International Grassroots Development
Required Reading: Coursepack
available at Dollar Bill
Highly Recommended Reading:
Isbister, John. 1993. Promises not kept: The betrayal of social change
in the Third World. Second Edition. Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press.
Vandermeer, John and Ivette Perfecto (1995), Breakfast of biodiversity:
The truth about rainforest destruction. Oakland, CA: Institute for Food
and Development Policy.
World Wide Web: Fourth World Documentation Project Home Page: http://www.halcyon.com/FWDP/fwdp.html
(and related pages)
Various Websites on human rights, women's issues, sustainable development,
various third and fourth world cultures, religions, etc.
COURSE SYLLABUS
In this course, I would like to engage you in thinking about some questions
that have been on my mind ever since I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in India
in 1964 -- What is "development"? What could it be? Who has the
right, or the duty, or maybe the privilege to help others in their "development"?
Can the world really be "developed" or improved, or do we just
substitute new problems for the ones we had?
As I work with international students and faculty and do "development"
work, both at home and abroad, I continue to think and write about these
questions. I do have some answers, at least for myself, and these answers
have led me to a particular style of teaching, one which engages the students
as much as possible in thinking things out for themselves and coming up
with their own ideas about how to achieve a just world.
I don't like lecturing much, though sometimes I will give you some background
or help you clarify the many, confusing viewpoints of authors you'll be
reading. I love to write, and I expect that you do to, or that you will
like it better as you work on some of the questions I ask you to write about
-- or that you will pose for yourselves and your classmates.
This will not be an easy course; my standards for writing, thinking, and
active participation are quite high. You can be sure that I will challenge
you in class and in conference; I will expect you to challenge me as well.
There will be few "right answers," few "right ways"
to do an assignment, though I will give you, I hope, clear guidelines.
Course Goals:
* To understand that "development" takes many forms, each of which
may be based on different assumptions, philosophies, ideas of history and
culture, and views of human potential and human needs
* To become acquainted with some global issues, social protests and "development"
projects as they affect and are affected by people at the grassroots level
* To understand the major strands of the "development debate"
in economic, political, social and cultural terms and to use this knowledge
to come to a personal idea of what "development" should mean and
how it should be practiced
* To learn how to get involved in grassroots development, both globally
or locally
The course will be divided into three parts:
Part I What's the problem? What's the solution?
In Part I we will listen to a variety of voices-in-writing from
both the "north" and the "south" suggesting how development
is supposed to work and why it has so often failed to live up to expectations.
We will hear from western economists and political figures, development
agencies and development practitioners, social critics, anthropologists
(both live and fictional), journalists and professors. As well, we will
hear voices from the south -- voices that have been increasing, recently,
in sophistication and power: heads of government, philosophers, novelists,
academics, lawyers, and some successful and committed development practitioners.
From this cacophony of voices you will emerge with an understanding of the
different strands of the debate and come to tentative conclusions about
what makes sense to you. This thinking will eventually become part of a
final paper that will detail what, in your opinion, "good development"
should look like.
At the same time you are discovering where you stand you will also be refining
your ability to look at the world from the point of view of those who come
from backgrounds very different from your own. To this end, you will choose
a novel or autobiography written by someone who lives in and/or identifies
with a "developing" country or fourth world "nation,"
and write from their perspective about what they see as "the problem."
Learning to look at problems from the perspectives of the people experiencing
them is one of the most important skills you can learn if you want to work
for peace and justice anywhere in the world.
Paper #1 My idea of "good development" (First thoughts:
3-5 pages).
Paper #2 What's "the problem"? (A "creative"
piece. Av. 5 pages, with substantial revisions).
Part II Issues, Projects and Protests -- Student-led group presentations.
Students will work in groups to research and present specific examples of
significant issues, protests or development projects to the rest of the
class. Examples might be the impact of the global AIDS epidemic on women's
health and human rights; environmental concerns arising from the construction
of hydroelectric dams in India or China; the question of indigenous people's
rights to the profits from patents on their traditional medicines, etc.
Examples of significant development projects might be the Grameen Bank in
Bangladesh that lends money to women's small business cooperatives; the
Citizenship schools in the U.S. South that resulted in the right to vote
for many poor blacks in the Civil Rights era, specific attempts at ecotourism
or rainforest preservation in Latin America, and so on. Each group presentation
will take a two-hour class period and might involve readings, discussion,
short film clips, guest speakers, experiential activities -- whatever it
takes to make the subject come alive and impart substantial, specific information
as well as involving the class in critical analysis.
Part III: Planning for Action: Working in the Global Neighborhood
Almost everyone who has taken this class over the past five years felt one
over-riding concern: "What am I going to do with my life? How can I
help advance the cause of social and economic justice? Where can I get some
experience, and learn the more practical issues of organizing, facilitating,
grant writing, working across cultures and classes with people in poor communities?
Where do I, as a privileged person, fit in to grassroots development, either
locally or internationally? This part of the course should help you with
these questions and give you experiences and options. Speakers on internship
and work opportunities, visits to actual grassroots action projects in Detroit
organized by African American churches, Latino community centers, and UM
AmeriCorps, dialogues with RC grads and others who have started on social
justice careers will be the focus. Your ideas for how to set this up and
what you want to get out of it will be very welcome.
Paper #3: My idea of "good development." (10-15 pages, completely
rethought and revised from Paper #1).
Major Writing Assignments:
Papers #1 and #3 "My idea of good development" This
paper will be done in two parts. Near the beginning of the course you will
write your first, tentative ideas about what you believe "good development"
should be. This paper will be three to five pages long and will be passed
to other students for written comments and questions. I will then read and
give suggestions for a revised version, to be written as a final paper.
This kind of revision is literally re-vision; your ideas may be substantially
modified or completely changed, or your former position will have been made
stronger by the addition of reasons -- evidence that you have gained from
the readings and reflections you have done during the course. (3-5 pages,
completely revised at the end of course to 10-15 pages)
Paper #2 "What's "The Problem"? For this paper you
will read a work (preferably a novel) of your own choosing written by a
third world author in order to understand the author's view of "the
problem" (Check selection with me first). You will then write a paper
that presents "the problem" as your author (or the novel's characters)
see it. Be creative! You may write in any style whatsoever, as long as you
address "the problem" and are aware of the needs of your audience
(myself and your classmates). Revision is required after audience reaction.
An individual conference with me is required before or during rewrite. (Av.
5 pages, with substantial revisions)
In-Class Writing Assignments:
Everyone (including myself) may spend some time writing during several
of our class sessions. Each writing task will address the day's topic in
some way. None of the questions will have a "right" answer, but
all will draw upon the readings and previous class discussions. I will collect
and comment on all writing, but will not grade it. All of this writing should
appear in your portfolio (see Assessment, below).
CALENDAR
Part I: What's the Problem? What's the Solution?
Thurs. Jan. 9 Session 1 Introduction to the course
Tues. Jan. 14 Session 2
Thurs. Jan. 16 Session 3
Weekend at some convenient time: Video of Salaam Bombay (Location to be
determined -- I'd like to have you over to my new apartment but I may be
still knee- deep in boxes). Attendance recommended for all, but especially
for those who have never visited the "third world." This highly
acclaimed feature film, made by an Indian woman film-maker, will help give
you a concrete idea of the kind of issues and problems we will be discussing
in developing countries world-wide.
Tues. Jan. 21 Session 4
Thurs. Jan. 23 Session 5
Tues. Jan. 28 Session 6
Thurs. Jan. 30 Session 7 DUE: Paper #1: First try at Final Paper
"My idea of good development"
Tues. Feb. 4 Session 8
Thurs. Feb. 6 Session 9
Tues. Feb. 11 Session 10
Thurs. Feb. 13 Session 11
Tues. Feb. 18 Session 12
Thurs. Feb. 20 Session 13 DUE: Paper #2 What's "the problem" in
the third or fourth world?
Tues. Feb. 25 Session 14
Thurs. Feb. 27 Session 15
SPRING BREAK
Part II: Issues, Projects, and Protests: Student-facilitated group presentations
Tues. Mar. 11 Session 16 Introduction to the issues
Thurs. Mar. 13 Session 17 Preparation for presentations (I will be out of
town)
Tues. Mar. 18 Session 18 Group 1
Thurs. Mar. 20 Session 19 Group 2
Tues. Mar. 25 Session 20 Group 3
Thurs. Mar. 27 Session 21 Group 4
Part III: Planning for Action: Working in the Global Neighborhood
(We may decide to substitute a weekend day or other half-days for several
class periods in order to visit grassroots projects in Detroit)
Tues. April 1 Session 22
Thurs. April 3 Session 23
Tues. April 8 Session 24
Thurs. April 10 Session 25
Tues. April 15 Session 26
Thurs. April 17 Session 27
Tues. April 22 Session 28 PORTFOLIOS DUE -- All drafts of Papers #1, 2,
3 and all other written work (see Assessment, below). Brunch and
last discussion/course evaluation. (Location to be determined.)
ASSESSMENT
Your writing assignments will not be graded;
I feel that grades often stifle the critical thinking, creativity and risk-taking
that are necessary to the writing process. You may endlessly revise (and
I will endlessly comment on) any or all of assignments if you want to re-think
them or express your ideas more smoothly and precisely. Your writing in
this course will be evaluated by PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT. You are responsible
for placing all your written work, including ALL DRAFTS of your major writing
assignments and ALL IN-CLASS WRITING in a folder and handing it in on Tuesday,
APRIL 22, the last day of the course. Please keep a list of these papers
as they are assigned so you will be sure to have everything required in
your portfolio. Your grade will be determined by the quality and depth
of the writing and the quantity and nature of the revisions as well as the
work you have put into your group presentation and your participation in
other learning activities such as site visits and class discussion.
My Expectations