Module Identifier IP10620  
Module Title INTRODUCTION TO THE THIRD WORLD IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS  
Academic Year 2002/2003  
Co-ordinator Dr Rita Abrahamsen  
Semester Semester 2  
Mutually Exclusive GW10620  
Course delivery Lecture   18 Hours (18 x 1 hour)  
  Seminars / Tutorials   8 Hours (8 x 1 hour)  
Assessment Semester Exam   2 Hours   70%  
  Semester Assessment   2,000 word essay   30%  
  Supplementary Exam   Students may, subject to Faculty approval, have the opportunity to resit this module, normally during the supplementary examination period. For further clarification please contact the Teaching Programme Administrator in the Department of International Politics.    

Learning outcomes

On completion of the modules, students will be able to::

- critically assess the usefulness of the term the Third World
- account for some of the ways in which North-South relations impact on Third World affairs
- outline and analyse the various impacts of colonialism
- account for some of the key political and economic challenges facing Third World societies
- critically discuss the meaning of development and explain some contemporary development challenges
- critically discuss the meaning of security in the Third World and explain some contemporary security challenges
- effectively deploy skills of: identification and location of appropriate sources; independent study; writing (essays and examinations); IT skills plus time-management.

10 ECTS credits

Brief description

This module provides an introduction to some of the key issues and debates relating to the Third World's position in international politics

Aims

This module aims to introduce students to some of the key issues and debates concerning the Third World's position in international politics, and to show how Third World countries are shaped by their interaction with the international system and vice-versa.

Content

The module is divided into five main sections, each section emphasizing the connectedness of the so-called First and Third World. The module begins with a discussion of the legacies of colonialism, one of the shared experiences of otherwise very diverse societies. The second section focuses on political challenges, like state building, military coups and democracy. The third section examines various development issues, like famine, gender and the environment, while the fourth section focuses on a series of economic challenges, including the debt crisis. The final section is devoted to security issues, and includes lectures on the specificity of third world security, arms proliferation and HIV/AIDS.

Transferable skills

Study skills will be taught to students by active participation in seminars, backed by a web-based curriculum on the Departmental intranet (Intranet Skills Resource). Four main topics will be covered: sources (printed and web-based); seminars and small group work; essays; examinations. The skills teaching will be practical and geared to the tasks which students encounter during their studies, and as such they will be linked into the module’s academic content and to student assessment. As such, seminar tutors will engage in skills teaching as and when appropriate to that particular group, rather than employing a rigid regime. Thus discussions about group work might take place early-on, discussion of sources might occur throughout the module while the topic of essay writing would take place closer to the deadline. The less structured approach to skills teaching will be backed up by the Intranet Skills Resource which will feature notes on various skills topics, a reading list plus links to other College resources (such as Information Services) and to pre-existing skills sites available on the web. It should be noted that the Department has tried many strategies to teach skills, but the results have been disappointing, and it is hoped that incorporating these into the student’s daily academic routine will prove effective.

Students will have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of transferable skills which will help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas. Throughout the course, students should practice and enhance their reading, comprehension and thinking skills, as well as basic numeracy skills and self management skills. In lectures students will develop listening and note taking skills, as well as analytical skills. In seminars students will enhance their analytical skills and will practice listening, explaining and debating skills, as well as team work and problem solving. Essay writing will encourage students to practice their independent research, writing and IT skills, and the examination will test these skills under time constraint conditions.