International Development Foreign Service Leadership Program International Development MASTER In INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Scope and Sequence International Development Graduate Written Communications (ONLINE) Course Description: In this 3 credit hour required course, students are exposed to key writing skills necessary for success in Graduate School and beyond. Students are taken from the basic level of writing excellent sentences to structuring clear paragraphs and writing effective essays. Aside from essay writing which prepares students for all professional writing, aspects of technical writing will be covered including resumes, memos, concept papers and reports. The course culminates in a required Research Paper. A Power Point Presentation summarizing the critical content of the Research Paper is mandatory at the end of a four weeks of rigorous, skill-building, accelerated course. In fulfillment of required regular attendance/participation, students will respond to prompts given by the instructor within a group chat. MAID 601 INTROD TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Since the Post-World War Two period, the international system has undergone unprecedented changes. In this introductory course, a survey of various areas and issues in international relations will be conducted. This includes major non-state actors such as inter-governmental organizations (e.g. the United Nations), non-governmental organizations (NGOS such as Amnesty International) and multinational corporations and their roles; their modes of interaction in the political, economic, social and cultural arenas; and assessment of the tremendous political changes and their consequences on the global system and for the global environment. MAID 602 Economic Foundations for Development The course provides an overview of microeconomic and macroeconomic principles related to development. The goal of the course is to better understand the microeconomic foundations of development issues in developing countries. The objective is to provide analytical tools for the study of economic policies and problems, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. It will first focus on microeconomic theory as a framework for analyzing households’ and policymakers’ behavior. It will then review the empirical methods that can be used to understand such behavior, to develop individual and institutional-level interventions, and to evaluate the impact of such interventions. It will discuss issues that constrain and support development: risks and shocks, labor and human capital, risk and vulnerability; social networks, learning and technology adoption’ human capital (education and health), markets (including land, labor, credit and information); and institutions and conflict. MAID 603 Research Methodology in International Relations This course introduces the student to general perspectives in conducting scientific research with emphasis on methods directly related to International Relations. It will discuss methods used in comparing a small number of cases, such as process-tracing and case study analysis. It will also examine some of the tools applied in qualitative research, including interviewing, content and discourse analysis. The course will provide an understanding of a wide range of methodological tools and methods and their use in existing research and publications. It will enable the student to choose the most appropriate approach to conducting a research project. MAID 604 International Economic Institutions and Development The course stresses the need to understand the growing and complex role intergovernmental economic Organizations and similar institutions are currently playing in the global economic governance. It is intended to offer students a review of the role, functions and characteristics of the most important economic institutions. Besides, it intends to delve into the issue of global governance of economic issues and the present role of these institutions responsible, with Nation States as providers of Global Public Goods. The course places a special emphasis on the dynamic evolution of the international economic institutions and their necessary adaptation, reforms and renewed goals to tackle new global challenges in a fast changing world of interdependence. Topics include: the nature of global institutions; variety of global institutions: transnational corporations, churches, private voluntary organizations, international governmental bodies and agencies; national development in a global context; interactions of global institutions with governments and local organizations. MAID 605 Theories in International Development The course introduces students to the main concepts and theories of international development, development cooperation and related policies. It discusses major developmental challenges in a globalized world as well as provides examples of developmental interventions. Topics include structuralism, dependency theory, basic needs theory, neoclassical/liberalist theory, post-development theory, sustainable development theory, human development theory, ecological modernization theory, and world systems theory. MAID 606 International Development Planning The course will deal with how institutions such as the World Bank, the United Nations, regional development agencies, bi-laterals and non-government organizations (NGOs) conduct planning and implementation in developing countries. It will expose students to some of the major strategies and emerging perspectives on international development and provide ample understanding of how the formal and informal development planning institutions impact the strategies and perspectives applied in addressing development issues. It will include strategies and perspectives such as economic (structural) adjustment, governmental decentralization, gender perspectives, privatization of public service delivery, environmental sustainability and environmental justice, poverty alleviation, social capital formation, legal reform (rule of law) and democratization. MAID 701 International Trade and Development This course will consider a number of topics associated with the links between international trade and development. A particular emphasis will be placed on the consequences of trade openness on outcomes in developing countries: on inequality, growth and poverty, institutions and financial development, the impact of export instability and countries’ specialization, terms of trade, and the environment. MAID 702 Gender, Health, and Development This is a two-part lecture course. The first part deals with gender issues in developing countries beginning with an overview of the gender differences in various aspects of welfare and economic life. It will discuss issues in the measurement of gender inequality, causes and effects of gender inequality in education, labor force participation, and earnings, the causes and extent of gender inequality in mortality, and issues relating to household production, fertility, and intra-household resource allocation. The second part will provide an overview of the main concepts and controversies linking health to broader social and economic conditions in low income countries. It will examine the demographic and epidemiologic transitions in relation to levels of economic development. It will also trace various mechanisms-- at both the micro and macro level-- through which social and economic factors may affect health outcomes and vice versa. Special topics will include the impact of the EBOLA endemic, the potential for a demographic dividend, and the centrality of human capital and child well-being. MAID 703 International Finance and Development The course will study the relationship between finance and economic development by focusing on the role of international finance. It will cover the following topics: the role of the international financial sector and its impact on economic development and growth; the role of international private capital flows (foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, and international bank lending); the role and activities of the multilateral financial institutions; concessional lending, official development assistance, and debt relief. MAID 704 Education and Development This course discusses ways that education can contribute to the development process, both theoretically and empirically, from a variety of perspectives - including human rights, social and human development, and human capital. It enables students to understand current debates, and their implications for national and international education strategies. Topics include current challenges of education and development, including language and cultural diversity, the education of rural and urban groups, and responses to conflict, HIV/Aids and child-labor. The program also examines international and national policies and practices, with the aim of providing students with the capacity to contribute to appropriate policy design for educational development. MAID 705 Poverty and Development The course provides the background tools needed to understand the topic of poverty. It deals with the nature of social stratification and poverty: definitions, empirical measurement, and profiles of the poor; and sociological theoretical perspectives such as inequality, health, violence, democratization, urbanization, and demography on the causes, distribution, and meaning of poverty, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The course also addresses ongoing debates in conceptual frameworks and policy. MAID 706 Sustainable Development The course provides the origin and key concepts of sustainable development, with emphasis on developments in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. It describes the complex interactions between the world economy and the Earth’s physical environment. It will cover ecological processes and constraints (climate, disease ecology, physical resources such as soils and energy sources, topography and transport conditions) that predominantly shape the patterns of economic development, demography, and wealth and poverty. It will also deal with the impact of human activities key challenges and potential solutions to achieving sustainable development. MAID 707 Internship for Professional Development The course will provide the student with an opportunity to explore career interests while applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in a work setting. The experience will help students gain a clearer sense of what they still need to learn and provide an opportunity to build professional networks. It will also provide the opportunity to gain practical experience within the work environment, acquire knowledge of the field in which the internship is done, and develop and refine oral and written communication skills. MAID 709 Master’s Thesis or Project 4 Credits The project includes a study of research methods and provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their competence in applying the concepts and skills acquired during the taught part of the program. The project may be a solution to a practical problem or a piece of research. The project must be relevant to the particular award the student will receive.
