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SP20298: Civil society and NGOs in the developing world

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2017/8
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: Department of Social & Policy Sciences
Further information on credits Credits: 6      [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Further information on notional study hours Notional Study Hours: 120
Further information on unit levels Level: Intermediate (FHEQ level 5)
Further information on teaching periods Period:
Semester 2
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Summary: ES 100%
Further information on unit assessment Assessment Detail:
  • 100% Essay (ES 100%)
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites:
Further information on descriptions Description: Aims:
The course aims to:
1. Examine current debates relating to NGOs' role in global politics, humanitarian interventions and peacebuilding and the future roles of NGOs.
2. Critically assess NGOs' relationships with a range of other actors including broader civil society, donors and state actors and to explore how these relationships influence NGOs' work.
3. Critically examine a range of theoretical approaches to the study of development NGOs.

Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students should have a critical understanding of:
* evolving debates on NGOs and development.
* the diverse roles played by contemporary development NGOs.
* the different types of NGOs engaged in contemporary development interventions and their relationships with a range of domestic and international actors.

Skills:
1. A capacity to identify, understand and critique a range of theoretical approaches for understanding contemporary development NGOs.
2. The ability to deploy a range of critical and mainstream academic and policy literature in constructing arguments.
3. The ability to relate the literature and policy debates to detailed NGO case studies.

Content:
The unit provides an introduction to the study of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their varied roles in development interventions and processes. As well as exploring diverse claims relating to local, national and international NGOs' capacity to 'make a difference', the unit engages with a critical literature that examines the broader social and political effects of NGOs and their work, including their role in emerging processes of global governance. The unit explores (a) the rapid expansion of development NGOs since the 1980s and a range of accounts and conceptualisations of this rise in the NGO literature, (b) NGOs' relationships with a range of other actors including broader civil society, donors and state actors and how these relationships influence NGOs' development work, (c) several current debates relating to NGOs' development roles and broader political effects including the rise of 'global civil society', NGOs' engagement in politics and human rights, NGOs' role as humanitarian actors, NGO peacebuilding and the role of faith-based and non-traditional NGOs in development. The unit will explore these debates by drawing on a number of case studies of international and national NGOs.
Indicative lecture outline:
* NGOs and development: overview and historical perspective
* Approaches to the study of NGOs
* NGO effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy
* NGOs, civil society and the state
* NGOs and the aid chain
* Faith-based and non-traditional NGOs
* NGOs and humanitarianism
* NGOs, politics and human rights
* NGOs, advocacy and global civil society
* NGOs, conflict and peacebuilding.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

SP20298 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Social & Policy Sciences
  • UHSP-AFB21 : BSc(Hons) International Development with Economics (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AKB21 : BSc(Hons) International Development with Economics with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AFB16 : BSc(Hons) Social Policy (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AKB16 : BSc(Hons) Social Policy with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AFB05 : BSc(Hons) Social Sciences (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AKB05 : BSc(Hons) Social Sciences with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AFB04 : BSc(Hons) Sociology (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AKB04 : BSc(Hons) Sociology with Year long work placement (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AFB10 : BSc(Hons) Sociology and Social Policy (Year 2)
  • UHSP-AKB10 : BSc(Hons) Sociology and Social Policy with Year long work placement (Year 2)

Notes: