Institute of Development Studies
Annual Report 2011
Teaching Learning and Alumni
Teaching
The teaching programme – a core activity supporting our vision – enables IDS to reach out to form new alliances and relationships; our cohort of students coming from across the globe are professionals from government, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. The interaction and sharing of multiple perspectives between students and IDS Fellows provides opportunities for generating new knowledge and insights, thereby contributing to resolving international development issues of today and tomorrow.
Our portfolio of eight MA programmes – focused on applied policy and practice, small class sizes and high levels of Fellow contact time – makes IDS uniquely placed to nurture the decision-makers of the future.
The creation of the post of Director of Teaching and Alumni Relations, with the role of ensuring our teaching portfolio continues to be fit for purpose, demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that our MA programmes are continually updated, reflecting the latest thinking in both content and pedagogy.
Download the Teaching section of our Annual Report (PDF)
IDS Alumni
What distinguishes IDS alumni is the diversity of specialised backgrounds forming a powerful yet close knit network of development professionals. IDS alumni are vital to IDS in terms of sharing values, views and perspectives. The unique quality of the professional network is twofold: to collaborate professionally and socially with IDS and each other while influencing, informing and supporting IDS and its work.
Graduates are our new alliances, providing their wide-ranging development experiences, perspectives and disciplines from private and public sectors to characterise our approaches to research. The IDS Director of Teaching and Alumni Relations hosted an evening reception in Geneva; meeting with influential alumni working in United Nations agencies including the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, the Global Fund and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
IDS alumni ambassadors are gaining momentum at both regional and national levels, galvanising activity and coordinating roundtable discussions, social events and points of contact for prospective students.
IDS Teaching Programmes:
DPhil Programme
Current IDS research priorities are also explored through the DPhil programme. DPhil research is supervised by IDS Fellows and close relationships are facilitated between DPhils, their supervisors and other researchers. The DPhil cohort also develops its own programme of learning through the Study and Methods (S&M) Café and organising and hosting, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Sussex, the 2010 EADI Summer School entitled ‘Security and the State Today’.
MA Development Studies
The complex challenges of global poverty and development make ever greater demands on those working in aid agencies, governments, non-governmental organisations and policy and research institutes. Meeting these challenges calls for creative development professionals who can apply and integrate critical thinking and practical experience from a wide range of perspectives. Students are equipped with the skills to engage critically in development issues and debates from an interdisciplinary perspective, applied to development policy, research and practice.
MA Gender and Development
Our groundbreaking work pushes the boundaries, challenging normative ideas about gender with more nuanced, fluid perspectives on femininity, masculinity, women and men and the way they interact. We aim towards constructive re-visioning that challenges stereotypes. This is a collaborative programme with the University of Sussex – home to some of the world’s leading thinkers on gender and development. The programme combines both academic and practical policymaking approaches to the issues.
MA Globalisation and Development
This programme offers a fresh perspective on globalisation, emphasising the shift of power from West to East and providing the analytical and practical skills to understand their main drivers. It explores how trade and financial policies affect the impact of globalisation on countries, firms and workers. It examines the role of the private sector in development and how policies influence the ways in which developing country firms are integrated into local and global value chains.
IDS Teaching Programmes:
MA Governance and Development
Many development problems are attributed to ‘bad governance’, but what is ‘good governance’? To what extent and in what ways does governance actually affect development, and how can the quality of governance be improved? This programme explores such questions. Topics covered include alternative modes of public service delivery, the impact of natural resource revenue on governance, the role of citizens in promoting democracy and holding governments to account, and the reconstruction of conflict ridden states.
MA Poverty and Development
The financial crisis has sharpened our belief that we live in a time of increasing insecurity and instability. But it has been insecure and unstable for the world’s poorest people for many years. This programme gives a solid grounding in the concepts and theories, and analytical and practical skills needed to engage in current debates on poverty and development issues. This crossdisciplinary perspective is combined with specialised knowledge about the treatment of poverty reduction within the development discourse.
MA Science, Society and Development
The MA in Science, Society and Development provides a social science perspective on the relationship between society and science, exploring how scientific expertise contributes to or constrains sustainable development. Focusing on health, environment and agriculture, this course provides a solid grounding in development theory. It moves on to develop a theoretically informed, action-oriented analysis of the role of framing narratives in science and technology policy processes.
MSc Climate Change and Development
A joint programme together with the School of Global Studies and the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, dedicated to producing qualified professionals with understanding about the science of climate change and its implications for development. Climate change already affects the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to limit impacts, but substantial climate change is now inevitable and adaptation is a central issue in development.
Viewpoint
Melkam nesh Alemu
A Nutrition Adviser, DFID Bangladesh MPhil Development Studies, 1999–2001
IDS provided the opportunity to explore in-depth development issues I first encountered working in non-governmental organisations. It gave me confidence to work effectively in the field and at policy levels. Staff and student diversity, knowledge and experience were incredible. This rich mix led me to establish lasting friendships with colleagues across the world. It was a valuable educational experience, at a turning point in my career. I am proud to be a member of the IDS family.
Viewpoint
Yin Mon Vanessa Han
MA Development Studies, 2010/11
IDS’ close-knit community and open-door policy facilitates a strong Fellow-student bond. Unprepared for the great learning experience, I was helped by the course convenors Jethro Pettit and Lizbeth Navas-Aleman, who are always available for academic and personal support. My classmates with varying degrees of experience, are deeply intelligent and driven, ensuring we approach development topics from a variety of perspectives. Wherever I am in the world, lessons learned here will continue to guide me.