to studies of power and inequality.
• is capable of analysing existing theories and perspectives with respect to connections between power and distribution in the Global South.

General competence

The student:

• is capable of transferring and adapting research questions and approaches from the analysis of power and distribution in developing regions to other geographical areas, including Norway and other OECD countries.
• is capable of assessing, applying and disseminating new knowledge and academic perspectives related to the study of inequality and power.

The course deals with important theories and concepts concerning inequality and power in developing countries, and theoretical analyses of processes that create, change and maintain inequality. Particular emphasis is placed on how power affects distribution through relations of class, gender, ethnicity, race, patron-client relationships and political-economic organisation.

The teaching consists of lectures and seminars. See the programme description for further details.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• The student must give a presentation lasting 15-30 minutes (individually or as part of a group) of an article, chapter in a book etc. at a plenary session during the course.
• Students must individually submit a 1-page / approx. 450-word preliminary description of their master’s thesis research topic.
• 80 % attendance requirement (see the programme description for more information).

The purpose of the coursework requirement is to ensure all students’ begin the work of articulating their master’s research topic, to receive feedback about it, and to support the future preparation of full research project.

The purpose of the oral presentation is to encourage students to engage in more oral activity and improve their oral presentation skills, and to present the academic content to a live audience in an organised and effective manner. The oral presentation is intended to help the student to acquire the skills specified in the learning outcomes for the course.

The course is assessed on the basis of an individual written home exam over five days, with a scope of 3,500 words +/- 10 %.

Resit/rescheduled exam:

Resit/rescheduled exam is organised in the same way as the ordinary exam.

Examination support material is permitted.

Letter grades ranging from A to F are used, with A being the highest grade and E the poorest pass grade, and F being a fail grade.

The exam is assessed by one internal and one external examiner.