Time Schedule:
Mary Kay Gugerty
SIS 590
Seattle Campus
Seminar. Course content varies. Offered occasionally by visiting or resident faculty.
Class description
The graduate class investigates the political economy of development in sub-Saharan Africa. The focus is on understanding various theories about the underlying causes of current African development challenges and on analyzing and evaluating various proposals and policies to addressing these challenges. The course begins with readings on theories of African underdevelopment and then turns each week to explanations for current challenges, including: colonialism, ethnicity, natural resource dependency, land tenure and property rights, and aid. Each week we begin with a discussion of theory and empirical evidence, then turn to the evaluation of current policy proposals and development initiatives. The class will be primarily discussion-based, but we will also make use of instructor and outsider lectures, presentations by students and case teaching methods.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
