Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - IS 358 D100

Development, Aid and Difference in Historical Perspective (4)

Class Number: 3314

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines "International Development" within a series of historical frames, including the history of imperialism, the history of international relations, globalization, and the cultural and intellectual history of North-South relations. Students who have credit for HIST 358 may not take IS 358 for further credit.

COURSE DETAILS:

How is global development in the contemporary period affected by legacies of the past? What does development for the poor mean in a world economic system with a neoliberal ethos? How are the effects of international development felt differently outside of the Western hemisphere? Crucially, how have movements of resistance affected our understanding of what development should be?

This course engages with these questions in considering the longer histories of empire and colonial legacies as a backdrop to the global system in which international institutions regulate global development and the provision of aid. Throughout the focus remains on how colonial legacies are implicated in the ideas and practices around development, as well as in the local movements that resist the hegemonic control of development discourse.

The course will specifically draw on examples from non-Western countries. The case studies discussed in this course range from the strategies used by Adivasis in the hills of India, to Indonesian small farmers and the EZLN in Chiapas. No prior knowledge of these movements is required.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By the end of this course 

  • Students will be able to outline the process by which “international development” became a field in the 20th century and explain how this history was linked to colonialism.
  • Students will be able to appraise and debate the long-term impacts of international development on different local contexts in the Global South.
  • Students will be able to identify and explain examples of resistance from the Global South that have shown how development can have multiple paths. 
  • Students will learn how to present their ideas and engage in critique using multiple modes of communication (visual, an argumentative debate and through in-class discussion sessions).
  • Students will learn how to research and write a formal academic essay. 

Grading

  • Class participation 20%
  • Debate and write-up 15%
  • Book review presentation 30%
  • Historical case study: a visual essay (with captions) 30%
  • Meeting with instructor to discuss visual essay 5%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

All required and recommended readings will be circulated over Canvas. You are not required to buy a textbook for this class.

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.