Early clearing information

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Bachelor of Science (BSc)

BSc Global Development

Learn about the social, economic and environmental challenges faced by the Global South and help drive forward social justice for all.
  • Duration: 3 years
  • Year of entry: 2025
  • UCAS course code: L905 / Institution code: M20
  • Key features:
  • Scholarships available

Full entry requirementsHow to apply

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £29,000 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

We are committed to attracting and supporting the very best students from all backgrounds to study this course.  

You could be eligible for cash bursaries of up to £2,500 to support your studies. 

Find out about our funding opportunities

Course unit details:
History of Thought in Global Development

Course unit fact file
Unit code MGDI10021
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This course unit introduces students to key writers and groups of writers whose work has influenced thought on global development, beginning with ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Ibn Khaldūn in the late fourteenth century CE and ending with Amartya Sen and Elinor Ostrom in the late twentieth century. The course emphasises the relationship of the writers’ thought to the social and historical context in which they lived and to the intellectual traditions of which they form a part. The course is divided into seven parts (in addition to the introduction and conclusion), each part introducing the work of a key thinker (or group of thinkers). In each case, the discussion will place the thinker(s) in historical context, both in terms of the intellectual traditions informing their work and in terms of the social and economic environments in which they lived.

Aims

  • Introduce students to key thinkers whose work has informed thought on global development
  • Through the discussion of this work, explore ways in which we can conceptualise and understand development
  • Develop students’ ability to examine the connections between the arguments of different thinkers
  • Develop students’ ability to evaluate the ways in which thinkers have responded to the social and economic environment in which they live
  • Develop transferable skills, including developing an argument, participating in group discussions and communicating ideas both verbally and in writing

Syllabus

Indicative weekly lecture and tutorial schedule

  1. Introduction (one lecture)
  2. Ibn Khaldūn (3 lectures)
  3. Smith and Ricardo (3 lectures)
  4. Marx and Dependency Theory (3 lectures)
  5. Lewis and Rostow (2 lectures)
  6. The Structuralist school (2 lectures)
  7. Sen and the basic needs approach (2 lectures)
  8. Ostrom (2 lectures)
  9. Revision (2 lectures)

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning will be based on lectures (twice per week) and tutorials (once per week). Lectures will combine presentation of the learning material with some interactive discussion. Reading lists, lecture slides and tutorial questions will be posted on the VLE. Tutorials will provide students with the opportunity to engage critically with the learning material through group discussions and presentations. Advice on how to prepare for each tutorial will be posted on the VLE.

Knowledge and understanding

  • Distinguish between different approaches to conceptualising global development
  • Describe the approach of individual thinkers to questions relating to development
  • Describe the historical context in which thinkers have made a contribution

Intellectual skills

  • Analyse the arguments made by individual thinkers about processes relating to development
  • Compare the contributions of different thinkers
  • Critically evaluate the assumptions and implications of different approaches to conceptualising global development

Practical skills

  • Find, interpret and correctly reference published research.
  • Present and analyse alternative arguments involving theory and evidence.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • Develop a critical and analytical argument, making use of appropriate evidence
  • Participate in group discussions
  • Communicate ideas both verbally and in writing

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written assignment (inc essay) 70%
Oral assessment/presentation 30%

Feedback methods

Verbal feedback on contributions to tutorial activities will act as formative assessment to prepare students for this summative assessment.

Written comments on the presentation on the VLE. The content and timing of feedback will be consistent with University policy.

Recommended reading

Background reading

Hunt, D. (1989). Economic Theories of Development: An Analysis of Competing Paradigms. Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Szirmai, A. (2005). The Dynamics of Socio-Economic Development. Cambridge University Press.

Sen, A. (1988). The concept of development. In H. Chenery  and T.N. Srinivasan (eds.) The Handbook of Development Economics Volume I, 9-26. North-Holland.

Lewis, A. The roots of development theory. In H. Chenery  and T.N. Srinivasan (eds.) The Handbook of Development Economics Volume I, 27-37. North-Holland.

Todaro, M. P. and Smith, S. C. (2020). Economic Development (13th edition). Pearson.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 20
Tutorials 10
Independent study hours
Independent study 170

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
David Fielding Unit coordinator

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