AD3PDV: Power and Development

Module code: AD3PDV

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Jo Davies, email: joanne.davies@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Who is in power?  In this module you will discover the tools of power analysis, investigate where power lies in development and learn how to advocate for social change.  

Development is not a neutral concept - it is embedded in a complex web of interests and power relations that can perpetuate inequality. 

Who are the key actors in development? Whose knowledge legitimises development policy? What agency do people have in the process of development? The tools of power analysis will help you understand the agendas and functioning of global institutions; the role of the state in development (including corruption, lobbying and vested interests); and the power of civil society. 

This module will enable you to develop the skill of power analysis to investigate sources of power, exploring institutions, influence, knowledge and agency. Through lectures, activities and a case study approach, participants will discover the nature of power in the context of international development.  

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Describe the conceptual underpinning of power analysis and use a range of ‘power analysis’ tools 
2. Critically assess the institutions of the global aid architecture, such as the World Bank and the United Nations through the lens of power analysis 
3. Understand and describe the way in which corruption and vested interests at the level of the nation state operate and evaluate power relations that allow corruption to flourish 
4. Describe the role of civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in development, investigate how various sources of power impact on their operation and apply power analysis to influencing and advocacy strategies in development 

Module content

• The conceptual basis of power analysis and tools for undertaking power analysis in development, such as the Power Cube and Political Economy Analysis. 
• The institutions of the global aid architecture, such as the World Bank and the United Nations 
• How various forms of formal and informal power operate to maintain or challenge these structures. 
• The role of the state in development and the role of power in how the state operates in practice, including informal institutions and hidden power 
• The role of both established international non-governmental organisations and community-based non-governmental organisationsor civil society organisations in development. 
• How visible, hidden and invisible power produce social norms that can affect the functioning of institutions at each level 
• Using power analysis to advocate for social change in a development context 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

• Students will be taught through lectures, which will include formative learning activities throughout. 
• Students will support their learning through weekly seminars which allow for further reflection and discussion of key themes and topics. 
• A final project, applying the learning to real-world scenarios, will form part of the active learning of this module.   

Study hours

At least 44 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

There will be regular opportunities for formative feedback during the activities embedded into the lectures. 

There will be scheduled formative feedback sessions for the project element. 

Reassessment

Additional costs