Tags
GC
Admissions requirements
By application only.
Please note: Students must submit an application in order to be considered for admission. This application should comprise a brief statement (no more than 300 words) explaining:
1) their personal motivations for wishing to take this class, and
2) how this course would complement their study plan.
In addition, students should also include a list of courses they have completed which they feel might prepare them well for this course. Selection will be based on the strength of students’ motivations and with an eye towards achieving in the classroom between students with different kinds of expertise.
Applications should be sent to globalclassroomluc@gmail.com. The deadline for the application is 1 January 2018, 23.59 hrs.
Description
Solutions to today’s global development challenges are often pursued in the context of inter-disciplinary and multi-institutional collaborations. Such collaborative ventures typically rely on online communication and learning technologies. This project-based course “Doing Development: Collaborative Pursuits in Development Design and Implementation” will prepare you for such development realities.
In this course, you will work in teams and be challenged to build expertise around a specific problem that has been sourced from a number of participating development clients. These clients may include CBO's/NGO's, private development firms, multi-lateral development organizations, and/or government agencies.
Each team’s goal is to design a solution--a development project--to address the client’s problem while simultaneously exploring critically the process by which doing development within the international development industry unfolds. Students will be guided through a typical development project cycle, from problem identification through project design and implementation.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Demonstrate a working understanding of the key steps involved in designing and implementing projects within the international development industry.
Analyze development problems through lenses including the economy; society, culture, and religion; politics, governance, and human rights; local, national, and global institutions; and associated principles, norms, and ethics.
Research, analyze and identify innovative solutions for key development challenges that take into account the imperatives of cultural freedom, human rights, and individual empowerment alongside feasibility, efficiency, and sustainability.
Collaborate with clients and stakeholders through online learning and communication technology.
Arrive at informed solutions by means of an iterative process of proposing ideas and strategies, receiving feedback from diverse sources, reflecting on and incorporating this feedback, and learning from experimentation.
Effectively communicate the devised solution through industry specific deliverables, and orally present the proposal to outside stakeholders not directly affiliated with the class.
Formulate an implementation strategy by exploring different ways to validate plans, build implementation teams, and budget and finance projects.
Critically reflect on the different ways of assessing the efficacy of development solutions.
Timetable
Tuesday: 15:00-16:50
Friday: 13:00-14:50
Mode of instruction
This course will be team taught by Caroline Archambault and David Ehrhardt. Class sessions will include instructor lectures with skill building exercises, discussions of readings, peer-to-peer feedback on project ideas, and, when possible, discussions with and presentations by clients or outside experts.
This course requires students to work in groups.
Assessment
Class Participation: 15%
Project Design Exercises: 30%
Research Brief: 20%
Proposal Pitch & Concept Note: 20%
Final Paper: 15%
Blackboard
There will be a Blackboard site available for this course. Students will be enrolled at least one week before the start of classes.
Reading list
All readings will be provided digitally. Weekly reading assignments should be completed for the first meeting of each week.
Registration
This course is open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Registration is coordinated by the Curriculum Coordinator. Interested non-LUC students should contact "course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl":mailto:course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Caroline Archambault and David Ehrhardt:
globalclassroomluc@gmail.com
Remarks
This course will rely on students having reliable access to a personal laptop.