Undergraduate Concentration

Concentrating in DS
Advising
Declaring the Concentration
Study Abroad and Foreign Languages
Honors
Important Dates
DS Blog
Student Accomplishments

Concentrating in DS

Development Studies is an eminently interdisciplinary social science concentration. The study of the complex processes of social, economic and political development has theoretical, methodological, practical and ethical dimensions, and calls as such on a wide range of academic disciplines. Development Studies concentrators are encouraged to develop the combination of skills and specialized knowledge that is best suited to their area of interest. The study of development in a particular region or nation requires an intimate knowledge of internal factors, as well as an understanding of larger global processes. Students are encouraged to approach the geographical area of their special interest comparatively by including in their programs of study a number of courses dealing with at least one other region of the developing world.

The concentration emphasizes what is distinctive - both historically and culturally - about particular regions and the ways in which their development reflects general processes of socio-economic change. Thus, each individual program of study should include analytically oriented courses that cut across particular regions as well as courses that deepen local and historical knowledge.

While the concentration is designed to produce graduates with expertise in the study of development rather than area specialists, the large majority of concentrators combine their course work with some kind of first-hand experience in the developing world. Almost all students have spent time in developing countries.

The main strength of the concentration has been the concentrators themselves. They have achieved impressive results academically and have taken numerous initiatives in organizing activities on campus.

Advising

In order to design a coherent program of study with clearly stated goals, concentrators are encouraged to discuss their course plan and thesis interests with a DS faculty advisor (listed below).

The filing and revision of concentration forms is to be done with the DS Director, Prof. Baiocchi. The Advisor must also be consulted about any curricular exceptions or about matters involving policies concerning the Development Studies concentration. Students are encouraged to speak with either the Advisor or the Director about any concerns or comments they might have about the DS concentration.

The Watson Institute’s Academic Programs Coordinator is available during office hours to speak with students about routine matters concerning the concentration or other procedural issues that may arise in dealing with the University’s administrative offices.

Development Studies Faculty Advisors, Spring '10

Gianpaolo Baiocchi (Director and Principal Advisor), Development Studies and Sociology Department
Areas: Civil Society, Local Government, Theory. Latin America, esp. Brazil.
Office Hours: Fri. 1-3 pm, WIIS 125 - please come by room 125 to sign up for a spot
DS_Advising@brown.edu

Cornel Ban (DEVL 1980), Development Studies
Areas: Comparative Political Economy, Policy Diffusion, Social Policy and Labor Market Deregulation in the EU, Eastern Europe
Office Hours: Tues. 1:30-3:30 & Fri. 3-4:30pm, WIIS 125
Cornel_Ban@brown.edu

Keith Brown, Watson Institute for International Studies
Areas: South Eastern Europe, Democracy promotion in post-conflict settings History and Memory.
Office Hours: Wed. 9-10:30am, WIIS, 336
Keith_Brown@brown.edu

Lina Fruzzetti, Anthropology Department
Areas: Social anthropology, gender in India, nationalism and postcolonial studies, development and culture, ethnographic film making. identity and citizenship within Islam and Hinduism, East and North Africa communities
Office Hours: Thurs. 10-Noon, Anthro, 214
Lina_Fruzzetti@Brown.edu

Patrick Heller, Sociology Department
Areas: Development and comparative political economy, globalization, democratization and civil society with a focus on South Asia and Southern Africa, Brazil, labor and inequality
Office Hours: Mon. 11-1pm, WIIS, 356
Patrick_Heller@brown.edu

Paget Henry, Sociology and Africana Studies Departments
Areas: Political Sociology, Critical Theory, Caribbean Studies, Political Sociology, Critical Theory, culture and development, Colonial Cultures
Office Hours: Wed. 3-5pm, Churchill 207
Paget_Henry@Brown.edu

José Itzigsohn, Sociology Department
Areas: Racial and ethnic identity formation, Latino migration, Labor and self-management, development and the labor market.
Office Hours: Wed. 10:30-11:30am; 1:30-2:30pm, Maxcy Hall 203
Jose_Itzigsohn@Brown.edu

Geoffrey Kirkman, Watson Institute for International Studies
Areas: Information and communication technologies (ICTs), media and international development; social entrepreneurship; Latin American baseball, UNDP Human Development Report
Office Hours: email for appointment, WIIS 249
Gkirkman@brown.edu

Louis Putterman, (Graduate Advisor, DS MA Program) Development Studies and Economic Departments
Areas: Development Economics, Experimental Economics
Office Hours: Mon. 10-10:50am and Fri. 3-3:50pm, Robinson Hall 206
Louis_Putterman@brown.edu

Daniel Smith, Anthropology Department
Areas: The relationship between socio-cultural and demographic processes, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa; rural-urban migration; medical anthropology; HIV/AIDS; contemporary marriage; reproductive health and behavior; corruption in Nigeria
Office Hours: Tues.2-4pm
Daniel_J_Smith@Brown.edu

Richard Snyder, Political Science
Areas: comparative politics, with an emphasis on the political economy of development, political regimes, and Latin American politics, Neoliberalism, esp. in Mexico
Office Hours: Mon. by appt, Prospect House, 206
Richard_Snyder@brown.edu

Declaring the Concentration

Students must have taken, or be enrolled in, DEVL 1000 in order to declare the concentration

Students are then strongly encouraged to meet with one of the DS faculty advisors to discuss their interest in DS and develop a curricular program that best meets the student's interests and fulfills the concentration requirements. In order to formally declare, students must list the 10 courses chosen for the concentration, as well as DEVL 1980, on the first page of the Registrar's three-page concentration declaration form. (The form can be downloaded from the Registrar's website or picked up at the Registrar's Office). Forms are to be dropped off with the Director for signatures. The yellow and white copies (or photocopies of the downloaded version) of the signed declaration form should be submitted to the Registrar as soon as possible, and the blue copies (or an additional photocopy) remain with the Development Studies Program Office in the Watson Institute for the student's DS file.

Students who have declared the concentration for the first time before 2007-2008 are not bound by the new requirements (with methods etc.) but are strongly encouraged to follow the program.

Changing Your Program
Students can substitute other courses for those listed on their concentration declaration form only if the new course appears on the pre-approved list on this website. Approval for other courses can be gained by writing to ds_advising@brown.edu. Care should be taken to ensure that requirements are still being met. Any student who has made any changes must, however; submit a revised Declaration of Concentration (the first page only of the declaration form) signed by the Director no later than March of their senior year. The blue copy (or photocopy) will be filed at the DS Program Office. Since students need to maintain an academically coherent program of study, they are strongly encouraged to discuss major changes to their curricular program with a DS faculty advisor.

Senior Year and Revising Concentration Forms
During Senior year, graduating DS students are required to submit a revised Declaration of Concentration (the first page only of the declaration form) signed by the Director no later than March if any changes have been made. The blue copy (or photocopy) will be filed at the DS Program Office. Seniors are strongly encouraged to contact the Director early in the year to discuss completing the concentration requirements.

Double Concentrators
Students may opt to concentrate in another field in addition to Development Studies. Often this includes a field that overlaps in part with DS, such as one of the component disciplines (e.g. Environmental Studies) or an area studies program (e.g.Latin American Studies). Such double concentrations are permissible, but no more than two courses used to fulfill the requirements of another concentration may be applied to meet the requirements of Development Studies. Note that the same thesis often will not be accepted by two different concentrations, so the other concentration should be one that doesn't require a thesis (or that will accept your DS thesis as meeting their thesis requirement also).

Study Abroad and Foreign Languages

For many DS concentrators, studying abroad for a semester or more may contribute greatly to their respective curricular plans. When considering study abroad programs in the developing world, students are urged to discuss their academic intentions with concentration advisors and the Office of International Programs during the earliest stages of planning. The vast majority of DS concentrators have studied abroad in developing countries; field experiences and knowledge have often been integrated into senior theses. Acquisition of relevant foreign language skills is also considered an important part of training in the study of development.

Honors

Students who demonstrate exceptional scholarship are recommended for honors in the concentration. DS students do not have to apply for honors. All students who fulfill the following requirements will be recommended for honors:

a grade average in concentration courses of at least the midpoint between “A” and “B” (judgment calls are made in cases of “S” grades, which are equally eligible for consideration; copies of course performance reports may be submitted for consideration in this regard).
a thesis judged by both advisors as meriting honors.

Honors will not be awarded by the University retroactively. Therefore, students who do not complete their required work in accordance with the schedule outlined above will not be able to receive honors, even if all requirements are completed at a later time.

In addition to graduating with honors, students who receive their B.A. in Development Studies may be recommended to the Dean of the College to receive special prizes upon graduation, typically consisting of modest monetary awards. These recommendations are made by the DS Advisory Committee on the basis of (1) an evaluation of the overall work of the students in the concentration (especially in the senior seminar), and (2) DS related extracurricular activities.

Important Dates For Development Studies Concentrators

Declaration of Concentration
December 2012 graduates: November 9, 2010
May 2013 graduates: April 11, 2011

Sophomores must see the DS Program Advisor during the month preceding the final deadline for declaration of concentration. Students are encouraged to seek academic advice from other faculty associated with the concentration, but completed forms must be signed by Prof. Baiocchi.

Revision of Senior Concentration Forms
December 2010 graduates: Sept. 24 , 2010
May 2011 graduates: December 3, 2010

Seniors wishing to make changes to their original concentration plan must see the DS Program Advisor and obtain a signature on a revised concentration declaration prior to this date.

Senior Thesis Due Date
May and mid-year graduates: April 22, 2011

Seniors should hand in their first completed drafts at least a month before this date (that is, on March 16) to both advisors in order to ensure enough time for final revisions. April 16, 2010 is a firm deadline for the complete, revised thesis.

Commencement
May 29, 2011

Study Abroad
Students must contact the Office of International Programs (OIP) at 863-3555 for specific details about application due dates for the programs in which they are interested. For any signatures needed on behalf of the DS concentration, students should see Prof. Baiocchi.

Student Accomplishments

2010

Katie Glerum
As a recipient for the Royce Sport in Society fellowship, I went to Cyprus to work as an instructor for the Doves Olympic Movement Summer Camp. This program engages about one hundred Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot youth ages 13-17 in sports-- along with educational and cultural activities-- to promote inter-ethnic tolerance between the two communities. To prepare me for my time in Cyprus, I worked in Boston with Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, a non-governmental organization using sports to bring about social justice. Finally, I volunteered at "Football for the Community," a two-day international conference that took place in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, during which I heard from UN members and top European soccer clubs about their efforts to develop socially responsible initiatives in their communities.
My experiences greatly increased my desire to continue to explore the field of Sport for Development and Peace. For this reason, I am currently working on putting together a research project that would focus on the Football for Hope Festival. This festival will bring 32 Sport for Development organizations to South Africa for a soccer tournament that will take place during the final week of the World Cup.

Charles Kenney
Over the summer I was an intern in Ho Chi Minh City doing economic development work for the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program. The program is run by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. My main assignment was to research the higher education system and come up with a new design that would make it more efficient and internationally competitive. After my summer in Vietnam I visited a friend in Israel and did some anthro work there talking to Jews, Christians, and Muslims living in the city of Jerusalem.

Michele Baer
As the co-director of Fusion Dance Company, Michele danced modern, contemporary, hiphop, dancehall… She has also danced West African dance (Mande specifically) at Brown and in Mali, and she has danced in a piece with Media McNeal, who mixes Chicago house styles with contemporary dance as well. She tutored Liberian and Burundi refugees, both adults and teens, through Brown Refugee Youth Tutoring and Enrichment Program. She is a Woman Peer Counselor and a Meiklejohn. She helps run a program that facilitates mentorships between Brown alumnae and female senior students through Women in the World, and she has even found time to attend Third World Center events and help with Asian/Asian-American History Month.

2009

Adria Orr
During her time at brown, Adria Orr attended summer school at Cambridge University, played rugby, was a BOLT leader, and worked at the Gender Equality Center and the National Center Against Violence in Ulaanbator, Mongolia.

Jerry Wolf-Duff Sellers
Jerry, a Mellon-Mays Undergraduate fellow, played on the varsity water polo and baseball teams. He also joined Native Americans at Brown to promote cultural awareness, plan the annual Brown Pow Wow, and begin the process of changing the way Columbus Day is recognized at Brown. He also revived Delta Tau fraternity from 4 to over 70 members

Hye Gi Shim
Hye Gi wrote her thesis on the impact of political control on the transnational collaboration in AIDS activism in China. She also taught English in an elementary school in a rural village of the Naxi ethnic minority in southwest China.

Samantha Porter
After taking a wide variety of classes in my first two years at Brown, from oceanography to neuroscience to VA 10, I decided to concentrate in Development Studies after taking Globalization and Social Conflict with Professor Heller. I recommend that class to anyone at Brown; I think everyone would be able to find something in it that interests them. I knew I wanted to study abroad in Cape Town even before I thought about applying to Brown, but I was pleased that Brown encouraged me to go and had so many resources to help me make my way there. I took the second half of my year abroad as time off from Brown, which was by far the best life decision I have ever made. It enabled be to move away from the other study abroad students and make Southern African friends, who challenged my American biases and helped open my eyes to the see the world, and myself, from different and enlightening points of view. I gained perspective on my elite education and the complexities surrounding my passion for helping people less fortunate than I. Back at Brown, I developed an interest in educational pedagogies that foreground cultural relevance as the most important part of education. I cultivated that interest by studying participatory Theatre methods and their applications in diverse African American and Latin American contexts. I am currently writing my DS thesis on the complexities surrounding South Africa's national policies on school-based HIV/AIDS education, looking at the influences of development discourse, political economy, social history, and cultural values, and using data about teachers' perspectives.

Julie Caplow
Julie organized HIV testing days on campus, awareness events and fundraisers to open and support Mali’s first rural HIV/AIDS clinic with the Global Alliance to Immunize Against AIDS. She also studied abroad in Kenya through SIT’s Health Society and Development Program, during which she did a 5-week independent study project on HIV testing and counseling in Kenya. She was also involved with AIDS Care Ocean state, where she mentored and tutored an HIV-positive refugee from Burundi for three years. She was also periodically involved in Oxfam at Brown and the Community Health Advocacy Program. She was also the captain of the ultimate Frisbee team.

Win Bennett
In the summer of 2006, I spent two months living with the Shuar Tribe in Amazonian Ecuador working on sustainable agro-forrestry and waste management practices. Working in conjunction with the community and local leaders, we were able to implement new revenue streams not dependent on mismanagement of natural resources.
In the fall of 2007, I spent the semester travelling around the world on a global comparative urban studies program in conjunction with the International Honors Program. Starting our adventure in New York City, we proceeded to spend time in Buenos Aires, Bangalore, Beijing, and Shanghai. The focus was on the increasing interconnectedness of global cities and the challenges they face to meet their populations needs in the 21st century. I also concentrated in Economics as to help build a strong theoretical foundation to guid the interdisciplinary development studies concentration.

Einat Kadar
At brown, I'm involved with Hillel as one of the vice presidents overseeing most of the Hillel student-run programming. I have been involved with various social justice work through Hillel, specifically as the Social Justice Chair in my sophomore year, working on sexual assault resource awareness on campus. Last summer, I volunteered for an organization related to Partners in Health called Global Health Delivery.
While I was abroad in Delhi, I took courses about Modern Indian History, Indian Political Systems and Indian Philosophy. I spent time reading, knitting, meditating at a local center, and exploring Delhi. We were privileged enough to study HIndi in the Himalayan foothills and to travel around the country - to the Taj Mahal, to Varanasi, to Ajanta and Ellora caves, to the Pushkar camel fair among other cities and villages in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Caroline Mailloux
While at Brown, Caroline served as a mentor to Providence youth with chronic illnesses through The Adolescent Leadership Council (TALC), participated in BOLT, was a Development Studies DUG leader, co-founder of the International Public Health Coalition (IPHC) and served as the Sanitation Project Coordinator for the Mali Health Organizing Project (MHOP). Off campus, she interned with Global Health Through Education, Training Service (GHETS) and was a board member and volunteer for the Massachusetts Youth Leadership Foundation (MYLF). She was also a WPC, a tour guide and info session leader for admissions, a career program ambassador through the CDC, a Meiklejohn advisor, and a member of the Committee on Slavery and Justice.

Leila Kang
Over the past three years, I have taught English in Vietnam, coordinated an arts project in Nicaragua, and volunteered for a hurricane relief organization in New Orleans. Last fall, I studied in Cairo, Egypt (where the picture was taken), and while abroad I volunteered as a researcher for CARE to help launch a domestic violence project.
I am not as active on campus because I can't multitask well (and because I usually have a job). Some things that I've managed to do: I have enjoyed studying Arabic throughout four years. I have worked on a report on socioeconomic diversity at Brown with a colleague and served as a TA in the education department. This fall, I've started teaching a children's class for a family literacy program co-sponsored by The MET School and the Swearer Center.

Edgar Woznica
I studied abroad in India on SIT's Culture and Development Program. With this program I studied many different theories of development experientially by visiting many different NGOs to see what they understood development to be and how they worked towards it. I spent some time in a rural area at a farm (the first picture - it was beautiful like nothing I had ever experienced before) and then interned at a health organization that was delivering health care in a rural area.
I have also taught English as a Second Language with English For Action, an ESL organization that uses Paulo Freireian pedagogy to utilize language acquisition as an opportunity for liberation, consciousness raising, and engagement in community action. It is wonderful!

Adam Swartzbaugh
Adam joined the Army before coming Brown and now is the top commander of the Reserve Officer Training Corps battalion which spans seven colleges in the area. Adam also co-founded a Thai foundation called Kid Launch (www.kidlaunch.org) which is an educational support organization targeting areas prone to child prostitution, slave labor and trafficking. He also recently incorporated a nonprofit INGO called Human Defense Initiative through which the Kid Launch project is being run. This is being developed as a networking hub for an array of human development initiatives using new information and communication technologies to facilitate activities and accountability in ways that go beyond your typical nonprofit. Adam also studied in China and trekked across Nepal.

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