Admission Requirements
This course is open to the following categories of students:
Bachelor’s CADS
Minor CADS
Exchange students admitted for this specific course during their application procedure
Language of Instruction
Lectures are given in English.
Tutorials: First-year bachelor’s students of CADS have chosen their preferred language of instruction for tutorials during their application. Minor and exchange students will follow the course entirely in English.
Exam(s) and assignment(s) are in the same language as the tutorials.
Course Description
This course offers an introduction to key concepts and theories in development sociology, and the historical and geographical context from which they originate. An overarching lens through which we approach past and current societal questions is ‘inequality’. We attempt to understand how and why different forms of inequality arise and persist. We also discuss the underlying ideologies, possibilities and limitations of ‘development’ and ‘diversity’ as approaches towards combatting inequalities. The course will discuss various ways as to how ‘development’ and ‘diversity’ can be understood, critiqued, valued and measured. In addition, we pay attention to the various actors who play a role in the field of development and diversity: who are these actors, what shapes do they take, what interests do they represent and what challenges do they face? We further discuss core themes in development and diversity questions such as gender, health, and sustainability, using examples to ground these themes in the real world.
Course Objectives
Successful completion of this course will mean that students will be able to:
Define and explain key concepts of sociology and development sociology and apply them to new contexts
Distinguish, name and recognize contrasting visions of development problems in concrete examples
Distinguish and recognize contrasting visions of diversity issues in concrete examples
Analyse constraints in development and diversity implementation in concrete examples
In addition, after completion of the course, students will have advanced their:
Societal awareness, through discussion and analysis of past and current societal developments from the local to global scales
Oral communication and presentation skills, through group discussions and assignments during workgroups
Written communication skills, through a written assignment
Schedule
Dates and room numbers can be found on the website.
Mode of Instruction
This is a 5 ECTS course, which means 140 hours of study (1 ECTS is equivalent to 28 study hours or sbu's). These 140 study hours are composed of the following components:
Lectures: 15 x 2 hours = 30 hours x 1,5 = 45 sbu
Tutorials: 3 x 2 hours = 4 hours x 3 = 12 sbu
Literature: 550 pages = 75 sbu
Written assignment (max. 600 words) = 8 sbu
Assessment Method
Essay: 25%
Final exam: 75%
Only the final mark is registered in Usis. A final pass mark is 6,0 and higher; a final mark of 5,0 or lower is deemed inadequate. Final marks between 5,0 and 6,0 are never awarded. Only if the final mark is inadequate may the final exam be re-taken, during the re-sit.
The lectures form an integral part of the course, which means there will be exam questions on the lectures.
Three mandatory tutorials form an integral part of the course. Failure to attend a tutorial results in refusal of access to the final exam, unless an additional assignment is done (submitted to and evaluated by the tutor). Only one of the two tutorials may be compensated this way.
Registration in My Studymap
All students will be registered for the lectures and the exam (including re-sits) by the Student Services Centre (SSC). This will be done approximately mid August, after which all components of the courses will automatically appear in your MyTimetable schedule.
Division and enrolment in the mandatory tutorials will also be done by the SSC and announced via uSis in the first week of lectures.
Brightspace
Brightspace is the digital learning environment of Leiden University.
Brightspace gives access to course announcements and electronic study material. Assignments will also be submitted in Brightspace. Announcements about and changes to courses are made using Brightspace. Students are advised to check Brightspace daily to remain informed about rooms, schedules, deadlines, and details of assignments. Lecturers assume that all students read information posted on Brightspace.
- How to login
The homepage for Brightspace is: Brightspace
Please log in with your ULCN-account and personal password. On the left you will see an overview of My Courses.
You need to be enrolled for the respective courses to access them on Brightspace.
Course Literature
Willis, Katie 2020 Theories and Practices of Development. London: Routledge Publishers.
Articles from electronic journals and encyclopaedias available through Leiden University’s digital library.