MD525/625:
Poverty and Development (4 units)
Dr. Bryant Myers, Professor of International
Development
Summer
2007/08 Pasadena
DESCRIPTION:
This
course explores the challenges of empowering the poor in a world marked by
marginalization, disempowerment, abuse and injustice. Poverty is explored from
a number of perspectives, concluding with a biblical framework. Responses to
poverty are then explored, including the goals of transformational development
and the process and principles by which it is pursued.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
1. Able to articulate and critically apply
biblical and holistic understanding of poverty in broad Christian perspective
2. Able to describe and critically
assess some of the current theories of development
3. Able to articulate and critically
apply a biblical and holistic understanding of transformational development
4. Introductory knowledge of development
principles and practice
COURSE
FORMAT:
A
presentation and discussion format will be used, with occasional use of small
groups. Topics to be covered include:
1. Worldview issues the influence our
understanding of social development
2. Biblical framework for
transformational development
3. Understanding poverty biblically
4. Overview of contemporary development
theory
5. Catholic social thinking of
development
6. Rights-based development and
livelihood security/food security
7. Transformational development—Biblical
understanding
8. The development practitioner
9. Christian witness through
transformational development
REQUIRED
1. Myers, Bryant, Walking With the Poor:
Principles and Practices of Transformational Development. Orbis (NY) 1999
2. Chambers, Robert. Ideas
for Development.
3. Freidman, John, Empowerment: The
Politics of Alternative Development. Blackwell
4. Moser, Caroline, and Andy Norton, “To
Claim Our Rights: Livelihood Security, Food Security and Sustainable
Development,” Overseas Development Institute, 2001 (Available through ODI
website www.odi.org.uk )
5. Centesimus Annus (Click on Encyclicals at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/)
6. Populorum Progressio http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_26031967_populorum_en.html
7. Redemptoris Missio. (Click on Encyclicals at http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/)
8. UN Millennium Development Project
2005, Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium
Development Goals. Overview.
UNDP, 2005.
9. All articles in the Course Reader
10. Chambers, Robert, Whose Reality Counts? Putting the First Last.
Intermediate Technology Publications (
11. Hiebert, Paul, et al., Understanding Folk Religion. Baker Books
1999. (Chapterss. 1-4).
12. Narayan, Deepa, et al., Voices of the Poor: Crying Out for Change.
13. Sen, Amartya, Development as Freedom. Knopf 1999.
(Introduction and chapters 1-4).
RECOMMENDED
1. Guttierrez, Gustavo. The Power of the Poor
in History. Orbis Books (NY)
1983.
2. Banerjee, Abhit; Benabou, Roland; and
Mookherjee, Dilip. Understanding Poverty.
3. Friere, Paulo and Barr, Robert (tr.),
Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum
Publishing Co (NY), 1994
4. Mosse, David. Cultivating
Development: An Ethnography of Aid Policy and Practice.
5. Peet, Richard. Theories
of Development.
6. Korten, David C. Getting Toward the 21st Century: Voluntary
Action and Global Agenda. Kumarian Press, 1990.
7. Linthicum, Robert C. Empowering the Poor: Community Organizing
among the City's 'Rag, Tag and Bob Tail.'
8. Additional reading of any the
unassigned chapters in Chambers, Hiebert, Narayan and Sen.
USEFUL WEBSITES:
1. Christian Community Development Association (
2. Center for Global Development (USA): www.cgdev.org
3. Institute for Development Studies
(UK): www.ids.ac.uk
4. Institute for Sustainable Development
(
5. PovertyNet (World Bank): www.worldbank.org/poverty
6. INTRAC (
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Students,
in teams of 4-6, will present and lead a one-hour class room presentation and
discussion that summarizes and critiques the explicit and implicit 1)
understanding of poverty and 2) theory of development of a major development
organization based on the materials on its website.
2. 12 to 15-page research paper
on a topic related to the course, agreed to by the professor.
3. Th.M. students write an
additional five page theological reflection.
PREREQUISITE: None
RELATIONSHIP
TO CURRICULUM: Elective