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Section: Distance Learning
PG Cert Africa and International Development
Postgraduate Certificate in Africa and International Development
Message from the Programme Director
The Centre of African Studies is particularly pleased to be accepting applications now for the Postgraduate Certificate in Africa and International Development. This is an e-learning programme based on our highly popular MSc in Africa and International Development. The Certificate is designed for people with an interest in international development and development practitioners who wish to develop analytical and theoretical skills along with an in-depth knowledge of development issues in the African continent. It seeks to contextualise and analyse the processes that have shaped poverty and development inequality in Africa, and the many responses to them.
The Certificate comprises of three courses over nine months, all offered as online distance learning courses. These courses are taught using a range of innovative and interactive teaching methods. A distance programme gives you the freedom and flexibility to learn where and when you want.
We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.
Sam Spiegel, Programme Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Africa and International Development
Our courses are:
The courses for the 2012-2013 year will begin in September 2012. The first course that students take is Politics and Theories of International Development, which starts in September. The other two courses are Roots of Poverty and Development in Africa and Analysing Development. Each course will be assessed through a combination of of methods, including a 3,000 to 4,000 word essay and online reflections. The course delivery draws on the latest interactive, cutting edge online teaching and learning methods and provides you with opportunity to examine and explore major issues of interest to you, combining readings, lecture videos, quizes, online reflections, discussion forums and group seminars - all offered through flexible online distance learning.
Politics and Theories of International Development [20 credits]
This course offers an introduction, overview and critical analysis of the forces shaping international development. It explores the politics and theories of development by analysing the dominant and alternative social scientific theories that seek to explain development outcomes, and the actors and institutions involved.
Analysing Development [20 credits]
This course provides both a practical overview of international development assistance, and equips students with the knowledge and tools to critically assess the social and political effects of aid, and the way aid policy is made and executed. We will explore the main rationales and theories for providing aid, the major themes in aid of the last two decades and contemporary debates.
Roots of African Poverty and Development [20 credits]
The course aims at providing a platform to discuss governance, poverty, development and the challenges of realising justice in contemporary Africa. Drawing on academic literature and empirical research this course critically explores representations of Africa as a "development problem" and the various strategies employed over the decades since colonial times to bring about social, political and economic transformation in Africa.
Please click the "Apply Online" button at the top of this page to receive further information.
For general queries (e.g. fees, qualifications, etc) and application queries, please contact: pgadmissions.sps@ed.ac.uk
For academic questions relating to the Postgraduate Certificate, please contact Sam Spiegel. Email: sam.spiegel@ed.ac.uk
Student Feedback:
"The course is very rich in terms of content, materials and relevance. I particularly enjoyed sharing experiences with colleagues from nearly all continents and our discussions on different perspectives of international development in Africa. The help provided by the faculty was amazing too. I enjoyed the course a lot."
"The course has given me lots of new knowledge and helped me to consider international development from a more critical perspective. The levels of support from the academic and technical teams were excellent. I felt that if I have a query they were always readily accessible to answer it."
"I have gained a lot from the readings, the lectures and the online discussions, which helped me to acquire a deeper understanding of the issues."
"I enjoyed the course immensely. Some of the highlights were the virtual classroom sessions, where we were able to interact with fellow students and have good discussions on the course material we had covered in the previous weeks. I found these discussions enriching as they brought breadth and depth to the thinking I had done on the course material. Another highlight was the final essay. Although this was quite a difficult task for me, as I am used to writing scientific papers, not social science ones, I found that the flexibility of this course allowed me to explore a particular subject of interest to me, and study this subject closely while having the support of mentors to develop the ideas."
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Students in this programme benefit from a variety of innovative online learning approaches, discussion forums and interaction opportunities; please click here to read a news piece that describes an example - one of the innovative online poster sessions involving students from 4 continents.
This page was published on 24 April 2012