Theories of the global south

Teorije globalnega juga

Course credits:

6.00 ECTS / 60 (30 hours of lectures, 0 hours of exercises, 30 hours of seminars, 0 hours other forms of work)

Course holder:

prof. dr. Žiga Vodovnik

Type:

Required

Language:

English

Semester:

First semester

Study degree

1. level

Course execution:

• Undergraduate Programme of Political Science - Studies of Politics and the State

Prerequisits:

Students are allowed to participate in the course provided that they have completed the enrolment procedure.

Objectives and competences

After completing the course students will be able to evaluate competing understandings of the Global South, various theoretical views concerning development and the Global South, deeper understanding of the role of the Global South in globalisation processes and in particular the extant evolution of the concepts of governance and democracy.

Content (Syllabus outline)

The course addresses various aspects of the so-called Global South, so the students will be able to critically reflect the concept, its causes and, above all, its political and economic role. The first part focuses on a theoretical examination of several key concepts, inter alia, the Third World, the Global South, (under)development, progress, growth, democracy, epistemicide, human rights, (neo)colonialism. The guiding thesis is, that the Global South is a result of the modernity project and as such cannot be defined outside of Global North/Center/the First World. The students will be exposed we to a wide range of theories and approaches, with the post-development and modernity/coloniality/decoloniality (M/C/D)as a key one. In the second part, the course will focus on several aspects of the Global South, where contemporary problems and breakthroughs within particular regions will be analyzed. Considering the complexity of the topics addressed, this part will also highlight methodological and epistemological problems.

Intended learning outcomes:

Knowledge and understanding: • An understanding of the forces that determine the Global South/periphery/the Third World. • The ability to critically analyze the political-economic relationship within geopolitical and epistemic regions. • Significant knowledge of the key theories of the Global South and their geneologies. • An understanding of the dynamics of power and decision making in various political systems. • The ability to make comparisons among different political ideologies and theoretical orientations. • Competence in scholarly writing and oral communication.

Learning and teaching methods:

Lectures and seminars, e-learning.

Assessment

Written exam.

Obligatory literature

Additional literature