Development Studies. Information for Undergraduates. BA Development Studies 2013/14

Transcription

1 Development Studies Information for Undergraduates BA Development Studies and 2013/14 1

2 To use the QR barcodes in this booklet: 1. Download a free QR Reader app to your mobile device (smartphone or tablet) 2. Go into the app and use the camera on your device to scan the barcode (it may take a few seconds to scan). For best results hold your device approx. 8cm away from the page. 3. You will then be automatically directed to the webpage in question. 2

3 STUDYING DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AT SOAS Development Studies is a dynamic field of study concerned with social and economic changes and the major policy challenges they present. While the major focus is on those countries that have remained poor despite the advances made in the industrialised parts of the world, many of the issues raised are essentially global in scope and significance. Development Studies draws heavily on the core disciplines of Economics, Anthropology, Politics, Geography, Sociology and Law but has developed its own disciplinary focus. There are two distinctive features that give Development Studies at SOAS characteristics not available elsewhere. The first is the School's outstanding reputation for the study of non-western systems of thought and law. The second is its unrivalled regional specialisation in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, which gives historical and cultural depth based on knowledge of local languages and the full range of contemporary social sciences, though this does not mean we neglect consideration of other regions including Latin America and the Caribbean. The BA in Development Studies at SOAS was established in 1991 to provide challenging and innovative teaching in the field of development studies. The BA in Development Studies offered at SOAS is multidisciplinary and grounds the study of social, political and economic changes in the developing world with a thorough understanding of specific environmental, historical and cultural contexts. Through the study of problems of development, students acquire analytical skills as well as learning how to make connections between the global and the local, how to present materials and ideas effectively and how to develop a critical and non-eurocentric attitude to the understanding of development. The structure of the syllabuses and teaching methods reflect these priorities. By the end of their final year, students will have developed an understanding of the international context, the social, political and economic conditions of the developing world, and an in-depth knowledge of a social science discipline in addition to a regional specialisation of their choice. There are opportunities for employment within the development field in development planning and in government and nongovernmental organisations for those graduates with the necessary experience. Other career paths include journalism, the civil service, banking and the social and educational services. Excellent opportunities exist for those graduates interested in specialising further through postgraduate studies, not only in development studies, but also in economics, politics, social anthropology, law, geography, history and languages. BA DEGREE STRUCTURE The Department offers the undergraduate degree BA Development Studies and (i.e. Development Studies combined with another subject). This degree programme is described in the Structure Diagram on pages 5-8 of this guide. Development Studies is taught as a two-subject Honours degree either with a social science or humanities discipline or with a language. The rationale for a two-subject degree structure is that a specialisation in Development Studies at the undergraduate level is most effective when combined with either a solid grounding in 3

4 a social science discipline or in-depth knowledge about the languages and cultures of specific regions. For information on the individual courses offered as part of this degree, please see page 9 of this guide. Courses marked with an asterisk (*) below can only be taken if you have taken prerequisite courses in preceding years see page 9 for further information. Further details and precise requirements are available in the School's Undergraduate Prospectus, the Degree Regulations and Guide to the scheme for the classification for Honours. Students may also consult their personal tutors for further guidance. 4

5 BA DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND... FIRST YEAR TWO Development Studies units required, ONE from section A and ONE from section B, plus the compulsory Research and Writing Methodology lecture (see section C) A: Core Unit Development Conditions and Experience AND B: Compulsory Unit Comparative Growth in Asia and Africa OR Introduction to Economic Analysis AND C Research and Writing Methodology All first year students must attend the one off Research and Writing Methodology lecture in the first week of teaching. The class is compulsory but not assessed. Students taking Joint Honours with a language which requires the second year to be spent overseas will normally be required to take three course units in the language, plus Development Conditions and Experience, in their first year. 5

6 BA DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND... SECOND YEAR TWO Development Studies units required, ONE to TWO from section A and ONE from sections B, C, D and E A: Core Unit Theory and Evidence in Contemporary Development B: Development Studies optional courses Introduction to Global Forced Migration Studies Non-Governmental Organisations, Development and Change (0.5 unit) Political Economy of Finance, Debt and Development (0.5 unit) Development and Conflict (0.5 unit) Land, Natural Resources, Development and Environmental Change (0.5 unit) Governance and Development (0.5 unit) Development Communication (0.5 unit) C: Optional courses from other depts. that count as Development Studies options Economics of Developing Countries 1* Banking and Finance in Economic Development* Foreign Trade and Development* International Politics Government and Politics of South Asia Southeast Asian Government and Politics Politics of Development Political Theory Government and Politics of the Middle East Comparative and International Politics The State and Politics in Africa Comparative and Political Sociology of Asia and Africa Government and Politics of China Taiwan's Political and Economic Development An Asian or African Language (see Faculty of Languages and Cultures for further information) 6

7 D: Optional courses run by King s College Geography Department 105SSG2051 Climate Variability, Change and Society (0.5 unit) 105SSG2044 Development Geographies: Livelihood and Policy Contexts (0.5 unit) 105SSG2024 Ecological and Cultural Biogeography (0.5 unit) 105SSG2043 Environmental Remote Sensing (0.5 unit) 105SSG2042 Natural Hazards (0.5 unit) 105SSG2054 Water & Development (0.5 unit) 105SSG2052 Society, Environment and Geography: Nature and Culture (0.5 unit) 105SSG2025 Human Geography: Space, Place and Society (0.5 unit) E Any other unit available in another Department of SOAS for Second Year UG students (an 'open option') Students taking Joint Honours with a language which requires taking three course units in the language in their first year will normally be required to take three Development Studies units, including EITHER Comparative Growth in Asia and Africa OR Introduction to Economic Analysis, in their second year. 7

8 BA DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND... THIRD YEAR Students can take TWO Development Studies units from sections A, B and C A: Development Studies optional courses Independent Study Project Introduction to Forced Global Migration Studies Food Securities and Livelihoods (0.5 unit) Issues of the Working Poor and Development (0.5 unit) Issues in Global Commodity Chains, Production Networks and Informal Work (0.5 unit) Issues in Borders and Development in the Age of Globalisation (0.5 unit) Issues in Development Practice (0.5 unit) Tigers and Dragons : East Asian Development Revisited (0.5 unit) Issues in Gender and Development (0.5 unit) Security (BA) (0.5 unit) Themes in Contemporary Development: Civil Society and Social Movements (0.5 unit) Non-Governmental Organisations, Development and Change (0.5 unit) Political Economy of Finance, Debt and Development (0.5 unit) Development and Conflict (0.5 unit) Governance and Development (0.5 unit) Land, Natural Resources, Development and Environmental Change (0.5 unit) B: Optional courses run by King s College Geography Department 105SSG2051 Climate Variability, Change and Society (0.5 unit) 105SSG2044 Development Geographies: Livelihood and Policy Contexts (0.5 unit) 105SSG2024 Ecological and Cultural Biogeography (0.5 unit) 105SSG2043 Environmental Remote Sensing (0.5 unit) 105SSG2042 Natural Hazards (0.5 unit) 105SSG2054 Water & Development (0.5 unit) 105SSG2052 Society, Environment and Geography: Nature and Culture (0.5 unit) 105SSG2025 Human Geography: Space, Place and Society (0.5 unit) C Any other unit available in another Department of SOAS for Third Year UG students (an 'open option'). Please note that final year students may not take any introductory level courses, including languages 8

9 UNDERGRADUATE COURSES Courses in the Department are valued as one or half a course unit: those courses which are full year count as one course unit, those courses which run for one term only count as half course units. You can access a list of courses in the Department - including convenor details, course descriptions, and scheduling information from the SOAS website, at You can also access this page on your mobile device by scanning the barcode opposite. Prerequisites Some advanced final year courses can only be taken if you have done prerequisite courses in preceding years. They are indicated in the structure diagrams above with asterisks (*). See the table below for pre-requisite requirements: In order to take Any of: Economics of Developing Countries Banking and Finance in Economic Development Foreign Trade and Development You must have Introduction to Economic Analysis Open Options Your programme of study may permit you to take one or more open options courses taught by other departments at SOAS. You can access an up-to-date list of open options on the SOAS website at You can also access this page on your mobile device by scanning the barcode opposite. HELP, ADVICE AND SOURCES OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION There are many different sources of help and advice available to students: it is very important that you make use of the support systems if you need to do so. Small, easily solved problems may grow rapidly into big, difficult ones if nothing is done about them. Such difficulties are particularly common in the first year. Student Support Officers The Development Studies Department has a specific student support officer: an administrative member of staff who should be the first port of call for administrative issues pertaining to your studies. They will be able to answer queries relating to your timetable, class arrangements, coursework assignments and examinations, among other areas. The contact details for the student support officer can be found under the key contacts section at the back of this handbook. 9

10 Welfare Tutor and Personal Advisors The Welfare Tutor is the first point of contact for students in the Department facing personal, emotional, social and/or academic problems which are affecting their studies. Whether students are experiencing stress or anxiety; bereavement or loss; discrimination or harassment, the Welfare Tutor can provide advice and offer referrals or general information about a range of welfare services offered by SOAS. Upholding the School s general respect for students privacy, the Welfare Tutor will always deal with students concerns in confidence. All students can also contact their Personal Tutor/Advisor (the Year Tutor for your year of study) to discuss any issues they are having. Details of the Welfare Tutor and Year Tutors can be found on page 15 of this guide. Students should check their SOAS account regularly as important information about your degree and/or courses will be sent from tutors and the faculty office. Details of how to forward messages automatically to another account (e.g. hotmail) are given in the Faculty Handbook and the Students Union handbook. Bloomsbury Learning Environment The Bloomsbury Learning Environment (BLE) is used by tutors for making reading lists and other course information and announcements available online. It is also where you will submit assignments. You can access the BLE at You should check the course pages for your courses on BLE regularly, as this is where important announcements relating to your courses (e.g. class reschedulings, information on coursework assignments, etc.) are posted. Timetable Students should check the up-to-date undergraduate timetable by referring to or by scanning the barcode opposite with your mobile device (smartphone or tablet). If you find that your core courses clash you should consult the Faculty Office (R201) for advice. Term Dates The SOAS term dates can be found on the SOAS website at Student Representatives, Departmental Meeting and the Staff Student Forum Each year student representatives are elected for the BA, MSc and PhD programmes. Representatives are invited to attend departmental meetings of the academic staff and to raise matters of concern. The forum is the means by which students representatives and staff can issues relating to specific courses and teaches, whereas the department meeting deals with more general issues. There are separate staff-student forums for BA, MSc and PhD representatives. They meet at least once a term. The BA staff-student forum is made up of student representatives, Undergraduate Tutor and the Head of Department. You will be given more information on the election of student representatives at the beginning of the first term. 10

11 STUDENT REGULATIONS Definitive regulations governing the award of undergraduate degrees can be found online at Alternatively, scanning the barcode opposite will allow you to access this site on your mobile device. Please pay particular attention to the following sections: Class Attendance Requirements: The minimum class attendance requirement for all courses within the Law and Social Sciences Faculty is 80%. Coursework Submission: All coursework should be submitted online via the submission points on the relevant course pages on the BLE ( Coursework Deadlines: The School Deadline for submission of coursework assignments is on the Friday immediately before the beginning of the May/June examination period of the academic year in which the course is taken. Any coursework assignments submitted after this date will not be marked. Individual courses set submission dates in advance of this deadline, however; assignments submitted between the individual assignment submission date and the School deadline will incur a penalty of two marks per day that the assignment is submitted late. Individual assignment submission dates can be found on the relevant course pages on the BLE ( It is possible to apply for a refund of marks deducted for late submission if you have particular mitigating circumstances (e.g. sudden illness, bereavement, etc.) which prevented you from submitting your assignment on time. In any case where you feel you may not be able to meet a particular deadline you should contact your student support officer as soon as possible. Coursework Word Limits: Coursework assignments which exceed the set word limit will be penalised as described in this section. Individual assignment word limits can be found on the relevant course pages on the BLE ( Plagiarism: You should note that plagiarism i.e. the presentation of another person's thoughts or words as though they were your own is an examination and/or assessment offence, and is dealt with under the School s Regulations for proceedings in respect of assessment and examination offences. MARKING CRITERIA Please see below for the marking criteria (competence standards) for coursework assignments. These criteria for all SOAS undergraduate programmes draw upon the following minimum core criteria, which are applicable to the assessment of most or all assignments: understanding of the subject; utilisation of proper academic [or other] style (e.g. citation of references, or use of proper legal style for court reports, etc.); 11

12 relevance of material selected and of the arguments proposed; planning and organisation; logical coherence; critical evaluation; comprehensiveness of research; evidence of synthesis; innovation / creativity / originality. The language used must be of a sufficient standard to permit assessment of the above criteria. These minimum core criteria form a part of the School s core academic standards, applied to all coursework and as such they would not usually be subject to any modification, even as a reasonable adjustment to the needs of a specific disabled person. Coursework Marking Criteria The guidelines below reflect the standards of work expected at undergraduate level: 80+ (First Class Honours) A mark in the range 80+ will fulfil the following criteria which mark it as a work of outstanding quality; various criteria may apply, either singly or in combination: shows clear evidence of wide and relevant reading and an engagement with the conceptual issues; develops a sophisticated and intelligent argument; shows a rigorous use and a confident understanding of relevant source materials; achieves an appropriate balance between factual detail and key theoretical issues; provides evidence of original thinking (First Class Honours) A mark in the range will fulfil the following criteria: engages closely with the question; shows some evidence of wide and relevant reading and an engagement with the conceptual issues; shows some sophistication of argument; shows an intelligent use and a good understanding of relevant source materials (Upper Second Class: 2.I) A mark in the range will fulfil the following criteria: offers critical insights and shows evidence of critical thinking; shows a good understanding of the major factual and/or theoretical issues, and addresses the relevant literature on the topic; develops a focused and clear argument and articulates a sustained train of logical thought; gives a clear exposition of models/diagrams, with derivation, where appropriate; 12

13 shows clear evidence of planning in the formulation of the written answer and includes a judicious choice of sources and methodology (Lower Second Class: 2.II) A mark in the range will fulfil the following criteria: shows some understanding of relevant major theoretical and/or factual issues; shows evidence of planning in the formulation of the written answer, makes selective use of appropriate sources, and demonstrates some knowledge of the literature; shows, at various points if not throughout the entire text, examples of a clear train of thought or argument; presents basic models / diagrams, where appropriate; provides an appropriate conclusion to the textual argument(s) (Third Class: III) A mark in the range will fulfil the following criteria: shows some awareness and understanding of the factual and/or theoretical issues, but demonstrates limited ability to develop these; provides clear evidence of misunderstandings; shows some, albeit limited, evidence of planning in the formulation of the written answer, but also includes material or arguments which are irrelevant or unrelated to the question; fails to develop a clear or coherent response to the question, but shows occasional knowledge or insight (Fail) A Fail will be awarded in cases which: fail to answer the question or develop an argument; fail to demonstrate knowledge of the key issues or arguments; contain clear conceptual or factual errors or misunderstandings; are poorly organised and/or poorly written (Fail) A Fail will be awarded in cases which: fail to answer the question even in part; show no knowledge of the question or topic; contain blatant conceptual or factual errors; are very poorly organised and/or very poorly written. Examination Marking Criteria A similar (but not identical) set of marking criteria is used in the marking of written examinations. This can be accessed on the SOAS website at 13

14 DEPARTMENTAL UNDERGRADUATE HANDBOOK You can access the Department s Undergraduate Handbook here: You can also access it on your mobile device by scanning the barcode opposite. This includes useful information on study skills, exam technique and essay writing, and links to other sections of the SOAS website, including Registry (for matters relating to registration, regulations, fees and scholarships), Student Services (for information regarding welfare, counselling, disabilities, and mental health and wellbeing), the Careers Service, and the Library. 14

15 KEY CONTACTS Post Name Contact details Undergraduate Student Support Officer Jack Footitt Room R201, Main Building Tel.: Jack is available to support and guide students through any issues they may be facing throughout their degree, Caroline works closely with the departments student representatives and welfare departments across the School, to provide specialised support to all students within the Politics department. Please contact Jack for information and guidance on class attendance, coursework deadlines and submission as well as mitigating circumstances and timetable queries. Welfare Tutor, Dept of Politics Undergraduate Programme Convenor, Development Studies Peter Mollinga Michael Jennings Room 4415, Main Building Tel.: Room 261, Main Building Tel.: Year 1 Tutors Dae-oup Chang Room 4412, Main Building Tel.: dc13@soas.ac.uk Year 2 Tutor Tim Pringle Room 260a, Main Building Tel.: tp21@soas.ac.uk Year 3 Tutor Leandro Vergara-Camus Room 260, Main Building Tel.: lv6@soas.ac.uk Head of Department of Development Studies Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), Faculty of Law and Social Sciences Laura Hammond Dr Emilia Onyema Room 371, Main Building Tel.: lh4@soas.ac.uk Room 242, Main Building Tel.: eo3@soas.ac.uk The Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) is the final authority on all regulations and matters affecting students on taught programmes within the Law and Social Sciences Faculty. Contact Dr Onyema for queries pertaining to leave of absence, suspension of regulations and course changes that fall outside of the prescribed programme structures. Student Advice and Wellbeing office Alison Barty (Head) Room V302, Vernon Square Tel.: studentservices@soas.ac.uk Student Advice and Wellbeing offer a wide range of specialist, professional advisory services in the following areas: international student advice; welfare and financial advice; support for students with disabilities; and student counselling. 15

16 TIMETABLE Fill out your weekly timetable here: 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 16

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