PA 5561 Spring 2016
Gender and International Development (3 credits)
It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world. Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Women 1792
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30-3:45
Blegen 210
Professor: Greta Friedemann-Sánchez
Office: Humphrey Center 267
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00-5:00 pm and by appointment
Email:
Phone: 612-625-4747
Overview
International development is gendered. That means that women and men are affected differently by international, national and local public policies that address different aspects of the development (poverty of education, of health, of income, of assets, of social support, of political participation, of access to environmental resources). It also means that women and men participate differentially in the policy formulation and the policy implementation process. Furthermore, gender is constructed, resisted, and renegotiated in the development process. In this course students will explore development policy from a gender sensitive perspective. Specifically we will cover the historical and political context of how the approach known as Women in Development (WID) originated and how it transformed through the years into Gender and Development (GAD). We will also explore women’s rights as human rights by studying international conventions that address the rights of women and their increasing importance in the context of gender and development. Importantly, we will study current debates regarding men and masculinities in the GAD movement. This analytical frame throughout the course, we will examine the lives of women and men in the Global South. We will examine the role of theory and measurement; the role of international, national, and local stakeholders; and the local and individual effects of various topics of development including paid and unpaid labor, violence, financial services, agriculture and food security, and ownership of land and housing.
Learning objectives
By the end of the course students should be able to:
· Understand the importance of theory and measurement in policy formulation and implementation.
· Recognize and understand the importance of gender analysis in the context of development theory, policy, and implementation.
· Analyze and discuss the social construction of gender and its implications for development policy formulation.
· Characterize gender-based inequalities in human capabilities around the world and their determinants.
· Identify a set of policies that address context specific gender-based inequalities.
· Develop the analytical skills to sort context specific (one size does not fit all) and gender specific (there is no such thing as gender neutral) development challenges.
Course structure, requirements and grading
Class meetings
Our class meetings will be structured in seminar style primarily. When needed, brief lecture sections at each class meeting will provide enough background information to contextualize the readings. It is vital that you do the reading on time since we will explore the material through discussions.
Class participation: Elements of class participation include speaking during class. Attendance, preparing before class by reading the material and students’ posting, listening to others, and respect for your classmates are fundamental to taking any course and being to actively participate, thus they do not count toward the participation grade. We will be discussing the readings and material presented during class so that students can deepen their own understanding of the subject. The purpose of the discussions is to examine and evaluate the different topics presented. Class participants are encouraged to enter into debates that challenge ideas! Just remember to keep the conversation respectful by listening, clarifying your understanding of issues, by keeping your questions to the ideas and by not engaging in personal criticism. Do participate, do not expect other students to “cover the crater of silence,” if you don’t understand the material, say so, please. Ask a question! Asking also counts as participating. Do not doubt yourself: participate! The material is engaging: participate! Engaging is to make and re-make the world: participate! Everyone is expected to participate in class discussions which will count for 20% of the grade.
A note on attendance: Missing classes and/or being late regularly will lower your class participation grade, regardless of whether you learn the material or not. (Exception: regular lateness because of dashing from another class – if you inform me at the beginning of the semester.) Please contact me – before class – if you are ill and cannot attend.
Leading class
You will be leading class five times in the semester. This means that you be in charge of the discussion and the flow of the class. I will model in the beginning of the class and provide pointers on how to lead. You may be a lead on the topic you have chosen for your paper.
Individual Assignment
You will be assigned to read, synthesize and critique 4 essays on the topic of masculinities during week 10. We will choose as a group what articles or books to cover. I will provide the parameters of the essay during class. You will provide a written report of your assignment and a 20 minute presentation of the topics. The essay will count for 20% of the grade.
Final research paper and presentation
My goal with the final research paper and presentation is to foment the integration of students’ interests with the class material, to think critically about the issues of the course and to present their explorations to the class. We will divide the class into groups. Each group will choose a country or region of interest, a topic from the syllabus that is of interest, and write a research paper on the policies such region has on the topic selected. You will present research results to the entire class. This is a policy school, in an effort to prepare you for the future, please prepare both your paper and presentations as if this were a professional presentation. This means using this presentation as if it were a job interview or a professional presentation: having proper dress, handouts if any ready for audience, power point if it fits the topic. What will help your audience better understand your presentation? Having several people present or have one spoke person? Having one presenter and one person who answers questions from the audience? Dividing topic presentations among team members? Regardless of who presents, your group will be graded as a team. Each group member will fill out a peer-evaluation form which I will take into account when assigning the individual grade for the paper. I will also provide feedback on paper and on presentation, the later which will make your job interview easier. Final research paper, presentation, and peer-evaluation will count for 40% of the grade. Note that if you miss a colleague’s presentation, you and your group will be deducted 10 points, out of 100 points possible for the entire course.
You will notice that the syllabus has two parts: foundations and topics. The papers will be developed based on the topics. So, think about this part of the syllabus as flexible. There are a few topics that are critical right now for gender equity: violence against women (by partner, by society, by stranger), the care economy, paid labor, and assets. We can cover just one of those or all of them. There are a few books on masculinities that we will be covering in part with the individual assignment, but if one of you is interested in doing a paper on masculinities, then we can change the syllabus and have more readings on the topic. My hope is that we can decide by consensus. There are other topics I have not included in the syllabus, like microcredit, financial services, agriculture and food security, conditional cash transfers, or queer-related disparities. We will go over possible topics that may interest you and we will adjust the syllabus and flow of the class accordingly.
Grades
Class Participation 20 points
Leading Discussions 20 points (4 points each session; 4x5=20)
Essay 20 points (presentation of chapters and essay combined)
Final Paper 35 points
Presentation 5 points
The University of Minnesota defines the meaning of grades as following: A is for achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements, B represents achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements, C represents achievement that meets the basic course requirements, D represents work that is worthy of credit even though it does not fully meet the basic course requirements in every respect, and F is for work that falls sufficiently short of meeting the requirements of the course that it does not merit credit. I grade according to these definitions.
Academic integrity
Academic integrity is the pillar of teaching and learning. Students are expected to complete the assignments with honesty. Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own, can result in disciplinary action. The University Student Conduct Code defines scholastic dishonesty as follows:
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY: submission of false records of academic achievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing; altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement. Within this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a penalty up to an including an "F" or "N" for the course. If you have any questions regarding the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, please ask. I will be more than happy to discuss the elements and expectations at length.
Incompletes
This course follows the Humphrey School’s policy regarding incompletes. An incomplete will only be granted after the Professor and the student have mutually agreed upon a timetable (written contract) for completion of coursework. An incomplete must be requested in advance, and the Humphrey Institute incompletes form must be filled out. The form is on-line at:
http://www.hhh.umn.edu/img/assets/11160/Incomplete%20form.pdf
Disabilities
It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact their instructor early in the semester to discuss their individual needs for accommodations.
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University of Minnesota services are available to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus. Please go to http://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu
Required readings
Most readings are available electronically. A few are located in the course website. Most readings listed in the syllabus are required. If you would like additional readings, let me know, I can provide a list.
Gender specific websites
International Center for Research on Women http://www.icrw.org/
· Gender and Climate Change: http://www.gendercc.net/metanavigation/home.html
· Micro-enterprise: http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php
· Association for Women’s Rights in Development http://www.awid.org/About-AWID/Our-Members
· International Center for Research on Women http://www.icrw.org/
· The Girls Effect http://www.girleffect.org/
· https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/cedaw.htm
General Development websites
· The Center for Global Development http://www.cgdev.org/
· Helping to Enhance the Livelihood of People Around the Globe Commission
http://helpcommission.gov/
· Share the World’s Resources: www.stwr.org
· International Development Research Centre: http://www.idrc.ca/index_en.html
· The World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/
· Inter-American Development Bank http://www.iadb.org/
· Food Policy Research Institute http://www.fpri.org/
· Redefining Progress http://www.rprogress.org/sustainability_indicators/genuine_progress_indicator.htm
· United Nations Development Programme http://www.undp.org/mdg/basics.shtml
· United Nations Refugee Agency http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home
· Pan American Health Organization http://www.paho.org/english/mdg/cpo_origins.asp
Communication
My preference is to communicate with students by phone or in person. My office hours are Tuesdays and Thursday from 11:15-12:15. If this time does not work we can find an alternative time. Please e-mail Donna Kern at to schedule or call me.
Weekly Reading Schedule
If possible read the selections in the order listed. If you want more readings on a topic, please let me know.
FOUNDATIONS
Week 1
Wednesday, January 20
Introduction and Defining Development: What is development and who says what development is?
Read PA5561 Syllabus – yes, every line.
Trebilcock, Michael and Mariana Mota Pardo. 2014. Law and Development. Cheltenham: Elgar. Chapter 1 (defining development) and 2 (determinants of development).
In class: Discuss topics for paper
Week 2
Monday, January 25
Kabeer, Naila. 2007. "Marriage, Motherhood, and Masculinity in the Global South." in Mapping Global Inequalities. Santa Cruz: Center for Global, International and Regional Studies, UC Santa Cruz. Read Up to page 13 (sections 1 and 2)
Sen, Amartya. 1999. (2000 ed). Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books.
Chapter 1, 2, 4
Wednesday January 27
Human Development and Human Rights
UNDP. 2000. Human Development Report. Human Rights and Human Development. New York and Oxford. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Chapter 1”Human Rights and Human development” and chapter 2 “Struggles for Human Freedoms.”
available at http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2000/
Cornwall, Andrea and Celestine Nyamu‐Musembi. 2004. "Putting the ‘rights‐based approach’ to development into perspective." Third World Quarterly 25:1415-1437.
Week 3
Monday, February 1
Household Models
Optional, available in resources Ferber, Marianne. 2004. Feminist Critique of the Neoclassical Theory of the Family. In Women, Family and Work: Writings on the Economics of Gender. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Pp 9-23
Doss, Cheryl. 2013. Intrahousehold Bargaining and Resource Allocation in Developing Contries. Research Observer, The World Bank. 28 (1):52-78.
World Development Report 2012. Gender Equality and Development. Overview: 2-44. DC: The World Bank.
Wednesday, February 3
Elson, Diane. 2011. "Economics of a Post-Crisis World. Putting Social Justice First." Pp. 1-20 in Harvesting Feminist Knowledge for Public Policy, edited by Devaki Jain and Diane Elson. Los Angeles: Sage.