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Economics Latin America

Vak
2016-2017

Admission requirements

This course is only available for students in the BA International Studies.
Limited places are also open for exchange students. Please note: this course takes place in The Hague.

Description

This course gives students a foundation in economic development as it occurs in the Latin America region. The course is split into two blocks. Block one investigates the macroeconomic features of the region as a whole, starting with the different approaches to economic policy (state-led, market-led approaches) that have characterised the region since the second half of the twentieth century, before moving on to examine the state of the ‘factors of production’ in the region – land, labour, capital and technology. The second block explores issues in Third World economic development and looks at different ways they have been approached in Latin America. Issues like poverty and inequalty, debt and international finance will be covered here. Throughout the course, students will learn about economic and development challenges in the region, but they will also learn about innovations that have emerged in the realm of economic activity in the region. The course therefore looks at the Latin American economy not just as a problem to be solved, but as a source of dynamic expression that we can learn from.

Course objectives

Students will build on their knowledge of macroeconomics acquired in the first year BAIS and see how these policies have been applied and to what effect in the Latin American region. They will also be introduced to debates surrounding third world development and see how these have played out in the Latin American context. They will also gain an understanding of everyday economic activities (as opposed to focusing purely on state-level, official economic processes) and the lessons we can learn from Latin Americans and their economic initatives. In the tutorial, they will learn to identify the main arguments of authors writing about economic development strategies and to critically compare and analyse these debates. Overall they will gain an understanding of the different theoretical and practical approaches to third world development and the structural and material conditions these approaches attempt to transform.

Timetable

The timetable is available on the BA International Studies website

Mode of instruction

One two hour lecture per week; tri-weekly tutorials.

Attending all tutorial sessions is compulsory. If you are unable to attend a session, please inform the tutor of the course in advance, providing a valid reason for your absence. Being absent without notification and valid reason or not being present at half or more of the tutorial sessions will mean your assignments will not be assessed, and result in a 1.0 for the tutorial (30% of the final grade).

Course Load

Total course load for this course is 5 EC (1 EC = 28 hours), this equals 140 hours, broken down by:

  • Atending lectures: 2 hours per week x 12 weeks: 24 hrs

  • Atending attending tutorials 2 hours per three weeks: 8 hrs

  • Assessment hours (midterms and final exam): 4 hrs

  • Time for studying the compulsory literature: 68 hrs

  • Time for completing assignments, preparation classes and exams: 36 hrs

Assessment method

Assessment

Midterm Exam:
Written exam with short answer and/or essay questions

Final exam:
Written exam with short answer and/or essay questions

Weighing

Tutorials 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 40 %

To complete the final mark, please take notice of the following: the final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average.

Resit

If the final grade is insufficient (lower than a 6), there is the possibility of retaking the full 70% of the exam material, replacing both the earlier mid- and endterm grades. No resit for the tutorials is possible.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used. For tutorial groups: please enroll in blackboard after your enrolment in uSis

Students are requested to register on Blackboard for this course.

Reading list

A reading pack will be made available.

Registration

Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable

Contact

For tutorials
Dr. M.F. Carmody