Watson Institute for International StudiesBrown University

Future Directions

During the 2005-06 academic year, senior leaders of the concentration's DUG wrote a report calling for the creation of new courses and other improvements in the concentration. A series of faculty meetings followed, resulting in a plan to eventually change requirements to include:

  • A new sophomore seminar, DEVL 1000, introducing basic social scientific ideas on development.
  • A new course on the economics of development, ECON 0510, for which a single pre-requisite, ECON 0510, suffices.
    (Those planning to take more economics courses will be encouraged to take ECON 1510 or 1560 instead of ECON 0510; any of the three courses will meet the requirement.)
  • A course on qualitative and/or quantitative research methods, to be chosen from among courses offered by relevant departments.

DEVL 2000 and ECON 0510 are to be launched in 2006-07. However, due to lack of certainty that there will be sufficient resources to offer these courses on a regular basis, the old concentration requirements remain in place until further notice. If and when the new requirements are implemented, existing course requirements will still hold except that a total of two region-specific courses only will be required. A current sophomore or junior wishing to fulfill the future rather than current requirements may do so with the agreement of the Advisor.

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