Module Code and Title:        ASC302 Anthropology of Development

Programme:                         BA in Anthropology

Credit:                                  12

Module Tutor:                     New Tutor #3

General objective: This module engages the anthropology of development, which refers to the application of anthropological approaches, methods and theories to the critical study of development. This module discusses ethnographic insights related to this field from various parts of the world and evaluates them in the light of broader development theories, policies, and practices. This module further explores the contributions of Anthropology to contemporary development debates, for instance, on the invention of poverty, scientific and indigenous knowledge, natural resources, and the aid industry itself.

Learning outcomes – On completion of this module, students will be able to:

1. Examine the history of “development” as both paradigm and practice in today’s globalized world.
2. Evaluate the major anthropological theories of development.
3. Discuss contemporary critiques of global development.
4. Critically evaluate development indicators such as life-expectancy, education, and GDP.
5. Evaluate the paradigms of ‘development alternatives’ and ‘alternatives to development’.

6. Critically engage with contemporary development debates.
7. Discuss the relevance to development debates to contemporary Bhutan in relation to GNH.
8. Analyse the roles anthropologists might play in assisting with more beneficial forms of development.
9. Assess the complex relationship between culture and development.
10. Discuss the relationship between development and gender.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

Assessment Approach:

A. Critical Essay : Portion of Final Marks: 10%

Students are required to individually write a critical essay about one of the development theories discussed in class lectures. The essay will describe the selected theory (demonstrating that they have understood it) and then provide a thorough analysis of the theory, for example looking at real world implications or offering a moral or economic critique. The essay will be 600-800 words in length.

1%       Proposal (topic, structure, references)

6%       Quality of content and analysis (includes fulfilling all the expected criteria for content, use of relevant and adequate support for all claims made, quality & relevance of selected examples, ties analysis to relevant module concepts)

1%       Language

1%       Organization

1%       References

B. Application Essay: Portion of Final Marks: 10%

Students are required to concentrate on one of the development debates (for example issues around measuring development) and analyse its relevance and application within the context of Bhutan. The essay will be 750-1000 words in length.

2%       Proposal outlining the selected topic and proposed argument

3%       Quality of content and argument (includes well stated and original analysis, use of relevant and adequate support for all claims made, ties analysis to relevant module concepts)

4%       Quality of application to Bhutanese context

1%       Language, Organization & References

C. Response paper. Portion of final mark: 10%

A documentary pertaining to a contemporary development issue will be shown in class as well as made available to the students via the Cloud. Students are expected to analyse the documentary and individually write a critical response paper on the development issues that figures in the documentary. This response paper will be 600-800 words in length

3%       Summary of the documentary’s main argument (accuracy and completeness)

5%       Quality of analysis (includes well stated and original analysis, uses relevant and adequate support for all claims made, ties analysis to relevant module concepts)

1%       Organization

1%       Language and Referencing

D. Group Presentation: Portion of Final Mark: 10%

Students will be divided into small groups. Each group will be given the task to elaborate and present on a topic discussed in class. Students are required to discuss its theoretical underpinnings, use ethnographic examples, and examine its relevance to the Bhutanese context. This presentation will be 10-15 minutes long.

6%       Content (including the use of sources / perspectives not discussed in class, how well does the presentation address specified criteria, quality of overall narrative, all claims relevant and supported)

1%       Organization and structure; Language use

1%       Delivery (volume, pace, efforts to engage audience)

1%       Time management and Quality of teamwork

1%       Individual contribution (process)

E. Class participation and preparedness: Portion of Final Mark: 5%

Students will be expected to participate substantially in class discussions, with contributions reflecting adequate preparation for topics under discussion. 5% of class participation and preparedness will be assessed before midterm, and the remaining 5% post midterm. The response paper will be marked with the following overall rubric:

F. Midterm Examination: Portion of Final Mark: 15%

Students will take a written exam of 1.5 hr duration covering topics up to the mid-point of the semester.

Pre-requisites: AFD101 Introduction to Anthropology

Subject matter:

1. Unit I: Defining Development
   • Definitions and meanings of development: key terms, key trends
   • Overview of origins and history of development
   • The making of the Third World (Escobar)
2. Unit II: Theories of Development
   • Basics of modernization theory: definition, key terms and examples
   • Approaches and examples of Marxism, dependency and world-system theory
   • Anthropological approaches to poverty and deprivation: key concerns and examples
   • Human Development Index: education, lifespan, and per capita income
3. Unit III: Development Debates
   • Development from ‘above’ versus ‘below’
   • Indigenous views on development versus mainstream views
   • GDP versus GNH: definitions and key terms
   • Growth versus distribution: definitions and key terms
   • Ecology and the limits to growth
   • Debates about gender and development : key trend, examples
4. Unit IV: Development Institutions and Politics
   • What is the relationships between politics, policies, and practices of development (e.g. Ferguson, Mosse, Gupta)
   • Definitions and examples of international organizations and NGOs
   • How development can lead to conflict
   • How development can cause displacement
5. Unit V: Development Critiques
   • Anthropological critiques of development
   • Debates about development alternatives
   • Debates about alternatives to development

Reading List:

1. Essential Reading

• Ferguson, J. (1994). The anti-politics machine: Development, depoliticization, and bureaucratic power in Lesotho. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.
• Ura, K. (2005). The Bhutanese development story. Thimphu: Centre for Bhutan Studies.
• Ura, K., Zangmo, A.S., & Wangdi, K. (2012). A short guide to Gross National Happiness. Thimphu: Centre for Bhutan Studies.

1. Additional Reading

• Edelman, M., & Haugerud, A. (Eds.). (2005). The anthropology of development and globalization. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
• Escobar, A. (1995). Encountering development: The making and unmaking of the third world. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Farmer, P. (2005). Pathologies of power: health, human rights and the new war on the poor. Berkeley: University of California Press.
• Gupta, A. (2012). Red tape: Bureaucracy, Structural Violence, and Poverty in India. Durham: Duke University Press.
• Gupta, A. (1998). Postcolonial developments: Agriculture in the making of modern India. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
• Li, T. M. (2007). The will to improve: Governmentality, development, and the practice of politics. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
• Mosse, D. (2004). Cultivating development: An ethnography of aid policy and practice. London: Pluto Press.
• Rata, E. (2002). The transformation of indigeneity, Review (Fernand Braudel Center), 25(2), 173-195.
• Sahlins, M. (2017). Stone age economics. London: Tavistock Publications.
• Shah, A. (2007). The dark side of indigeneity?: Indigenous people, rights and development in India. History Compass 5(6), 1806-1832.
• Thinley, J. (1999). Values and development: Gross National Happiness. In S. Kinga, K. Galay, P. Rabten, & A. Pain (Eds.), Gross National Happiness: A set of discussion papers (pp. 12-23). Thimphu: Centre for Bhutan Studies.
• Yeh, E. (2013). Taming Tibet: Landscape Transformation and the Gift of Chinese Developmen Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

Date: March 15, 2018