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International Development

 

The major in International Development must be coordinated with a separate major in a traditional discipline. This traditional discipline is the primary major which determines whether a student earns a B.A. or a B.S. degree. The coordinate major in International Development provides students with an education firmly rooted in the liberal arts tradition, while also providing them with a focused and international framework for analysis of current international events. A student in the ID program will graduate with a sophisticated understanding of contemporary global issues, especially as they pertain to the developing world.

International Development is a social science that embraces the theory and practice of improving the quality of life of people in the developing world. The program emphasizes a comprehensive approach to standard international development analysis by incorporating not just economic, but social, environmental, legal and cultural dimensions as well. ID, as a field of study, is relatively new. It emerged from critiques of post-World War II programs designed to alleviate poverty and promote economic, democratic and social development in second and third world countries after independence. International sustainable development promotes a cross-disciplinary understanding of economics, law, sociology, political science, anthropology and language, in the context of sustainable or environmentally friendly positive social change. Courses will be taken in various departments in the Liberal Arts and Sciences as well as in at the Payson Center for International Development and Knowledge Transfer.

Students will declare the major with a member of the faculty. Faculty will meet with students in the program at least once a semester to discuss their degree status in order to ensure progress toward the completion of the degree. The core curriculum will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of world issues and the appropriate foundation to design the rest of their program.

Major Requirements (minimum 33 credit hours)

  • 12 credits required from the International Development curriculum
  • 6 credits required of a foreign language (above 203 level) **
  • 15 credits of acceptable electives (with at least one course at the 4000 level and at least one course at the 6000 level or above)
  • ** The number of required credits will vary depending on participation in summer, semester or year abroad study programs.

Minor Requirements (18 credit hours)

  • 12 credits from core International Development curriculum:
  • IDEV 1010 - Introduction to Development
  • ECON 1020 - Introductory Macroeconomics
  • IDEV 3200 - Approaches to Sustainable Development
  • IDEV 4100 - Information Technology and International Development
  • 6 credits of acceptable Electives

Required Courses for the Major

I. International Development (12 credits)

  • IDEV 1010 - Introduction to Development
  • ECON 1020 - Introductory Macroeconomics
  • IDEV 3200 - Approaches to Sustainable Development
  • IDEV 4100 - Information Technology and International Development

II. Foreign Language (6 credits)

6 credits required of a foreign language (above 2030 level). We strongly encourage students to study a foreign language abroad in a summer, semester or year long program. Depending on program participation, the number of credits for a foreign language will vary. The goal is a spoken proficiency in a foreign language, preferably one that is spoken in many countries of the developing world (e.g. French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, etc). Spoken proficiency is defined according to criteria established by ACTFL and the Payson Center. Students will be tested in the same fashion as they currently are at Tulane for meeting proficiency requirements. Students who do not study abroad must take at least six credits of a foreign language above the 2030 level; however, students who enter into the program already fluent in a foreign language may test out of this requirement although they will be encouraged to attempt a third language.

III. Acceptable Electives: (15 credits with at least one course at the 4000 level and at least one course at the 6000 level or above)

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