Programme description for Bachelor's Programme in Global Development Studies (2024–2027)

All the UT-courses constitute the major component of the bachelor programme.

Minor component (“breddeenhet”):

The third and fourth semester, students choose a minor component in their study programme. Students are encouraged to go on exchange in their fourth semester.

Exchange

3rd semester, autumn;
Choose one of the following courses:

UT-115  Global development issues in a Latin American context (10 ECTS credits)

NO-133 Norwegian for international students (10 ECTS)

TFL-110 Norway, society and culture (10 ECTS)

SV-212 Communication, Media and Planning
Please note that there may be changes in this list. There may also be time table collisions.
4th semester spring:
Exchange semester, 30 credits (for more information, see Internationalization below).

Students that do not go on exchange the fourth semester, can apply to do other minors at UiA:

Political science (40 credits) (in English)

English (in English - limited access)

Spanish (in Spanish)

Studies of religion in Asia (in Norwegian - limited access)

Sociology (in Norwegian)

Communication and media (in Norwegian) (limited access)

Equal opportunities (in Norwegian)

Sustainable transformation – concepts, approaches and practice (in English)

Sustainable transformation – concepts, approaches and practice
This collection of courses will provide the students with a thorough understanding of how different political, social, economic, ecological, and cultural forces, as well as digital technologies influence sustainable development of organizations and societies. The minor is inherently interdisciplinary and draws teaching capacities from several fields within the social sciences. All three courses emphasize student active learning methods to engage students in practical problem solving.

Please note that changes may occur.

What do you learn?

Learning outcome

Knowledge

On successful completion of the programme, the candidate should be able to:

• explain different theoretical approaches and practical strategies for sustainable development and critically analyse these in given contexts

• identify and discuss key issues in global development, such as poverty; economic and social inequality; global political and economic structures and relations; economic, social and environmental sustainability; patterns of migration and social mobility; socio-cultural, political and environmental processes of change

• identify social and economic inequalities and analyse the factors that create and maintain such differences across scales

• recognise and asses how culture influence understandings and practices of development and international relations, at an individual and structural level

• discuss the ways in which power relations shape global, national and local development trajectories and analyse power relations within systems and between actors

• compare various regional development contexts in and across the North-South axis, with emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goals

• recognise and analyse the effects of internal and external factors on development processes in different countries, such as different economies and governance systems, cultural diversities, environmental conditions and resource challenges

• discuss ethical, methodological and epistemological social sciences issues, in a cross-cultural context

 

Skills
On successful completion of the programme, the candidate should be able to:

• carry out field work and understand interlinkages between practice and theoretical knowledge

• find, produce and evaluate knowledge based on a problem statement

• apply theoretical knowledge in discussions of casestudies

• adapt and utilise theoretical insights and analytical skills to solve tasks in the public sector, private companies or organisations

• utilise insights in the impacts of economic, political, social and cultural conditions in planning for development and change

• apply insights into ethical, methodological, and epistemological issues central to the global development field in concrete situations

• make use of interdisciplinary approaches and perspectives

 

General competence
On successful completion of the programme, the candidate should be able to:

• take part in current and emerging debates in global development based on up-dated knowledge and different theoretical perspectives

• communicate theoretical perspectives and research findings orally and in writing

• solve complex tasks both individually and in group

• communicate across cultural contexts and be conscious of how culture influences communication and knowledge production

• commit to, and follow, ethical principles for research and development work and reflect critically on his/her situatedness and ethical challenges

• engage in cross-cultural communication and teamwork with respect and commitment

• contribute to create knowledge about and dialogue of the content and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Structure and content

Admission requirements

For national applicants, the application process runs through The Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service (Samordna opptak), and the entrance requirement is Higher Education Entrance Qualification (generell studiekompetanse).

For international applicants, entrance requirements are Higher Education Entrance Qualification for international applicants and certified language requirements in English.

The general basis for admission to universities and university colleges in Norway is called Higher Education Entrance Qualification. You may find what is considered university entrance qualifications from your country in the 'GSU' list. This list states the basic requirements for admission to higher education in Norway. Please download the latest version of the 'GSU' list from http://www.nokut.no/en/Facts-and-statistics/Surveys-and-databases/GSU-list/

General description and profile

The study programme aims to create a solid understanding of conditions that lead to differences in social and economic development in various countries and regions, with emphasis on the Global South. An overall objective of the programme is to enable the student to examine and discuss global processes of change from a multi-disciplinary perspective, through applying theorical perspectives as well as student active practical field exercises.

The study programme focuses on globalisation, cultural complexity, mobility, political ecology and the politics and economics of international relations. In addition to the compulsory courses, there is a 40 ECTS elective component, and an opportunity to go for international exchange (see the course structure diagramme). The elective component and opportunities for exchange provide the students with a broader academic competence and possibilities to study at highly recognised universities in other parts of the world.

This study programme provides the students with a theoretical social science background and field experiences related to questions of development, culture, international relations, development cooperation, and processes of change in a global context.

Teaching methods

Lectures, seminars and group work are central in most courses in the programme. Excursions, field visits and dialogue meetings are teaching methods used in some of the courses. Films and current media debates are frequently applied in the teaching linking theoretical dimensions to ongoing discourses. Guest lecturers from the public sector and non-governmental actors ensure ongoing dialogue with the practice field. Field work exercises and thesis writing are supervised. Knowledge and training in academic reading and writing is emphasised at the start of the programme through a series of lectures.

Assessment methods

The examination requirements and forms are varied and adjusted to the content of each course. The first year students are expected to learn academic writing and reasoning and how to participate in an academic conversation with fellow students. The assessment methods the first year are written individual exams, home exams, portfolio and compulsory group work with written or oral presentations. The second and third year students are expected to advance in their critical thinking and academic argumentation. Courses make use of group discussions and group presentations and individual written exams. The third year the assessment methods will contribute to the process resulting in the bachelor thesis. A semester assignment, an oral presentation and examination, individual/group supervision, compulsory participation in seminars, and writing a field report and bachelor thesis will secure a variation of assessment methods. See each course for details.

Internationalization

The study programme in Global development studies recruits international and Norwegian students, and the language of instruction is English.

The study programme is based on a long history of international collaboration with relevant partner universities and research communities in the Global South. Development studies is an interdisciplinary, international field, which is reflected in the courses provided in the programme. Some of the strengths of the bachelor’s programme are the field courses (1st year) and fieldwork (last semester, 3rd year) . These opportunities provide practice-close knowledge, and the students acquire the ability to conduct empirical studies and participate in intercultural communication and teamwork.

The one-month field course, UT-109, is offered in the second semester. In recent years, the field courses have taken place in Sri Lanka and Uganda. From 2023 a field course will also be run in Norway. Bolivia and Tanzania have also been locations for field courses and might be so again in the future.

Our collaborative universities in Sri Lanka (University of Ruhuna), Indonesia (Gadjah Mada University), Uganda (Makerere University) and Bolivia (Universidad Mayor San Simon) are key partners and resources for 3rd-year students’ fieldwork (UT-200). The students conduct their fieldwork over a period of 3 months to collect data for their bachelor’s thesis (UT-201).

Exchange opportunities:

We recommend all students to go on exchange.

The fourth semester is primarily an exchange semester. The students will have the opportunity to apply for Erasmus+ exchange scholarships to a number of European universities. We also offer other types of exchange opportunities to universities outside Europe.

An exchange semester provides students with the opportunity to either specialise in the field of development studies, or other subject areas as for example international relations, languages, history, communication, sociology or religion. The overview of our partner universities in this programme can be found here (in Norwegian): https://www.uia.no/exchangestudies/search?soid=1878

Students who are not able to go on exchange can apply to take the fourth semester at UiA, although the number of electives in English is limited.

Occupational profiles / further studies

Current global challenges and Sustainable Development Goals’ agenda clearly show the need for knowledge of global development issues, to be used both on a local, national and global level. The study programme provides students with a background suitable for working with global development issues and international cooperation, as well as work requiring cross cultural competence and communication skills. Organisations and agencies working with development cooperation and humanitarian work are relevant work places, both in Norway and internationally. The study programme also provides qualifications for work related to immigration issues and foreign affairs, as well as work in private companies and/or in the public sector.

A bachelor's degree in Global development studies qualifies for further studies as e.g. the master programme in Global development and planning at the University of Agder. In a Norwegian context, many students continue studying on master’s level to strengthen their employment opportunities.

Qualification awarded

Successful completion of the programme awards the graduate the degree of Bachelor in Global development studies.

Evaluation

Study programme evaluation is conducted annually in the programme committee in accordance with the Quality System, section 4.2. Before the meeting of the study programme committee, the student representative may obtain suggestions and ideas from fellow students.

Fee

Students participating in the four-week field course abroad, UT-109, will need to cover food, accommodation, and travel during the field course (normally between 12 000 -15 000 kr) and the air ticket. Students who are eligible for support in Lånekassen (the State Educational Loan Fund in Norway) can apply for support to cover travel expenses.

For students who are not able to participate in the field course abroad, there will be a field course taking place in Norway. Accommodation and travel during the field course in Norway will be covered. However, students must cover their own food expenses. More information will be given in Canvas in the first semester.

Contact person

Programme coordinator Astrid B. Stensrud and academic adviser Siv Iren Kolstad.