Program
Advisor: Ray Vander Zaag, Ph.D. (web page)In this interdisciplinary field of inquiry, you will be challenged to explore the causes and consequences of processes that promote some individuals, communities, and nations—and exclude others. Moreover, you will be prepared for citizenship in an increasingly interdependent global community, and be encouraged to envision paths toward a transformed, just world.
At CMU, you can study International Development Studies as a four-year major (minimum 48 credit hours), a three-year major (minimum 36 credit hours), or a minor (minimum 18 credit hours) within the Bachelor of Arts.
Go here for information about the
requirements of this program (PDF).
For specific
questions about this program, contact the Program
Advisor.
Find below a list of courses CMU offers in the field of International Development Studies. We offer the introductory course each year. Other courses are offered in a rotation so that students will have opportunity to take all the courses required by their majors or minors over the years of their studies at CMU.
Since this is an interdisciplinary major, you may take courses from various other subject fields to complete your major. For information on the other courses you can use for majors and minors in International Development Studies, see the lists within the degree program descriptions (page 29).
Courses
The following section contains a complete list of courses for its curriculum. For current course listings please see the Course Description section of our website.
IDS-1010/3 Introduction to International Development
Studies I (Formerly: 30.110/6): This course will survey the
main development issues of countries in the South—Africa,
Asia and Latin America—and developing communities in
Canada, with emphasis on issues of poverty, gender
relations, and the environment. The course examines
conceptions and theories of development and explores the
global, national, and community dynamics of development
and underdevelopment.
IDS-1020/3 Introduction to International Development
Studies II (Formerly: 30.110/6): This course will continue to
survey the main development issues of countries in the
South—Africa, Asia and Latin America—and developing
communities in Canada, with emphasis on issues of poverty,
gender relations, and the environment. The course examines
conceptions and theories of development and explores the
global, national, and community dynamics of development
and underdevelopment.
IDS-2000/3 The Project Cycle (Formerly: 30.200/3): Timelimited
projects remain an important way in which
development and other social change assistance are
delivered by non-profit agencies. The course will introduce
the elements and practices of the project cycle, from
identification and planning, through monitoring and
evaluation of project implementation, including key issues in
the project cycle, such as logical frameworks, managing for
results, participatory planning and evaluation, appreciative
approaches, and capacity building. Prerequisite: IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6 or BUSI-1000.
ECON/IDS-2010/3 Economics of Development (Formerly:
22/30.201/3): This course introduces neoclassical and
alternative economic theories relevant to understanding
various aspects of development: (i) national aspects,
including theories of growth, inequality, labour, and the role
of the state; (ii) international aspects, including theories of
finance, international financial institutions, trade and
globalization; and (iii) sub-national aspects of development,
including theories of growth linkages, micro-credit and
community economic development. Prerequisites: IDS-1020/3
or former IDS-1100/6 or both ECON-1000/3 and 1010/3.
HIST/IDS-2070/6 History of the Developing World (Formerly: 61/30.207/6): This course examines the historical
roots of development and underdevelopment, processes that have led to the emergence of the contemporary
developing world or Third World as a distinctive, though
diverse region. It surveys trends such as colonization,
industrialization, militarization and trade in the South from
the 15th to the 20th century. It investigates the ways in which
both external pressures and internal dynamics have
contributed to continuity and change in these regions.
Prerequisite: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6 or 6 credit hours of
1000 or 2000-level History. Offered primarily at Menno Simons
College.
IDS-2110/3 Participatory Local Development (Formerly:
30.210/3): The failure of large scale development efforts to
eradicate poverty in the South—Asia, Africa, and Latin
America—and developing communities in Canada has led to
a search for alternative participatory, community
development projects. This course examines historic efforts
at participatory development, including community
development and co-operative formation, and then
considers the attention given to non-governmental
organizations and grassroots movements today. Prerequisite:
30 credit hours of university-level studies, including IDS-1020/3
or former IDS-1100/6.
IDS-2131/3 Rural Development (Formerly: 30.250/3): This
course examines changes to rural society and economy in
the South—Africa, Asia, and Latin America— and rural
communities in Canada brought about historically by
colonialism and more recently through modern
development efforts. Discussion highlights the impact of
agrarian reform, technological change, and domestic
government policies on economic development and social
differentiation. Prerequisite: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6.
IDS-2171/3 Crisis, Humanitarian Aid, and Development (Formerly: 30.230/3): Today, crises threaten global human
security as never before. These crises are caused by a
complex mix of natural hazards (such as floods, earthquakes
or droughts) and human action. This course will identify the
main institutions and organizations providing humanitarian
aid, and critically examine their efforts to improve aid quality
and their own accountability. It will also explore the ways in
which humanitarian aid can help to reduce vulnerability to
crises and enhance, rather than undermine capacities for
development. Prerequisites: None, IDS- IDS-1020/3 is
recommended.
IDS-2183/3 African Development Issues (Formerly:
30.232/3): This case study course will survey a subset of the
theories, processes, policies, and practice of development
and underdevelopment in the diverse and complex context
of Africa. While exploring development problems and
possible solutions, this course will also highlight the
tremendously rich and diverse cultural, social and economic
experience of African peoples and communities. Prerequisite:
IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno
Simons College.
IDS-2184/3 Asia/Pacific Development Issues (Formerly:
30.233/3): This case study course will survey a subset of the
theories, processes, policies, and practice of development
and underdevelopment in the diverse and quickly changing
context of Asia and the Pacific Islands. Asian communities
and nations have been affected in diverse and complex ways
by the contemporary expansion and deepening of global
capitalism. Prerequisite: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6.
Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-2185/3 Latin American/Caribbean Development Issues (Formerly: 30.2340/3): This case study course will survey a
subset of the theories, processes, policies, and practice of
development and underdevelopment in the diverse and
dynamic context of Latin America and the Caribbean. People
and communities from the region have also been the source
of significant critical literature in development studies,
including Dependency Theory and Liberation Theology.
Prerequisite: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6. Offered primarily
at Menno Simons College.
IDS-2310/3 Topics in International Development Studies
(Formerly: 30.231/3): This course presents an in-depth view
of a particular problem of development in the South. The
case study method will be adopted to explore the complexity
of the issue in real settings utilizing both theoretical and
applied concepts. Prerequisite IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6.
IDS-2350/3 Indigenous People and the Industrial State (Formerly: 30.235/3): The course considers the situation of
indigenous peoples in the regions of Africa, the Americas,
Asia, and the Pacific. While these people have distinct cultural
histories, their relations to nation-states are similar in
important ways. Tensions between indigenous people and
the industrial state centre on such issues as external market
dependency, diversification, and size of the government
sector. Students will critique standard definitions of progress
and efficiency. The implications of contemporary industrial
development projects for the future of human societies are
studied within the framework of the primal insights, values,
and definitions shared by indigenous peoples throughout
the globe. Prerequisites IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6 or
ANTH-1610/3. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.
PCTS/IDS-2443/3 Conflict and Development Issues in
Indigenous Communities (Formerly: 20/30.251/3): Within
the broad framework of international development and
conflict transformation studies, this course explores the
dynamics of indigenous communities globally, with special
reference to the Canadian context. Processes of
marginalization and underdevelopment will be presented in
order to understand indigenous communities’ social,
economic and political situation. Prerequisites: either PCTS-
1010/3 and 1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 or IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-2521/3 Study of Voluntary Simplicity (Formerly:
30.252/3): Within International Development Studies,
development is increasingly understood as a participatory,
deliberate process aimed at enhancing the quality of life for
individuals within community. This course examines the
concept, theory, and practice of voluntary simplicity as a
means of development for individuals seeking alternatives to
consumer values and culture. The course explores both the
historical roots of voluntary simplicity and its modern
expressions, with special emphasis on the relevance of simplicity to building emotional well-being, vibrant
community, sustainable environment, and social justice.
IDS-2950/3 Topics in International Development Studies (Formerly: 30.295/3): The content of this course will vary
from year to year, depending on the needs of students and
the interests and availability of instructors. Prerequisite: IDS-
1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6.
HIST/IDS-3020/3 History of Globalization (Formerly:
61/30.302/3): This seminar course will explore what history
contributes to our understanding of globalization and look at
some of the ways historians have approached globalization. It
will survey changing forms of globalization, including non-
Western aspects of globalization, over the last millennium.
Prerequisites: 30 credit hours of university-level studies,
including either IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6 or 6 credit
hours of 1000-level history. Offered primarily at Menno Simons
College.
IDS-3101/3 Development Ethics (Formerly: 30.320/3): This
course will reflect in a systematic way on the ethical
questions posed by development theory, planning, and
practice. It will introduce frameworks for ethical decisionmaking
in development. The course will use case studies to
explore questions like: How are decisions about goals of
development made? How are the costs of development
distributed? What are acceptable means in planned
development activity, and who has the right to engage in this
activity? How far do answers to such questions differ
between cultures and ideologies, and is agreement on these
answers either possible or desirable? Prerequisites: IDS-1020/3
or former IDS-1100/6 or permission of the instructor. Offered
primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-3111/3 An Analysis of Development Aid Policy (Formerly: 30.311/3): This course explores ideology, debates,
policies, and program of macro development agencies. The
course begins with an examination of the ideology of
neoliberalism and the policies of structural adjustment and
considers how these affect the South. This is followed by an
analysis of the principal actors of macro development and an
examination of important issues within the donor
community, e.g., poverty and gender imbalance, economic
growth and environmental degradation. Prerequisite: 30 credit
hours of university-level studies, including IDS-1020/3 or former
IDS-1100/6.
IDS-3160/3 Cultural Perspectives on Global Processes (Formerly: 30.331/3): The focus of this course is threefold.
First, it seeks to apply cultural perspectives on ‘global scale
theory.’ Second, we will discern the linkages among some of
the main processes at work in ‘global systems.’ Main
processes include communications, transportation,
migration, capital, manufacture of export goods, non-state
political organizations, and environmental and human health
research. The emphasis will be on how two or more of these
interact. Third, we will discuss the effects of these processes
in local and regional contexts. The specific processes and
their salient interrelationships will be chosen in response to
interests of those taking the course, and will be developed
by group reading and discussion, and individually in term
paper projects. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of university-level
studies, including IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6. Offered
primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-3901/3 Humanitarian Aid and Conflict (Formerly:
30.312/3): This course addresses the nature of contemporary
armed conflicts and the role they play in generating complex
emergencies, and debates about the effectiveness and
appropriateness of different kinds of aid. Models of
humanitarian aid provision that minimize negative impacts,
through analysis of aid’s impact on the conflict and its
effectiveness at meeting human needs, will be explored.
Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of university-level studies, including
IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6. Offered primarily at Menno
Simons College.
IDS/PCTS-3920/3 Action Research Methods (Formerly:
30/20.352/3): Students will investigate research and field
methods used by researchers and practitioners in
community settings. Participants will reflect on the ethics,
values, ideologies, and constraints influencing the
researcher. Major assignments provide basic skills needed to
design and conduct action-oriented research, for example
theory-building; questionnaires; interviewing; life histories;
focus groups, participatory learning, and post-field work
activities. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of university-level
studies, including IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6. Offered
primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-3950/3 Topics in International Development Studies (Formerly: 30.395/3): The content of this course will vary
from year to year, depending on the needs of students and
the interests and availability of instructors. Prerequisite: 30
credit hours of university-level study, including IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6.
IDS-4100/3 Senior Seminar in International
Development Studies (Formerly: 30.412/3): Students will
examine the construction and application of development
theory within the community, meso, and global contexts.
Participants will examine cultural, social, material, and political
processes of successful and unsuccessful development.
World Systems Theory and literature at the micro level,
including Amartya Sen’s entitlement approach and the
growing literature on resistance and transformation, e.g.,
James Scott and David Korten may be examined. Prerequisites:
IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/3, IDS-2110/3, 3111/3, and at least
3 credit hours of IDS related practicum. Offered primarily at
Menno Simons College.
IDS-4110/6 Development Theory (Formerly: 30.415/6): This
honours seminar will take an interdisciplinary approach to the
study of theories that have shaped the conceptualization and
practice of development around the world. This will include
critical attention to the nature of development theory, the
processes through which theory is generated, and the
context in which different theories have emerged and in
which some became dominant. The seminar will focus on
current versions of general development theories such as
modernization, structuralism, Marxism, dependency,
neoclassical and neoliberal, alternative development, and
post-development. Examples of current theories that address key development issues will also be covered.
Prerequisites: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6,2110/3, 3111/3,
3101/3, and a practicum relating to IDS, or permission of the
instructor. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-4120/3 Honours Thesis (Formerly: 30.416/3): Students
in this course will plan and carry out an original research
project related to International Development Studies. This
research project will result in the writing and oral
presentation of an honours thesis whose length and format
will be based on standards for submission to a scholarly
journal. Students will also engage in consultation with a
research advisor and participate in collegial support
processes for their research project. Note: Students are
strongly encouraged to complete their research requirements
for the IDS Honours program before enrolling in this course.
Prerequisites: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6, 2110/3, 3111/3,
3101/3, and a practicum relating to IDS, or permission of the
instructor. Offered primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-4130/3 Mennonite Community and Development (Formerly: 30.413/3): Students are challenged to analyze the
Mennonite experience in service and peace work. The
objective is to highlight values and techniques that
distinguish a unique approach. Speakers and literature
describing the work of the Mennonite Central Committee
and Mennonite Economic Development Agency and of
ecumenical groups such as the Canadian Foodgrains Bank
provide examples for reflection and analysis. Prerequisite: 30
credit hours of university-level studies, including IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6.
IDS/INTG-4140/3 Religion and Development (Formerly:
30.414/3): This course will examine the links between
religion and development, both philosophically and
empirically. It will provide an analysis of particular Christian,
Islamic and Buddhist understandings and approaches to
development, as well as several other faith-based
approaches, depending on student interests. It will examine
the role and ethics of faith-based NGOs in development
assistance, and investigate how development agents can
design interventions that appropriately relate to the religious
belief systems that underlie local knowledge in such areas as
agriculture, health, and social organization. Prerequisite: 30
credit hours of university-level studies, including IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6.
PCTS/IDS-4910/3 Conflict and the Construction of the Other (Formerly: 20.450/3): This seminar addresses a central
question raised in postcolonial theory about the way humans
construct and maintain an understanding of the Other. We
ask the question, “Have scholars found the idea of the Other
useful as a synthesizing concept?” This problem-based,
interdisciplinary seminar considers particular sites of struggle
in cultural, social and individual contexts. Finally, we ask about
the implications of this inquiry for our cultural, social and
individual circumstances. Prerequisites: either PCTS-1010/3 and
1020/3 or former PCTS-1100/6 and 3100/3; or IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6, 2110/3, and 3111/3.
IDS-4920 Program Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (Formerly: 30/44.451/3): Planning, monitoring and evaluation
are essential parts of the process of intervention. Students
are introduced to theory and application of planning
techniques and processes. Participants review alternative
approaches emerging from choices among different forms
of knowledge, analysis, practice and action. Assignments
provide opportunities to exercise skills needed for project
design and implementation. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours of
university-level studies, including IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-
1100/6 for IDS students or BUSI-2020/3 and 2030/3 for students
in Business and Organizational Administration. Offered
primarily at Menno Simons College.
IDS-4940 Independent Study in IDS (Formerly: 30.494/3): A
study in a specific area of IDS under the direction of a faculty
member. Prerequisite: IDS-1020/3 or former IDS-1100/6, and a
minimum of 60 credit hours of post-secondary education.
IDS-4950/3 Topics in International Development Studies (Formerly: 30.495/3): The content of this course will vary
from year to year, depending on the needs of students and
the interests and availability of instructors. Prerequisite: 30
credit hours of university-level study, including IDS-1020/3 or
former IDS-1100/6.
Note on Courses in International Development Studies at
Menno Simons College—It may be advantageous or necessary
for a student majoring in International Development Studies at
CMU (Shaftesbury campus) to complete some courses at
Menno Simons College (on the University of Winnipeg campus).
Some of the courses listed above are offered primarily at
Menno Simons College.
