Objectives

TWA Flight 800 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island and captures world attention for weeks. Every day, the equivalent of 300 Flight 800s crash around the globe and no one much pays attention. At a rate of about 100,000 a day or 40 million a year, the poor around the world die from starvation and disease. Half of these are children. And almost all of them are found in poor or developing regions of the world. 

Poverty and disease persists in the world's rich or developed countries. But the disparities between the global haves and have-nots is stark . Whether in terms of non-renewable resources, grains, meat, fish, the developed countries consume a disproportionate share. This course focuses on such disparities: to try to understand them, to sort of how they emerged, and then to explore the complex issues surrounding efforts to address them. 

Readings
 

There are five required texts for this course: 

1. de Jesus, Carolina M, Child of the Dark, New York: Mentor, 1962. 
   
   
2. Hoy, Paula, Players and Issues in International Aid, Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press, 1998. 
   
   
3. Isbister, John, Promises Not Kept: The Betrayal of Social Change in the Third World, 4^th ed., Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press, 1995. 
   
   
4. Klitgaard, Robert, Tropical Gangsters, New York: Basic Books, 1990. 
   
   
5. O'Hanlon, Michael and Carol Graham, Half Penny on the Federal Dollar: The Future of Development Aid Washington, DC: The Bookings Institute. 

Requirements

Participation. The most important requirement is that you participate actively in class. The subject matter of this class demands that you get involved in the reading and the discussion surround it. Much of the material will seem foreign, so I invite to pose questions and help answer the questions posed by others. 

Group Assignments and Presentations. Group assignments and presentations form a significant element of this course. I recognize that working in groups complicates matters. However, developing an understanding of the power dynamics within small groups will help you better appreciate the power dynamics between peoples and countries. Group work also allow opportunities for the types of synergies implicit in development. 

There will be four group assignments, with new group composition for each assignment. All of these assignments will require some level of coordination and joint preparation, but some far more than others. Indeed, preparation for Groups Assignments 1 and 3 will need to begin within the first week of classes. 

Information on requirements and grading will be provided for each assignments. Suffice it to say that grades will be given to individuals, not groups, though group performance will be an important element in determining an individual member's grade. 

Written Assignments. There will be five written assignments, including a take-home final examination. These assignments will vary in length (2 to 5 pages) and complexity. Their aim is intended to deepen your understanding of key issues concepts through reflection and application. The deadlines for the various assignments are noted in the Course Schedule, below. 

Examination. Apart from the take-home examination, there will be no examinations in this class.
 

Evaluation

Your course grade will be based on the number of points you earn in satisfying the course requirements. There are a maximum of 800 points that can be earned, divided as follows: 
 

Requirement	Each  (points)	Total  (points)
Written Assignments 1-4	varies	200
Written Assignment 5 (Final Exam)	100	100
Group Projects 1 and 2	75	150
Group Project 3	200	200
Group Project 4	100	100
Participation	--	50
Total		800

Letter grades will be assigned depending on the total number of points earned. You will receive an A if you earn at least 720 points, a B if you earn between 640 and 719 points, a C if you earn between 560 and 639 points, and a D if you earn between 480 and 559 points. Fewer than 480 points translates into an F.