MD526 Development in Local and Global Contexts (4 units)

Dr Kirsteen Kim, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Transformational Development

Summer 2007 Pasadena

DESCRIPTION:

Despite the strength of religious impulses toward personal and societal transformation, the importance of issues of faith in international development is only just being recognized. In this context, the course considers perspectives on development from different Christian traditions, and discusses global and local initiatives by Christians toward international development goals. Through concrete examples drawn from India, Korea, and other contexts, it aims to make constructive links between Christian visions and development goals.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Upon completing this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of perspectives on development from different Christian traditions.
2. In the context of contemporary interest in the relationship between religions and development, give examples of global and local initiatives in development by Christians of different traditions.
3. Explain to a secular audience how Christian movements can be vehicles of social transformation.

COURSE FORMAT:

This is a one-week intensive course that will meet from 8:30am-4.30pm daily. The program will include lectures, discussion in plenary and small groups, and group work leading to presentations.

REQUIRED READING: If you have previously read any of the required texts, please select an alternative text from the recommended reading list or a book approved by the instructor.

Read at least 1300 pages from no less than 3 of the following books. The edited works include contributions from a diversity of authors, including female and non-Western authors

1. Allen, T. and Thomas, A. (eds.) Poverty and development into the twenty-first century. Oxford: Oxford University Press and The Open University, 2000.
2. Belshaw, D., Calderisi, R., and Sugden, C. (eds.) Faith in development. Oxford: Regnum, 2001.
3. Freston, P. Evangelicals and politics in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Cambridge: CUP, 2001.
4. Hughes, D. A. and Bennett, M. God of the Poor, Carlisle: OM Publishing, 1998.
5. Knitter, P. and Muzaffar, C. (eds.) Subverting greed: religious perspectives on the global economy. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002.
6. Taylor, M. (ed.) Christianity, poverty and wealth. London: SPCK, 2003.
7. Thomas, Scott M. The global resurgence of religion and the transformation of international relations. New York: PalgraveMacmillan, 2005.

RECOMMENDED READING

The following web-based resources will provide valuable background material for this course:

1. UN millennium development goals, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
2. Universal declaration of human rights, http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
3. World Bank, http://www.worldbank.org/. Click on ‘About’ and then ‘Projects’

4. Religions and Development Research Programme, University of Birmingham, http://www.rad.bham.ac.uk/. Especially pages on ‘Resources’ and ‘Publications’
5. Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, http://www.lausanne.org/. Click on ‘Documents’. See especially, the Lausanne Covenant, Manila Manifesto, and the Occasional Paper on the Lausanne Covenant
6. The Holy See. See Wikipedia for a summary of Catholic social teaching, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_social_teaching. Curran, C. E. (2002) Catholic social teaching, 1891-present. Washington DC, Georgetown University Press is also highly recommended.
7. World Council of Churches’ criticism of economic globalization, http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/jpc/globalization.html
8. CAFOD – see pages on policy and issues relating to international development http://www.cafod.org.uk/policy_and_analysis
9. Christian Aid – see especially the reports pages, http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/indepth/index.htm
10. Tearfund – see the International Learning Zone, http://tilz.tearfund.org/ and the Micah Network’s academic cluster, http://en.micahnetwork.org/home/academic_cluster

Further library resources for different topics will be indicated during the course.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. A short presentation comparing Christian initiatives in development from at least three local contexts in different parts of the world; to be prepared and delivered as part of a small group.
2. A 3,500-word paper on one aspect of Christian involvement in or reflection on international development, which demonstrates what the student has learnt from this course and shows that s/he has engaged constructively with wider resources related to the topic.

3. ThM Students should also submit critical reviews (2,000-3,000 words) comparing two books relating to international development that emerge from different traditions within Christianity.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

PREREQUISITE: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.

Last Date Edited: 15 April 2007