Course content - Learning outcome - Admission - Prerequisites - Teaching - Examination - Evaluation

Course content

The course discusses fundamental development concepts, and conveys empirical knowledge of global poverty and inequality. Major issues are economic and social gaps between North and South, and development trends that differentiate the world. The concept of poverty is discussed, and methods of measurement presented. Furthermore, theories that provide different perspectives on the causes of poverty and inequality are discussed. Other major development themes include among others globalization, governance, population, urbanization, gender and food security.

Learning outcome

The students will gain knowledge about poverty and inequality trends in the world today. They will become familiar with concepts, theories and strategies of development. Moreover, they will achieve skills in analyzing development problems in different context in the South as well as competence in identifying the impact of regional and global processes on people’s lives in specific places. The awareness of the importance of a spatial perspective on development problems and processes will enable the students to contribute to finding solutions poverty.

Knowledge

The course provides students with an overview of the major development problems in the South. The theories that explain these problems will be discussed critically giving the students different perspectives on local to global processes and their interconnections.

You should have obtained:

• An understanding of poverty, inequality and other major development issues in the South.
• A familiarity with development theories.
• An insight into the complexities of improving people’s living conditions in the South.

Skills

The course seeks to give the students an ability to discuss critically development concepts, theories and strategies. The goal is that the students should become aware of the importance of spatial differences and spatial processes, and thus to be able to conduct analyses on different geographical levels as well as identifying linkages between these levels.

You should be able to:

• Explain competing development concepts, theories and strategies.
• Think critically about development texts.
• Assess the reliability and validity of empirical information, and evaluate the theoretical relevance of such information.

Competences

The course trains the students in thinking critically about one of the most important issues in the world today. Poverty and inequality both in the South and globally will have a decisive impact on the future of the world. The students’ knowledge of and ability to analyze development problems are thus an essential basis for finding solutions to poverty.

You should have gained:

• A critical attitude towards information about and solutions to poverty and other development problems.
• An ability to analyze empirical data on poverty, inequality and other development issues in a theoretical perspective.
• An understanding of how different factors and processes in different contexts may be more or less important in explaining poverty.

Admission

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Students who are admitted to study programmes or individual courses at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in StudentWeb

Admission to this course is done on the basis of specific rules. For further information, please read: Rangeringsregler ved SV-fakultetet.

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You may apply to sit for the exam(s) in this course as a private candidate. As a private candidate you take the same exam as the rest of the students on this course.

Prerequisites

Formal prerequisite knowledge

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No obligatory prerequisites beyond the minimum requirements for entrance to higher education in Norway.

Recommended previous knowledge

SGO1001 - Innføring i Samfunnsgeografi

Teaching

Teaching is comprised of a combination of lectures and seminars throughout the semester. Seminars are dependant on active student participation, and you are expected to participate in all the seminars. It is especially important that all students attend the first seminar session. It is compulsory to give one oral presentation in groups in the seminar. Completed and approved compulsory course work is valid until the course is no longer offered. Students who have failed to complete the compulsory course work cannot take the exam.

This course will be taught at The University of Oslo, Blindern campus. Other location in Oslo may be used.

The lectures and seminars will be given in English. The course is designed for both Norwegian students and students on exchange programmes or bilateral agreements.

The course is part of the regular course provision at The Faculty of Social Science. Teaching is mainly held during daytime.

Application for change of seminar group

Access to teaching

A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.

Examination

The Faculty of Social Science is responsible for the exam(s), and exam(s) are/is normally held at The University of Oslo, Blindern campus. Other locations in Oslo may be used.

A 4-hour school exam will count 100% of the grade.

Previous exam texts

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

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The school exam will be given in English only.
The students can choose whether they will answer the exam questions in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

Examination results are available in StudentWeb no later than three weeks after the date of the examination, provided no other information is given on the web page for the current semester.

Explanations and appeals

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Explanations & appeals at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography

Resit an examination

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Withdrawal from an examination

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Special examination arrangements

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If you wish to use a dictionary during the exam, the dictionary has to be checked. Please hand it in to the exam advisor 3 work days prior to exam.

Application forms for special examination arrangements on school-exams should be sent to The Faculty of Social Science. Applications for special examination arrangements on other exams should be sent to the Department which organizes the course.

Evaluation

Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.