Uneven Development: Listening to the 'South', Listening to Vancouver

REVISED as of September 29, 2009

Geog 362: Geography of Development
University of British Columbia
September – December 2009
M, W, F – 1-2 pm, room 212
Sara Koopman
sara.koopman@geog.ubc.ca
all e-mail must have geog 362 at the beginning of the subject line
e-mail will be answered within 48 hours, not available by phone

office hours:
in class: 10 minutes before class starts, and 30 minutes after class,
or by appointment

Teaching Assistant (marker):
Elliot Siemiatycki, esiemiat@interchange.ubc.ca

Class Goals:

• Change the way you see the world around you, and your role in it. Have a better sense of how you want the world around you to change, and the role that you want to play in creating the change.

• Grasp key concepts, the work they do, and the work that goes into shaping them.

• Gain study, technical, and communication skills that will serve you in school, work, and life.

• Serve the community as public knowledge producers.

Class Space:

This is something that we are all responsible for making. Together we can create a space that is welcoming, safe and challenging, where we all offer each other respect and dignity.

Class Texts:

Making development geography by Vicky Lawson, 2007
De-colonizing development by Joel Wainwright, 2008
Profits of extermination by Francisco Ramírez Cuellar, 2005
Dictionary of Human Geography by Derek Gregory, et. al., 2009 (You will probably only want to buy this one if you are a geography major. Be sure to get the 5th edition that just came out).

— All for sale in the bookstore, on reserve in Koerner, and on reserve in the GIC —

Class Schedule: readings, etc. listed directly below the class when due

(SUBJECT TO CHANGE in both content and dates)
1: September 9: intro
• Read syllabus

2: September 11
• Hannah, M., 2005. Representation/Reality. Questioning Geography: Fundamental Debates, 151. (GIC)
• Download zotero (at zotero.org). We will go over how to use it in class.

3: September 14
• Painter, J. & Jeffrey, A., 2009. Political Geography 2nd ed., Sage. chapter on imperialism – 23 p. (GIC)
• Gallaher, C. et al., 2008. Key Concepts in Political Geography, Sage Publications Ltd. : Imperialism/Colonialism – 5 p. (GIC)
• Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford reference (http://toby.library.ubc.ca/resources/infopage.cfm?id=672) and wiki definitions of imperialism AND colonialism

4: September 16
• Said, E., 2007. Orientalism. Race And Racialization: Essential Readings (GIC)
• Sharp, D.J., 2008. Geographies of Postcolonialism, Sage. Chapter 1, on orientalism (GIC)
• Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of orientalism

5: September 18
• Hall, S., 2007. The West and the rest: Discourse and power. Race And Racialization: Essential Readings, 56. (GIC)
• Bonnett, A., 2008. Whiteness and the West. New Geographies of Race and Racism, 17 (GIC)
• Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of the west

6: September 21
• Sharp, D.J., 2008. Geographies of Postcolonialism, chapter 6: Can the Subaltern Speak? (GIC)
• Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of subaltern

7: September 23
• Mbembe, A., 2008. What is postcolonial thinking? – An interview with Achille
• Mbembe. Eurozine. www.eurozine.com/articles/2008-01-09-mbembe-en.html
• Radcliffe, S.A., 2005. Development and geography: towards a postcolonial development geography? Progress in Human Geography, 29(3), 291-298. (online)
• Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of postcolonialism

8: September 25
• Power, M., 2006. Anti-racism, deconstruction and ‘overdevelopment’. Progress in Development Studies, 6(1), 24-39. (online)
• Determine your eco-footprint at myfootprint.org/ (which assumes you own a car) AND at
www.earthday.net/footprint/ – bring your scores to class
• Dictionary of Human Geography (DHG) and wiki definitions of overdevelopment/overconsumption

9: September 28
• Lawson, V., 2007. Making Development Geography, chapter 1
• Optional: DHG and wiki definitions of development

10: September 30
• Lawson, V., 2007. Making Development Geography, chapter 2
• Optional: DHG and wiki definitions of underdevelopment

11: October 2
NO READING (start on next chapters and choose wiki term and ‘NGO’ by today)

12: October 5
• Lawson, V., 2007. Making Development Geography, chapter 3
• Optional: Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of marxism

13: October 7
• Lawson, V., 2007. Making Development Geography, chapter 4
• Optional: Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of feminism

14: October 9
• Lawson, V., 2007. Making Development Geography, chapter 5
• Optional: Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of post-structuralism

October 12: Thanksgiving. No class.

15: October 14
• Lawson, V., 2007. Making Development Geography, chapter 6 (tiny)
• Sheppard, E. & Nagar, R., 2004. From East-West to North-South. Antipode, 36(4), 557-563. (online)

16: October 16
• Lilley, S., 1919. Sasha Lilley, “On Neoliberalism: An Interview with David Harvey”. Monthly Review. Available at: http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/lilley190606.html
• Optional: El fisgon, cartoon definition of neoliberalism, p. 66-99 (GIC)
• Optional: Gallaher, C. et al., 2008. Key Concepts in Political Geography, Sage Publications Ltd. : neoliberalism (GIC)
• Optional: Dictionary of Human Geography and wiki definitions of neoliberalism

17: October 19
• Harvey, D., 2006. Spaces of Global Capitalism: A Theory of Uneven Geographical Development, Verso. : chapter 3: Notes toward a theory of uneven geographical development (GIC) (first half of chapter)
• Dictionary of Human Geography, Oxford and wiki definitions of uneven development

18: October 21
• Harvey, D., 2006. Spaces of Global Capitalism: A Theory of Uneven Geographical Development, Verso. : chapter 3: Notes toward a theory of uneven geographical development (GIC) (second half of chapter)

19: October 23 (Wikipedia entry due BEFORE class)
Midterm prep

20: October 26
• Painter, J. & Jeffrey, A., 2009. Political Geography 2nd ed., Sage. chapter on geopolitics (GIC)

21: October 28: MIDTERM

22: October 30
• Cuellar, F.R., 2005. The Profits of Extermination: Big Mining in Colombia, Common Courage Press. (first half)

23: November 2
• Cuellar, F.R., 2005. The Profits of Extermination: Big Mining in Colombia, Common Courage Press. (second half)

24: November 4
• Agro-fuel readings to be determined + agro-fuels brochure (handout)

25: November 6 (guest speakers: Guatemalan Coffee Cooperative leaders visiting Vancouver)
• Mare, A.L., 2008. The Impact of Fair Trade on Social and Economic Development: A Review of the Literature. Geography Compass, 2(6), 1922-1942. (online)

26: November 9
• Billon, P.L., 2007. Geographies of War: Perspectives on ‘Resource Wars’. Geography Compass, 1(2), 163-182. (online)

November 11: Remembrance day. No class.

27: November 13
• Wainwright, J., 2008. Decolonizing Development, chapter 2

28: November 16:
• Wainwright, J., 2008. Decolonizing Development, chapter 3

29: November 18:
• Wainwright, J., 2008. Decolonizing Development, chapter 4

30: November 20: Guest taught (Sara at the vigil to close the School of the Americas)
• Robinson, J., 2004. Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development. Ecological Economics, 48(4), 369-384. (online)

31: November 23
• Koopman, S. 2008. Imperialism within: can the master’s tools bring down empire? Acme: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies 7(2):283–307 (online)

32: November 25
• Mohan, G., 2007. Participatory Development: From Epistemological Reversals to Active Citizenship. Geography Compass, 1(4), 779-796. (online)
• Optional: Dictionary of Human Geography and wiki definitions of participatory development

33: November 27
no reading: Grameen bank movie in class

34: November 30
all class microcredit debate
take your pick of these online readings. Do at least an hour and a half of reading and relevant internet cruising, and be sure to read some pro, some con – you may be asked to argue either side. I am specifying some critiques because they are somewhat harder to come by.

General:
• A good place to start is this overview and history www.kbyutv.org/smallfortunes/overview/
• (that site also has a link to ‘issues and debates’)
• http://www.grameenfoundation.org/
• Microfinance gateway http://www.microfinancegateway.org/p/site/m/
• And their http://www.cgap.org/p/site/c/template.rc/1.26.1306/

Critiques:
• limits of microcredit – a bangladesh case http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2351
• Forbes http://www.forbes.com/global/2006/1113/026.html
• Dollars and Sense http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2006/1106feinerbarker.html
• Counterpunch http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn10202006.html
• The Nation, Walden Bello http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061030/bello
• New Yorker www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2008/03/17/080317ta_talk_surowiecki#editorsnote
• Very short critique of online lending in particular at http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/1721
• (you could also spend some time looking at the online direct microlending sites they cite)

Video:
• (we may watch some of the GIC held film microcredit for women: the story of the grameen bank HG3290.6 .A8 W66 2006 V.1-2 but if you are inspired you could watch the whole thing instead of, or as well as, reading)

35: December 2
• Bebbington, A., 2004. NGOs and uneven development: geographies of development intervention. Progress in Human Geography, 28(6), 725-745. (online)

36: December 4: last class
• Bosco, F.J., 2007. Hungry Children and Networks of Aid in Argentina: Thinking About Geographies of Responsibility and Care. Children’s Geographies, 5(1), 55 (online)

Assignments:

1: Wikipedia: due October 21. 15%
2: Vlog: rolling due date, see below. 10%
3: Reading notes: due every class, collected on 5 random days. 25%
4: Midterm: October 28. 20%
5: Paper: due December 3 AND December 10. 30%

1. Wikipedia: due October 21. 15%

Become more critical users of Wikipedia. Gain a sense of what makes for a good entry, and good sources. You will work on one entry on a topic related to the class that no one else in class is working on. Run the entry by me for approval before working on it. The sooner you pick an entry to work on, the better the pickings will be and the more time you will have to think about and futz with it.

You are to add at least 5 different references, seven new paragraphs (these can be short, but a minimum of two sentences per paragraph), and make other edits to the existing entry. You can do this all at once or bit by bit, which will give you a chance to see how other users and editors react to your changes.

You can also choose to do this in pairs and share the same grade (working well with one other person is just as useful a skill as working in groups). In that case I will expect twice as much.

Make all edits by October 21 at the latest and send an email with ”geog 362 wikipedia assignment“ in the subject line. Detail what changes you made, with links, and, if relevant, how they were received by other editors.

How to link to version(s) you modified (rather than one with other edits): http://www.profhacker.com/2009/08/10/two-quick-points-about-wikipedia/

Wikipedia content criteria
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About#Wikipedia_content_criteria

Potential topics: any we have read in class, or other such as

Anti-geopolitics
Agro-fuel/Biodiesel
Coffee
Gold
Sustainable development
Fair Trade
Participatory development
Partnership
Solidarity

2. Vlog: Uneven Development: Listening to the South: 10%

https://blogs.ubc.ca/unevendevelopment

This vlog is a space for listening to voices that are less likely to be heard in a class on development held in the global North. This is a space for listening to stories, opinions, and analysis by/in/with peoples of the global South (broadly defined) on the issues we are discussing in class. You are required to find and post one video, along with a brief summary (1 paragraph) and commentary (2-3 paragraphs) that relates the video to our class readings and/or discussions. Since we have a large class, this will mean a lot of posts! To keep the blog active over time, we will not post more than twice a day. Posting early not only means it will be easier to find videos, but your entry simply will not count if you wait until the end and put it up on a day when there have already been two posts. The last day of class will be the last day of posts. You are also required to comment on at least three other posts. You might start by looking for videos at witness.org. You can also do searches in youtube, vimeo, etc. Be sure to look over the related videos that appear on the side.

If you speak another language you are especially encouraged to post a video in that language. If you find a great video that is not subtitled you can post it along with a more detailed summary of the content in English (2-3 paragraphs).

It would be great if our vlog also attracted readers and commenters from outside of the class. You can help make this happen by linking to it and/or sharing good entries on your own blogs, myspace, facebook, etc.. I also encourage you to set up your own RSS subscription to our blog (if you don’t know how to do this read the wikipedia entry on RSS).

This is also a space for listening to each other on video. Class groups will post their videos here on how uneven development shapes greater Vancouver. [this assignment was CANCELLED]

Before the last day of class send an email with ”geog 362 vlog assignment“ in the subject line. Send a link to your original post, any comments you made on other posts, and your group video post.

3. Reading notes: 25%

Learn how to take good notes that summarize a reading and respond to it critically (a skill you will need in most any job). Develop a great resource for the test and assignments. Keep yourself on top of the reading so that you can fully participate in class and do not have to study twice as hard to make sense of things later.

Bring reading notes to EVERY class. These do not have to be formal, or even grammatical. They can be in any format and any style, from one paragraph to one page. You are encouraged throughout the semester to take notes on how each reading relates to your definition, video and NGO. These are meant to help you prepare your other assignments. You will regularly be asked to share these with classmates and learn from each other’s analyses and styles. You will be asked to turn these in on five random days throughout the semester. If you do not have a printout with you, you will be expected to email them DURING class, so either have a printout to share, or have it on your screen. You will be graded not on the brilliance of your analysis, but simply on having done them and on clearly having done the reading (beyond the abstract).

4: Midterm: October 28. 20%

We will discuss in class what to expect and how to prepare.

5: Video: [this assignment has been CANCELLED]

In groups of 5 or 6, organized more or less by neighbourhood, you will make a short (3 to 5 minute) video about uneven development and how it shapes your community. You are encouraged to work through script ideas using collaborative writing, in person and/or on google documents or etherpad. A flip video camera is available for loan. The short video capacities of many digital cameras will also serve. Free editing software is available at *. I suggest that you have a good sense of what you want to say and where before you start shooting, to avoid doing much video editing. All group members should appear in the video at some point. You will not be graded on the professional quality of the video but rather on its content and creativity.

Everyone in a group will generally get the same grade. Working well in groups is an essential life skill. Draw on your different strengths, support each other, and divide the work fairly. Communicate early and often. If there is a conflict, dealing with it amongst yourselves is part of the task at hand. Neither I nor the TA will arbitrate group disputes except in extreme circumstances. You can, however, let us know afterwards, via email, if one person carried less than their weight, or if one was particularly outstanding in moving the group forward. In these cases we will consider bumping individuals up or down one from the group grade.

Videos are to be posted on the class vlog by November 13 at the latest, but I encourage you to post them sooner.

6: Paper: 30% Due December 3 (to buddy) and December 10 (final)

Synthesize the readings and use the concepts they offer to analyze the work of a development NGO anywhere in the world. What kind of development do they do? Do they fall into colonial patterns? What do they do well? Are they participatory? You are encouraged to focus on an NGO you or your family has donated to or volunteered for. Read their website carefully, as well as several reports and newsletters. You are expected to engage with and cite class readings liberally, rather than do much outside reading. Write the paper in a way that will be accesible and engaging for staff at the NGO. You are encouraged but not required to send them your final draft.

You will turn in a first draft to your class buddy, who will make comments on it liberally, suggest the grade they would give it, and meet with you to discuss it in class (comments can be made on a hard copy or in google docs). You should meet in person to discuss for at least 15 minutes, and sign off on each other’s papers that you did this. You will then have one week to rewrite it and turn in the final draft, along with the first draft, which should have your buddy’s comments and signature. Part of your grade will be based on giving useful comments to your buddy.

Format: Please use 12 pt. Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, 1.5 spaced AND double sided, justify left, number pages, and include a word count at the end. It can be between 3,500 and 4,500 words, which is about 10-12 pages. Do not include a title page, but DO include the title you are giving to your document, your name, the assignment number and name, the course number, and the date at the top of the first page. Staple your paper in the top left corner. No fancy binders or clips please. Electronic submission will not be accepted.

References: Use the class zotero file to begin your own zotero file for this class. Export them in Harvard format.

Grading:

Grading rubrics will be distributed in class before each assignment is due.

Timeliness:

Electronically submitted assignments must be posted before class on the day they are due. Final papers can be turned in to the geography office on the second floor. Be sure they are date stamped before leaving in the large box on the counter.

Please tell me well in advance if you need an extension because of serious illness, and tell me within the first week of the semester if any due dates conflict with dates of special significance in your religion.

Assignments submitted on time will receive useful feedback. Late assignments will receive only a grade and minimal comments.

The penalty for late assignments is 5% a day, including weekend days. For example, 5% will be deducted from the assignment (due before class) if the assignment is submitted later in the day. If the assignment is submitted the next day, 10% will be deducted from the assigned grade, and so forth. Reading notes will not be accepted late.

Assignments submitted more than one week late will not be graded.

There is no written final exam for this course. This means less pressure at the end of the semester, but only if you use your time wisely – so start working on your paper now! Pick an organization and start to follow them by the end of September at the latest.

Originality:

All assignments must be done exclusively for this course.

Plagiarism means representing someone else’s work as your own. It is a serious offence, punishable by academic sanctions. When you incorporate the words, ideas, graphics, or other products from someone else’s work into your projects, you must give credit by providing a citation and reference to the source work. See UBC’s plagiarism policy at http://www.library.ubc.ca/home/plagiarism/

If you are wondering how close you can get to the text you are working with, etc, this guide has helpful examples: http://www.arts.ubc.ca/arts-students/plagiarism-avoided.html

Support:

Get some! Support each other, set up regular or one-off study sessions, and regularly check in with your class buddy.

Make good use of the ‘free’ (you already paid for it) support that UBC offers. I especially recommend the writing tutors at writingcentre.ubc.ca. See leap.ubc.ca for all sorts of other resources.

If you have a disability and need for special academic accommodations, such as a different test taking environment, please talk to me and also contact the Disability Resource Centre at disability.resource@ubc.ca, 604-822-5844, Brock Hall 1203

If for any reason you feel like dignity, respect and equality are lacking in this class, I hope you will feel free to talk to me about it. The new student ombudsperson is also a confidential independent resource. ombudsoffice.ubc.ca.

Again, a welcoming class space is something that we are all a part of making. Let us all treat each other with respect, and appreciate and enjoy learning together.