DEVELOPMENT FROM IDEA TO POLICY
“Regarding the course content, as the title suggests, this is a course about development in general, not just about economic development.  Students can expect discussions to include other forms of development that are not strictly economic, such as social and human development.  Importantly, I must point out that this is a theory-oriented course.  Meaning, instead of approaching development from the empirical perspectives, this course engages development more from the theoretical perspectives.  Of course, there will be the employment of empirical research findings in order to support a theoretical point.  But the key focus still is the theoretical investigation into the theories of and issues in development.  For instance, there will be discussions of various theories of development, and how some dominant political ideologies and economic beliefs shape the prevailing approaches to development.

Regarding the instructor and his pedagogical style, Professor On expects his students to be self-directed and independent in their learning.  There are two important aspects of this.  First, students are expected to do the assigned readings carefully and thoroughly, and bring questions and issues to discuss and debate in class.  There will be very little, if any, lecturing done by the instructor.  Second, students are encouraged to participate in the shaping of the syllabus.  Professor On is more than willing to make alterations to the syllabus as the semester proceeds so as to better accommodate the intellectual interests of the students.  For example, if, along the way, a student discovers that s/he wants to better understand how human rights discourses shape the approaches to development, s/he can bring this up to Professor On, asking for a couple of weeks’ focus on this issue.  Another example would be, if a student finds a better article to read for a particular topic of the week, s/he can bring this article to the attention of Professor On and recommend that this article be included in the syllabus.

In summary, this course will be of interest to any student who are, firstly, keen on a theoretical investigation into issues of development, and secondly, self-directed learners.”

Introduction: No prior knowledge of development studies is necessary. This seminar introduces to students the concept of development from multiple perspectives, including but not limited to historical, philosophical, political, empirical, and public policy. By way of evaluating oft-cited statements on development within the past 10 years, and paying particular attentions to the latest publications of the last few years, students will be equipped to conduct their own research inquiries on a wide-ranging set of issues, questions, topics, and cases falling under the general description of development. For example, some students may wish to interrogate the interrelationship between economic development and climate change, between development and gender equality in Taiwan, across Southeast Asia, and indeed around the world.