240065 KU GM3 - Development Theories and Paradigms from a Transdisciplinary Perspective (2019S)

The course introduces a selection of theoretical and conceptual perspectives in development and migration studies. Both are relatively recent scientific disciplines, dealing with interconnected aspects of social and spatial mobility, inequality, and difference. The aim of the selected works and introduced concepts is to attend to these interconnection and linkages and their relevance in migration and development studies from political, historical, sociological and cultural perspective. The reading of classical economy and early socialist utopias as well as authors pointing towards fractions and tensions of modernity introduces the origins of social thought, with a focus on their relevance today. The birth of development, and later migration studies in the ‘golden age’ of social science was shaped by the Cold War and strong nationalism. With modernisation, world-system and dependency theories on the one hand, and industrialisation, dual market and rural-urban dichotomies on the other, both disciplines started off with a strong economic leaning and a (neo)classical bias. Subsequently, conceptual discussions on the relationality of identity, difference and inequality push the postmodern turn and problematise the deterministic and linear thinking in both, development and migration studies. The course provides space to discuss how cultural studies, feminist, post and decolonial authors challenge established scientific paradigms and enhance conceptual depth in development and migration studies.

The course aims at a critical reflection of central concepts of migration and development and an understanding of the main paradigms. Their historical and societal aspects will be explored and discussed through a contextualised reading. This course combines theoretical and conceptual content as well as practical aspects of scientific inquiry and writing. The course is based on a continual assessment, thus an ongoing participation, development of research skills and communication of acquired knowledge are required:
- Along different criteria (central concepts and arguments, structure, historicity of the text) students will obtain a hermeutically oriented understanding of the literature;
- Various didactic approaches – individual and group assignment – provide the students with skills in systematic literature research, presentation and communication of findings, developing their own arguments;
- Writing a term paper provides the students with competencies in developing a research interest and respective argumentation;