STV4324B - The Politics of Poverty
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Choose semester
Course content
Poverty is an intrinsic component of the daily struggles for survival of more than one billion people in the developing world. This course – given jointly by the Department of Political Science and the Centre for Development and the Environment – will introduce students to national and international policies that explain the continued existence of various types of poverty. With the help of analytical tools, students will be able to critically understand, reflect and evaluate the impact of democracy, human rights, corruption, climate change and foreign aid on poverty reduction.
Learning outcome
Knowledge
Students will:
- Obtain a nuanced understanding of how poverty is understood and measured, including the methodological challenges involved
- Be well acquainted with the major theoretical and empirical approaches to the causation and production of chronic, acute and extreme poverty
- Identify, differentiate and analyse the impact of conventional and participatory approaches to poverty reduction
- Explain how and why official understandings of poverty may differ from those of people living in poverty
- Define various types of poverty in global, national and local contexts
- Learn how to better understand what works, how and why in relation to global and national anti-poverty interventions
- Gain insight into the explicit role of politics in the production and reduction of poverty and inequality
- Critically examine the impact of democracy, human rights, corruption, climate change and foreign aid on policy policies aimed at reducing poverty and inequality
- Evaluate the role and importance of role of ethics and morality in relation to poverty research and policy
Skills
Students will be able to:
- Critically read and evaluate existing studies on poverty and inequality-related topics
- Apply theoretical approaches to analyse specific cases of poverty reduction at international, national and local levels
- Undertake comparative studies of poverty reduction in differing contexts
- Illustrate some of the major successes and failures of public policy
- Organise and differentiate between major development interventions and their impact at international, national and local levels
Competences
Students will:
- Acquire and further strengthen their ability to undertake critical, independent and thorough analyses of complex issues and questions
- Enhance their ability to critically evaluate empirical research
- Strengthen their overall ability to understand interdisciplinary theory and practice
Admission
Students admitted to other Master programmes may be qualified to apply for the course. Please see the webpage on Admission to single master's courses.
For incoming students: All Master's courses in Political Science must be registered manually by the Department, they will not appear in Studentweb. Contact your international coordinator at UiO.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Bachelor's degree in Political Science or equivalent.
Recommended previous knowledge
Bachelor's degree in Political Science or equivalent.
Teaching
Lectures.
The lectures are held intensively for a period of 5 weeks, with the exam in the sixth week.
Examination
Written essay (4000-5000 Words in length).
3 hour written exam.
The final exam counts 60% of the grade, and in order to pass the course, your essay and your written exam must be passed in the same semester as the course is taught. You will receive one overall grade for the course.
Guidelines for home assignments - Technical standards, deadlines etc.
Examination support material
Students may use dictionaries at this exam. Dictionaries must be handed in before the examination. Please read regulations for dictionaries permitted at the examination.
Language of examination
It is generally possible to submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
- Explanation of grades - deadline and processing time
- Appeal about grades
- Complaint about formal exam errors
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
If you wish to withdraw from the exam you must do so in StudentWeb at least two weeks prior to the deadline. Failure to do so will be counted as one of the three opportunities to sit the exam.
Special examination arrangements
If you have a disability or a health problem that entails significant inconvenience in an examination situation, you may be considered for special examination arrangements. Mothers who are breastfeeding may apply for extra time to complete the exam.
Evaluation
Feedback from our students is essential to us in our efforts to ensure and further improve the high quality of our programmes and courses. All courses are subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students on a particular course to participate in a more comprehensive, periodic evaluation of this course.