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 examines various dimensions of the Global South, enabling students to critically engage with the concept, its historical origins, and its contemporary political and economic significance. The central premise is that the Global South is a product of the project of modernity and, as such, can only be understood relationally - through its constitutive connection to the Global North, the Center, or the so-called First World. Students will explore how these interconnected categories have been historically produced and how they continue to shape global power relations, development trajectories, and patterns of inequality. The first part of the course focuses on a critical examination of several key concepts, including the Third World, (under)development, progress, growth, democracy, epistemicide, human rights, (neo-)colonialism, coloniality, and post-development. Students will engage with a wide range of theoretical perspectives and approaches, with particular emphasis on the modernity – coloniality – decoloniality framework. The second part of the course examines different dimensions of the contemporary Global South, focusing on current challenges as well as alternative political, economic, and social trajectories emerging across specific regions. Given the complexity and diversity of the issues addressed, particular attention is paid to the methodological and epistemological challenges involved in studying the Global South and producing knowledge about it.

Intended learning outcomes:

• An understanding of the forces that determine the Global South/periphery/the Third World. • Ability to critically analyze political-economic relationships within geopolitical and epistemic regions. • Significant knowledge of the major theories of the Global South and their genealogies. • The ability to critically read theoretical contributions and (re)interpret complex categories such as the state, democracy, and development. • An understanding of the dynamics of power and decision-making

Learning and teaching methods:

he learning methods consist of a weekly four-hour session. In the first part of the session, key literature is presented and an overview of the most important aspects of the week's topic is given. The second part is conducted as a seminar and consists of a mixture of group work, contextualization through documentary or films, group discussions, etc. Each week will be devoted to a different topic, and we will read and discuss several texts on that topic.

Assessment

Written exam 100%.

Obligatory literature

Additional literature