Not offered 2007-2008
PSCI 327 The Global Politics of Development and Underdevelopment (Same as Environmental Studies 329) *
Consider a photograph of the Earth at night taken from space. What will you see? Great agglomerations of light in some parts of the world (North America, Western Europe, parts
of East Asia) contrasted with vast expanses of darkness in other parts (much of Central and
South America, Southeast Asia and nearly all of Africa). This pattern of light and darkness
depicts a vastly unequal global distribution of technology, urban infrastructure, capital
accumulation-in short, the global patterns of development and underdevelopment. These
areas are connected through commodity chains, capital mobility, migration, political
authority and the natural environment. So why are some areas light and other dark?
This course focuses on the global factors influencing development and underdevelopment,
political-economic connections across national borders, and the intersections of power,
production and nature. We cover topics such as theories of development and
industrialization, urban-rural relations, urban bias in development policy, industrial
agriculture, global agricultural trade, food security and hunger, international development
organizations (WTO, World Bank, UNCTAD, Food and Agriculture Organization), peasant
rebellions, `resource wars,' sustainable development and `eco-imperialism'.
Format: discussion. Requirements: several short (3-4 pp.) papers, one long (10-12 pp.)
paper, class participation
Prerequisites: Political Science 202 or Economics/Environmental Studies 234. Enrollment
limit: 19 (expected: 14).
International Relations Subfield
PAUL