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Political Economy and Education Development Strand

ANTH 617 Political Economy (3:3:0).Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Human societies have always engaged in complex political relations and economic exchanges with each other. The cultural meanings people create are shaped by, and in turn shape, systems of power. Political economy is the attempt to understand the relationship between politics and economics, at the juncture of local meanings and global histories. This course will review major works of and models from political economy, especially as they relate to social and cultural analysis.

ANTH 655 Nationalism, Transnationalism, and States: Local and Global Perspectives (3:3:0).Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. Exploration of different approaches to understanding the interaction between nationalism, transnationalism, and states given the apparently simultaneous dissolution of demographic, economic and cultural borders, and of modernist social science paradigms

ITRN.701.014 : Aid to Developing Countries: Issues in the 21st Century (3:3:0). This course provides an examination of the state of development /poverty in the world, and an overview of development assistance. Coursework will include the various types of aid (grants and loans, projects and budgetary support, trade and investment, etc), the main donors (or lenders), their functioning, policies and practices, the regional development banks (IDB, AfDB, AsDB, EBRD), the main bilateral donors ( USA, Japan, Germany, France, Canada), and the roles of NGOs, and the private sector. Finally, projects, project cycle and project management and case studies will be included.

ITRN 602-002: International Financial Institutions and the Forces of Globalization (3:3:0). This course focuses on the activities and roles of financial institutions in the international system and examines how these institutions contribute to globalization. It looks at the organization, programs and controversies surrounding individual institutions and delves into the functioning of major financial markets worldwide. Key policy issues affecting the institutions are discussed, such as environmental effects, ethical questions, issues of equity, differing national interests, the debt crisis, developing countries' needs, and conflicting concerns of lenders, borrowers and investors. This course provides a conceptual foundation for understanding the sources of financing for international transactions, including the possibilities and limitations of different institutions, and the record of success and failure of individual organizations.

ITRN 701-B04: Contemporary Problems in the World Economy (3:3:0). This course examines the causes and implications of the recent global economic trends and issues. These include emerging market financial crises, integration of China into the world economy, the plight of the Least Developed Countries, Concluding the Doha Trade Round, the world oil market, international migration, enlargement of the European Union Slow OECD Economic Growth, and others.

ITRN701 006 Globalization/Anti-Globalization (3:3:0). In the press it is common to describe those critical of the current crop of global institutions such as the IMF, World Bank and WTO as being "anti- globalization." Implicitly, those supporting these specific institutions are therefore "pro-globalization". In reality these terms do little justice to the wide array of views and interests that seek to shape the path of international economic integration and the globalization of political institutions. This course will give students a brief overview of the theory and institutions shaping globalization today and an in depth look at its various critics, their arguments, and their motivations.

ITRN 701(007):  Global Governance. This course provides a broad survey of issues and problems arising in current debates and perspectives on global governance in light of important changes that have occurred in the contemporary world.  It explores the dynamics and complexity of both formal and informal actors, institutional arrangements, and organizations, and the roles they play in the process of governance in the international sphere.  Various vehicles for international coordination and conflict are examined in terms of relevance, opportunities, and problems of global governance.

LRNG 792.001/ITRN 701.002: Consulting for Organizational Development and Change. A primary goal of this course is to create a shared learning space for all participants to explore the various philosophical, theoretical, and ethical dimensions of consulting in ways that are fully integrated with development of the practical skills of “how to be” an outstanding consultant. The course is designed to develop and integrate your theoretical and practical perspectives, approaches, and skills as a consultant. Previous experience working as a consultant is not required.

ITRN 701-B01 Political Economy of Transition in Central and Eastern Europe: the Mystery of an Emerging Market and Democracy. We will examine terra incognita of a new type of transition: from socialism to capitalism; from a central planning system to the economy of a free market; from autocracy and totalitarianism to democracy and respect for human rights and freedom of expression in a newly emerging world of Central and Eastern Europe, from the local wars of the Soviet succession to a real sovereignty of the Newly Independent States (NIS).

PUAD 636 The NGO: Managing the International Nonprofit Organization (1-3:3:0). Unique aspects of nonprofit organizations operating in international environments, particularly in relief and development work. Relationship between the NGO and U.S. and foreign governments is examined. International philanthropy, cross-cultural understanding, and key managerial concerns such as communications, planning, human resource management, control, group process, and project evaluation are covered.

PUAD 701 Cross-Cultural and Ethical Dimensions of International Management(3:3:0).To be taken in the final two semesters of the MPA program. Examination of normative issues in management of programs in international context. Emphasis is on interplay of cultural, sociopolitical, legal, and ethical factors and on management and policy problems arising from conflicting goals, values, and inequities among nations and regions.
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