Understanding global development

Overview

The new geographies and dynamics of prosperity, poverty and inequality are generating difficult questions for development activists, practitioners and researchers around the world. How do we secure the social and economic wellbeing of the many and not just the few? Can we continue to pursue economic growth while sustaining the environmental resources on which we depend? Does technological innovation present us with opportunities to live in more socially and environmentally sustainable ways? Addressing questions such as these requires advanced understanding, innovative ideas and critical thinking. If you want to build these capacities, then this module is for you.

You’ll be able to reflect critically on dominant approaches to development and explore development alternatives, enhancing your capacities to negotiate development effectively and work towards more socially and environmentally sustainable futures.

Support from your tutor

This Understanding global development module at The Open University UK provides the support and guidance needed for distance learning, working at a postgraduate level, potentially for the first time, and the academic skills to enable you to progress through this module. You will be a member of a tutor group and have a tutor who will work with you and your group while completing the module. There will be a number of ways that you and your tutor can stay in touch: by email, phone and through the tutor group forum.

The tutor group forum also gives you an opportunity to meet the other students in your group and a space in which you can discuss key issues arising from the module. Your tutor may also flag up issues to the whole group – whether about module content or points of information about the study process. Your tutor will also organise online tutorials. You will receive communications about the schedule for these from your tutor or OU regional office. Finally, the tutor will mark your assignments and give feedback on them.