2022/23 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

PIED3205 Politics of Rural Transformation in Developing Countries

20 creditsClass Size: 20

Module manager: Dr Simon Manda
Email: S.Manda@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2022/23

Module replaces

PIED 3202 Land, Fuel and Agriculture

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module explores the politics of rural transformation in developing countries in the context of global development. The module goes to the heart of the contemporary development debate: what does development mean in the 21st century? What are the implications of this meaning on rural geographies? What is rural? Where is rural? Why does it matter to talk about rural transformation in international development? Throughout this module, students will have an opportunity to addressing these questions drawing upon a variety of case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Some of this relates to the inter-connectedness of international development interventions with national and rural transformations in the Global South. Students will examine different forms of interventions such as in land and agriculture and their implications on rural transformation. More broadly, students will reflect on differences in power, inequalities and levels of material development between different rural worlds and what these mean for international development efforts. The role and importance of state and NGO actors in rural communities will be explored including the efficacy of current approaches to rural transformation, alongside debates and controversies surrounding international efforts.

Objectives

This module allows students to explore and understand factors that shape rural transformation in developing countries and outcomes by placing these in the wider context of global development. The module covers elements at the heart of the contemporary development debate in the global south, asking why these matter in international development. By drawing upon a variety of case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America, the module aims to orient students to the inter-connectedness of international development efforts with national and rural transformations in the global south. Students will examine the role and importance of state and non-state actors in rural communities, including the efficacy of their approaches to rural transformation, alongside debates and controversies surrounding international efforts.

Learning outcomes
1. Critically evaluate political, social and economic elements that shape rural transformation in developing countries

2. Appreciate debates about international development initiatives and impacts on developing countries

3. Conduct critical reviews on specific elements that shape rural transformation in developing countries and their relations to global development

Syllabus

1. Developing Countries and Rural Economies
2. State Politics and Rural Interventions
3. International Perspectives on Extractives and Development
4. Artisanal, small-scale mining: struggles in the enclaves and contested Markets
5. NGOs and Rural Transformation
6. Agribusinesses, Value Chains and Rural Dynamics
7. Global Land Grabs and Implications for Rural Transformation
8. Land Reform and Social Transformation
9. Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Rural Transformation

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	11	1.00	11.00
Private study hours			178.00
Total Contact hours			22.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Private study and independent learning time should be used by the students to prepare for their seminars and work on their assessment. This will involve the students reading the required material before their seminars, allowing them to meaningfully contribute to seminar discussions and debates. For assessments, students will be required to read appropriate material, work on planning their research report and then writing and submitting their research report.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Feedback on annotated bibliography and project title: 1 X 800 words (due in week 6)

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	1 x 4000 Word Research Report	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 29/04/2022 15:29:44

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