International Development in an African Context

Catalog description

This course looks at international development from an African perspective and discusses the prospects for African economic growth in the 21st Century. With an understanding of historical events that have shaped the political and social landscape of modern day Africa, the economic potential of African nations will be discussed in detail. Utilizing success stories, the course introduces economic, business, social, and political issues that confront developing countries in Africa, along with solutions that have been proposed or are in use to address various development challenges. This course will provide students with the opportunity to learn first-hand about international development issues. It will introduce students to definitions of international development terms, data on international development, measures of development and development indices, as well as leading issues in International development. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the course explores some of the key development issues in sub-Saharan Africa, examines empirical findings to better understand Africa and its nations, and reviews the prospects for successful international business in this emerging growth market. Cases studies focus on successful economic growth that have emerged out of Africa and what how these successes are laying the groundwork for future international business opportunities. As such, the various components of the course are designed to promote the student's abilities to: -Describe and analyze social, economic, political elements that influence development in African countries. Students will learn that development problems, while often measured in economic terms, are multi-faceted and interrelated, thereby learn to appreciate that meaningful analysis and problem solving in international development must include different components. -Identify and analyze specific global issues, illustrating the social, economic and political context that may affect their resolution. Students will have the opportunity to experience the different facets of international development and participate, in a limited way, in efforts to address the issues.