Honours in Development Studies

A leading inter-disciplinary post graduate programme in development studies is currently on offer. The programme is social sciences orientated and specializes in health, labour, gender and rural development. Development Studies is a field of academic enquiry in which we explore debates, experiences and practical ways of achieving an improvement in the human condition and an enlargement of people’s choices. The programme is appropriate for students keen to pursue a career in policy research and in the local and international development organizations.

Students will be able to draw upon a vast range of local and international academic expertise in a range of disciplines within the School of Social Sciences and in Economics as they critically engage in current local, national and international debates in Development Studies while promoting professional skills in these fields. Students with a good undergraduate degree of 70% average or above, in any of the Social or Economic sciences, will be considered for admission into this programme. Students with an undergraduate training in other subjects will be considered through a special admissions process. Students with practical experience in the world of development will be especially welcome.

Application Details for 2012 – Honours Degree

The closing date for receipt of applications to study in February 2012 is the 30^th September 2011 for International students, and 30^th November 2011 for South African students.

This course will be offered over ONE YEAR full time or TWO YEARS part time. The Honours programme provides a foundation for, and leads directly into the Masters. This course is not offered by distance learning or by correspondence. You will need a 70% average undergraduate degree to qualify for admission.

Students can submit their applications online by logging on to https://my.wits.ac.za or download and print out the PDF version from:  http://www.wits.ac.za/Prospective/Postgraduate/. Hard copies should be submitted to the: Postgraduate Student Enrolment Centre Helpdesk, Senate House, Ground Floor or post it to:  Postgraduate Student Enrolment Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 4, P O Wits, 2050, South Africa

The following should be submitted with the application form:

• your CV;
• certified copies of your complete academic transcript (in English);
• a letter of motivation as to why you wish to pursue this line of study (500 words)
• If you come from another University you will need to submit a piece of your written work (writing sample)
• Certificate of Evaluation from SAQA (South African Qualification Authority) www.saqa.org.za for more details on how to apply (for international qualifications)
• In terms of the University rules, an applicant who has not used English in his/her academic education up to this point will be required to supply proof of proficiency in English at the time of application. A British Council test is recommended and they can be contacted at (011) 718 4300 or email IELTS@britishcouncil.org.za. 
• Application Fee of R200.00 also required.

Times of classes will depend on which courses you choose and this information will be available from that particular Department.

Structure of the Honours degree

Students are required to complete FIVE courses:

Course 1: Compulsory Theory course
Course 2: Compulsory Economics course
Course 3: Compulsory Methods course
Courses 4 and 5: Choice of two optional courses from those listed under “Options and Specialisation” below.

The marks for each course will count 100%.

Students are required to pass all five courses in order to be awarded the degree.

Compulsory courses:

Compulsory Course ONE: Theory

Students may choose which Theory course they wish to do.

They can choose from  
EITHER:

POLS 4012: Development Theories, Issues, Problems and Strategies
(Dr Stephen Louw, 717-4368; and Dr Estienne Rodary, 717-4333)

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the major social, economic and political assumptions underpinning ‘development studies’, and, most importantly, to the strategies that might best be adopted to ‘promote’ or ‘manage’ development.

In this way, the ‘problem of development’ in three loosely defined and inter-connected areas of social life – the market, the state, and the community – is placed into sharper relief.

Topics covered include the meaning and future of ‘development’; the impact of globalisation on development; the meaning of ‘participation’; Aid, Incentives and Development; Debates on market intervention; Privatisation and development; Managing the informal sector and Agencies and institutions in development.

OR:

SOCL 4009: Development as Ideology and Practice
(Roger Southall 717 4451 and Rajohane Matshedisho 717 4443)

The last forty years have been described as "the age of development", but traditional development has perpetuated inequality through its emphasis on market-oriented, technology-based, resource intensive and undemocratic development strategies. Third World development strategies have largely been imposed from above and have failed to improve the quality of life of the majority. These have unfolded in a context of deteriorating macro-economic conditions, declining productivity and infrastructure, a rapid regression in social welfare provisioning and degeneration of the physical environment. The failure of development has led to a radical critique of the discourse of development, which has been accompanied by an increasing acceptance of the shortcomings of top‑down processes. This has given way to various alternative ideologies of development, where concepts like "participation" and "empowerment" have achieved the status of buzzwords. These concepts, however, crucial as they are to an alternative development practice, have often become rhetorical mechanisms for legitimising development processes that in essence remain top-down and undemocratic.  The course will address development ideology and practice as an historical process of the transformation of social structures and relations through the interventions of states, governments, markets and social movements. It will critically examine theories and explanations of development and underdevelopment, as well as the practice of development. There are many lessons for South Africa from elsewhere in the third world as it attempts to implement the Reconstruction and Development Programme. In this light, alternative conceptions of development will be explored, with an emphasis on the role of democratic public action, participation and empowerment.

Compulsory Course TWO: Economics

Note: Students who have not taken previous Economics courses will be assigned additional work to ensure that they are able to cope with the material covered. Please consult the lecturer about this.

ECON 4052: Economic Change and Comparative Development
(Prof Stefan Schirmer, 717-8144)

This course tackles two of the biggest, and most contested, questions frequently asked by economists:

•             What determines economic change?
•             Why have some regions/countries grown faster than others?

We tackle these questions by moving beyond the bounds of traditional economics. According to Joseph Schumpeter, this places us within a tradition that regards many mainstream approaches within economics as useful for specific goals but limited in that they ‘hang too much in the air.’ According to Schumpeter a ‘sensible analysis of given situations in any economy’ must make reference to ‘the historico-political framework’ in which they take place. To achieve this, students need to engage with the discipline of economic history. The core aim of the course is therefore to provide students with training in the methods and debates within economic history and to introduce students to some of the current hot topics in the field. Within this frame we examine case studies of economic change and critically review various experiences of comparative economic change that occurred in the past. 

Compulsory Course THREE: Methods

SOSS 4008: Advanced Social Research
(Prof Ran Greenstein 717 4455 and D Dickinson 717 4438)

The course will examine the foundations of social research, and its underlying assumptions and methodologies. It will combine theoretical discussions with the practical application of various research tools.   Students will be expected to gain an understanding of theoretical issues together with an ability to choose and use different methods and research designs in an applied context. By the end of the course successful students will have built their capacity to design and execute research in academic and applied settings.

Optional Courses

You should take TWO of the courses listed under “Options and Specialisation” below. Your Optional Courses each count for 100% of the final mark.

• NOTE: Many optional courses are offered at both the Honours and the MA levels. In these cases students will sit in the same class, but requirements of the course will differ depending on the level at which it is taken. (Note: Course Codes starting with a 4 are Honours level courses. Course Codes starting with a 5 are Masters level courses.)

Special permission may be given by the Co-ordinators for Honours students to take any of a range of courses in the schools of Geography and Environmental Studies, Public and Development Management and Town and Regional Planning, already on offer to Development Studies Masters Students.

Optional Courses

 Please note:

• Students should choose their optional courses according to the kinds of issues they wish to cover in their Research Reports
• Many optional courses are offered at both the Honours and the MA levels. Students will sit in the same class, but requirements of the course will differ depending on the level at which it is taken
• NB: If you have taken a course at Honours level you may not take it again at the MA level

Optional Courses in Detail

Theme:  Development and the Environment

GEOG 4022/7025: Environmental Management (First Semester)
(Dr Coleen Vogel, 717 6510

This course comprises two components. A theoretical component covers recent evaluations and re‑evaluations of relevant environmental issues such as land degradation, hazard research and impacts, and extreme climate events. The second component includes practical applications such as Environment Impact Assessment, Risk Analysis, Management and Applications and Integrated Environment Management within the local context.

Theme:  Development Approaches, Methods and Philosophies

Development Studies is a sophisticated intellectual field of study and these courses address the core theoretical approaches, debates and controversies that have shaped development practice in recent years.  They include:

POLS 4012/7006: Development Theories, Issues, Problems and Strategies (Second Semester)
(Dr Stephen Louw, 717-4368; and Dr Estienne Rodary, 717-4333)

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the major social, economic and political assumptions underpinning ‘development studies’, and, most importantly, to the strategies that might best be adopted to ‘promote’ or ‘manage’ development.

In this way, the ‘problem of development’ in three loosely defined and inter-connected areas of social life – the market, the state, and the community – is placed into sharper relief.

POLS 4037/7043: Debates in feminism, politics and society (First Semester)
(Dr Shireen Hassim, 717 4364)

This course considers a wide range of debates on the relationship between gendered identities and society, and the political consequences thereof.

ANTH 4018/7020: South African Theory and Ethnography (Second Semester)
(Prof David Coplan)

This Honours course in South African Ethnography addresses the most significant authors, issues, debates, intellectual moments, and classic works in the discipline in this country.  The idea is to expose students, as prospective anthropologists, to major works by some of our most successful and distinguished authors in the South African field.  The course will take the form of a reading group. At each seminar, one student will be asked to lead the rest in discussing the work, and that student will also produce a critical essay on the work and its place and significance in South African anthropology.  Each student should plan on addressing one seminar in this way, taking responsibility for seminar leadership and writing a summary essay on the work as a whole to complete the graded assignment.  

SOCL 4030/7039:  Social Transitions (Second Semester)
(Dr Shireen Ally 717 4434)

The course examines the concept of social transition through close study of a number of key texts in historically-based sociology.  The central question is: can we give a coherent account of where the social formation of capitalist modernity came from and where it is going?

Modernity and post-modernity; colonialism and the postcolonial; nation-state and globalization; market society and the myth of economic humanity; are some of the key issues explored.  The course explores post-structuralist challenges to Historical Sociology, but does ultimately base itself on the viability of trying to make sense of social change.  The course aims to provide a conceptual and historical framework for thinking about just what it is that we mean by 'transition' which will assist you in dealing with your later specialization.  Authors discussed in the course include David Harvey, Marshall Berman, Edward Said, Michel Foucault, Paul Gilroy, Derek Sayer, Karl Polanyi and Eric Hobsbawm.

SOCL 4009/7009: Development as Ideology and Practice (Second Semester)
(Prof Roger Southall 717 4451 and Dr Rajohane Matshedisho 717 4434)

What is “development”?  The course will explore the different meanings of the term, review the theoretical debates on “development,” and examine elements of the policy and practice of “development.”

The debate on “development” is renewing in its intensity after being somewhat moribund for a number of years. Part of the problem arose from a general crisis of “development theory” in the late 1980s. None of the main “development” models seemed to provide convincing analyses of the political economies of the “third world” at the time. Models of State-led “development” – whether Keynesianism in the First World, central planning on the Second World, or “developmentalism” in the “third world” – seemed viable.

For some, “development” itself became seen as the problem. For the post-development school, influenced by post-modern relativism, the very notion of “development” was rejected as destructive and oppressive. This assumed, of course, that “development” was a meaningful and distinct project in the first place. Not unrelated to the crisis in theory, a hegemonic policy model emerged around this time, an approach that was presented as self-evidently correct and commonsense, and as a “technical” solution, rather than a “theoretical” position. This was neo-liberalism, a model that rapidly captured the debate on “development.”

The social inequities and mixed track record of neo-liberalism have, however, led to a resurgence of debate on “development” questions, and played an important part in the emergence of the field of “development studies” in the 1990s. This shift reflects the concerns of both the supporters and the opponents of neo-liberalism. For the former, there has been a growing interest in the economic and social prerequisites for market-led economic growth; for the latter, there has been a growing interest in analysing the limitations of – and developing alternatives to - the neo-liberal “development” model.

The course will track the trajectories of the successive “development” models, looking at their origins, influence, and strengths and weaknesses, and the manner in which “development” is imagined. Theoretical models have real implications, and the course will therefore also examine specific areas of “development” policy and practice. Case studies of particular “development” sectors will provide something of a picture of “development” in operation, and provide students with insights into “development” work. Where possible case studies will be linked to issues of contemporary concern.

SOCL 4014/7010: Economic Sociology: Institutions, Capitalism and Markets (Second Semester)
(Dr Lucien van der Walt, 717-4441)

This course will introduce students to the main paradigms that shape modern economic policy debates and positions. Not an economics course, it will, nonetheless, provide post-graduate students in the social sciences with a solid grounding in economic and social theory in a manner that will enable effective policy advocacy and critique. Sophisticated theoretical discussion, plus detailed reading, plus policy analysis, forms the core of the course, which is designed to give students an in-depth understanding of the capitalist system, and its limitations. This course does not require any prior knowledge of economics or economic theory.

Without understanding the larger models that frame discussion and debate, it is impossible to develop an effective grasp of quite elementary questions relating to economic and social justice; trapped within our assumptions, we struggle to develop critical thinking and analysis. Regardless of whether one opposes (or supports) the capitalist system, one will be in a position to argue one's position, understand its political implications and its applicability to real-world policy issues, and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of alternative assessments. The four main paradigms that will be dealt with are, respectively, economic liberalism, Keynesianism, Marxism and anarchism.

In addition, students will give close readings to key macro-economic policy documents drawn from the local context, and learn how to read and assess such papers. The aim of this reading is partly practical: first, to introduce students to macro-economic policy documents of decisive importance – decisive, at the very least, as statements of orientation by particular class forces; second, to apply knowledge from the four main texts to the analysis of these documents, developing understanding of the paradigms informing policies and learning to read and assess policy papers; and, third, to equip students for policy work. Equally importantly, this reading introduces students to the synergies of theory and practice: that is, to the practical applications and political implications of different economic paradigms.

ECON4053 : Trade and Finance in Economic Development
(Dr. Nicolas Pons-Vignon 717 8096)

An overview of the working of, and debates about, international trade and finance and how these impact on economic development with particular reference to South Africa are presented. The course will comprise two blocks of teaching:

1. Trade Policy Debates which includes trade theory, trade patterns, as well as the implication of WTO and other trade agreements for economic policy
2. Finance and Development which includes theories of finance, sources of finance for development, the evolution of the international financial system, and the effect of finance and financialisation on development prospects with specific reference to South Africa.

NB:  This course does not require quantitative skills so it is suitable for Social Science students

Theme:  Health and Development

In the developing world the impact of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and cholera is profound.  The interaction between development and disease is studied in social and historical context in courses such as:

SOCL 7042: The Sociology of Health & Illness (First Semester)
(Prof Leah Gilbert 717 4429)

An increasing recognition that professional other than medical practitioners need to play a more significant role in formal and informal health care structures has contributed to the growing demand for experts in the Sociology of health and Illness. This course aims to fill in the gap in the training of such experts by providing a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the core concepts and current debates in the Sociology of Health & Illness.  It focuses on the theoretical as well as the practical aspects in both the global and the South African contexts.

The Origins and Development of the Sociology of Health & Illness

• Health, Medicine and Society - Key Theories
• Power, Medicine and Social Control
• A Sociological Perspective of Health, Illness, Disease and Sickness
• ‘Lay’ perspectives, beliefs and knowledge
• Culture and Health - Medical Pluralism
• Contemporary Health Inequalities
• Gender & Health
• ‘Social Capital’, Social Networks & Health
• Life-style and Risk - The Sociology of Health Promotion
• The Sociology of Chronic Illness and Disability
• Death & Dying

SOSS 7017: HIV/AIDS in Context (Second Semester) 
(Prof Leah Gilbert 717 4429)

This is an inter-disciplinary course that examines the sociological, historical and anthropological questions relevant to HIV/AIDS as a global pandemic.  The aim of the course is to equip learners with the skills and the insights to better understand the complexity of the epidemic in order to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the efforts to combat its devastating effects.  It provides a general overview of the facts, debates and controversies surrounding the current HIV/AIDS crisis, with a specific focus on developing countries, including South Africa and India.

The themes covered include:

• Basic biological facts - How the virus works
• Social epidemiology  - global and South African statistics
• History  and ideology of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) in Africa
• Stigma, societal attitudes and issues of death & dying
• Social inequalities and health status
• Gender issues
• The Circumcision debate
• Medical anthropology of AIDS: traditional healers, rural impact, cultures of sexuality in India and South Africa
• The role of the South African state, policy matters and public debates
• The role of TAC as a Health-Social Movement

Theme:  International Development

SOCL 4045/7048: Work and Labour in the Global Economy. (Second Semester) 
(Dr Bridget Kenny, 717-4445)
(not offered in 2011) 

This course focuses on how the nature of work is changing in the new economy, and the implications for labour organising in both South Africa and the United States. It is a reading-intensive course dealing with the theoretical literature on rapid economic restructuring and how this is shaping work and employment and labour movements.

The course consists of three main parts. Part one focuses on general theoretical issues focused around the major political and economic changes that have taken place on a global scale and the predicaments for labour movements. Part Two consists of series of comparative case studies that explore these themes in different industrial sectors in both the U.S. and South Africa. Part Three examines the response of labour, at a local (both U.S. and South Africa), regional (Southern African and North American) and global scale.

SOCL 4016/7012: Global Institutions and Economic Restructuring (First Semester)
(Dr Devan Pillay, 717-4425)
(not offered in 2011)

This course examines the involvement of global institutions in development as a process of establishing intellectual hegemony; of influencing individuals and groups; shaping ideas, discourses and debates; and affecting institutional arrangements inside and outside the state. In this respect, the study of their effect on developmental policy is simultaneously an investigation of the sociology of knowledge and the sociology of bureaucracy and institutions. The course focuses on global institutions which are involved in promoting development in developing countries, including South Africa.    These include, in particular, formal institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation.  In addition, the course examines the role of new social movements that have emerged in opposition to these institutions.

This focus on global institutions is particularly appropriate for the current period in South Africa’s history.   The democratic government is formulating and re-formulating its development policy in the context of increased exposure to these global institutions and movements.  The course will examine the role of these institutions globally, in different developing countries as well as in South Africa.  We will be assisted in this process by guest lecturers with direct experience of the policy process.  Our approach will combine a meta-theoretical exercise involving reading policy documents within their appropriate theoretical / empirical / policy context with practical exposure to the intricacies of actual policy making.  It should serve as a useful bridge between the students’ formal training in development theory and preparation for more practically-orientated hands-on policy making. 

Theme:  Rural Development

The concentration of poverty in rural regions is characteristic of the developing world and especially of South Africa. Developers are presented with a huge and increasingly pressing challenge which is investigated in courses on:

HIST 4001/7007: Rural Transformation: Town and Countryside (First Semester)
(Prof Peter Delius, 717-4314)

In this course theories of rural development and comparative perspectives will be used to illuminate processes of rural transformation in South Africa.  The discussion of the possibilities and prospects of rural development will be rooted in a rich appreciation of the deep-seated patterns of change at work in the South African countryside.  The course will highlight a range of themes including: migrant labour, rural resistance, state intervention, forms of accumulation, labour regimes, land reform, gender, generation, stratification, chieftainship, local government and the role of markets.

SOCL4040/7043: Sociology of Land Agrairan Reform in Southern African (First Semester)
(Dr. Samuel Kariuki, 717 4435)

The course will introduce students to some of the key debates that have come to characterise land and agrarian reform in post-apartheid (1994) democratic South Africa and by extension the Southern and Eastern African region. The cardinal aim of the course is to equip students with the knowledge base and skills required to critically engage with policy debates on land and agrarian issues. Students will also be introduced to comparative debates between Zimbabwe’s “collapsed” land reform programme and South Africa’s contemporary land reform process and by extension Namibia, Kenya, Brazil and Columbia will be discussed. These comparative insights will be used as a basis to corroborate some of the pertinent conceptual and theoretical paradigms used by social scientists in debunking the normative features of these reforms. The key output of this course is to horn student’s skills in executing critical policy analysis skills required to understand, debate and write cogent policy evaluations within South Africa’s Land Reform development sector. Detailed policy analysis of the three sub-programmes will form the basis of developing a critical understanding of some of the policy dilemmas, tensions, and challenges that come to define South Africa’s land reform policy. Use of South Africa’s case studies to illuminate the themes discussed herein, will be used as evidence to substantiate these claims.

Some of the specific themes covered in the course include:

• The historical basis of land reform programmes
• Land reform policy, development and democratization
• Land reform policy making process (South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya)
• Pillars of South African Land Reform Process: Tenure, Restitution and Redistribution programme
• Challenges facing Post-apartheid Land Reform Programme in South Africa
• Post-1999 South Africa Policy changes- Land Reform and Agriculture Development (LRAD), and the draft Communal Land Rights bill (CLRB).
• Genealogy of the concept “Rural” and “Rural Development” and South Africa’s rural development experience 
• South Africa’s Comprehensive Rural Development Programme (CRDP) in post 2010 period
• Zimbabwe’s Land Question: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
• Country Case Studies: Kenya, Namibia, Brazil, Columbia Land Reform experiences

Theme:  Urban and Industrial Development

In the developing world cities are growing but economic opportunities are shrinking.  How has this happened and how do we renew our cities?  Explore the dynamics of industrial growth and the modern city in:

GEOG 4025/7028: Understanding Cities in Africa (First Semester)
(Dr  Teresa Dirsuweit, 717-6516)

(Honours students only in 2011)

The course gives an overview of development Geography and institutional approaches to cities in Africa. It covers the topics of urbanisation; poverty; urban agriculture; issues of management and growth in rapidly growing cities; the informal economy; infrastructure delivery; financing development and urban environmental issues. The course will focus on cities on the African continent while drawing on case studies from other cities in the South.

HIST 4013/7025: The Making of Urban South Africa (Second Semester)
(Prof Philip Bonner, 717-4318)

The course explores the social, political and economic history of urbanisation in South Africa from the late 19^th to the late 20^th centuries.  Its central focus is the Witwatersrand, but it also examines parallel and especially divergent processes in Cape Town, Durban, East London, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria.  A central spine to the course is provided by a set of related questions: what impelled people into the towns?  How and why did they become fully urban?  What new cultures and identities emerged in the multi-racial and multi-ethnic urban melting pot?  What new communities and political organisations emerged?  How do we understand ungovernability in the 1940s and 1980s?  What new laws and policies were formulated (e.g. segregation, apartheid, and post-apartheid reform) to regulate and repress these processes and forces?  How and why did all of the latter happen?  How central were the cities to understanding the more general processes of historical change in South Africa and the sub-continent?  The course will be tailored to students’ disciplinary interests for example Development Studies students would focus on the implications of the study for Urban Development.