Brief Introduction
Gain insight into the different perspectives & trends facing development workers to lead more effectively across sectors & organizations.
Description
This course is part of the Leadership in Global Development MicroMasters program. In order to get the most out of this course, we recommend that you have experience working in the development sector or a strong interest in this area. We also recommend that you complete the other three courses that make up the Leadership in Global Development MicroMasters program: Leaders in Global Development, The Science and Practice of Sustainable Development, and Adaptive Leadership in Development.
There is a vast array of different arguments about what development is and how development can be achieved. A leader in development must be able to understand, appreciate, evaluate and broker between differing and sometimes conflicting perspectives and ideas.
In this course you will develop skills in critical thinking and analysis, while being introduced to some of the contemporary debates and current challenges facing development practice. The wide variety of topics covered will also give you a sense of the diversity of issues that development encapsulates. Learners are encouraged to reflect on their own ideas and practice, and share their perspectives with other learners and the course team.
Each module in the course focuses on a contemporary topic in the development field. Within each module you will engage with key readings that argue different perspectives on the same topic. Interviews with the author complement these readings. Some of the authors we interview include Philip McMichael (Cornell University), Doug Porter (Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University), Blessings Chinsinga (The University of Malawi), Naila Kabeer (London School of Economics and Political Science), and Rachel Glennerster, (The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, MIT).
Knowledge
- To identify the key arguments in academic papers
- • To identify different methodological and conceptual approaches to research
- • To compare and contrast different perspectives in development
- • To evaluate the merits of different arguments
- • To apply these different perspectives to practice and discuss their implications
- All graded assessment will be graded and have insightful feedback for learners to further refine their new knowledge and skills.
Indigenous Canada
- 4.8
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada....
Explorations in Confucian Philosophy
- 4.8
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Introduction: The World of Confucius Course Introduction Video Course Overview Connect With Us Your Instructor Code of Conduct Acknowledgements Part 1 - The World of Confucius...
Lactation Biology
- 4.9
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Lactation and especially milk, which is the product of that unique mammalian process, are routinely encountered within our daily lives. Course Orientation...
Ecosystem Services: a Method for Sustainable Development
- 4.7
-
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Ecosystem services are a way of thinking about – and evaluating – the goods and services provided by nature that contribute to the well-being of humans....
