Duration
45h SEM
Number of credits
| Master in population and development studies, professional focus North-South cooperation | 6 crédits | |||
| Extra courses intended for exchange students (Erasmus, ...) (Faculty of social sciences) | 6 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long, with partial in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The aim of this course is to enable students to deal with a central theme in development cooperation - poverty - from different points of view (disciplinary, theoretical and practical).
The seminar takes place throughout the year and aims to put students in a learning position, but also in a position to articulate the concepts and practices seen in the course.
Students will work in sub-groups to carry out a 'multi-dimensional' analysis of the poverty situation in a southern country. To do this, they will have to mobilise the concepts, tools and disciplinary approaches that they will have covered during the course (theoretical sessions and practical work).
They will have to conduct interviews with ad hoc stakeholders, carry out economic analyses using quantitative indicators relating to poverty, and carry out socio-anthropological analyses using qualitative data gathered during interviews. They should be able to write a research report and present their main findings to a jury.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand the concept of poverty and its different dimensions
- Use tools to analyse and understand poverty in a given country
- Conduct research and write a research report
- Present results
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
- Reading capacity
- writing capacity
- Articulation between theoretical framework, practical exercises, and work theme.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
This course provides an in-depth theoretical introduction to key concepts and approaches to poverty and vulnerability. Drawing on economics, sociology, and anthropology, it explores the causes, manifestations, and broader challenges of poverty in countries of the Global South through diverse analytical methods.
During the first semester, students acquire the main conceptual and methodological foundations: monetary and multidimensional poverty, inequality, deprivation, and related indicators and measurement tools.
In the second semester, they apply these skills in a group research project: preparing a quantitative and qualitative report on a selected country, combining economic analysis with socio-anthropological inquiry (statistical data, literature review, and field interviews).
Assessment includes a written exam in January on the theoretical foundations, intermediate deliverables, and a final report with an oral presentation in May.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Blended learning
Additional information:
This course is given mainly face-to-face throughout the year (timetable available on CELCAT). Attendance and participation in the course are compulsory (absence to be justified, 1 unjustified absence is tolerated).
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Written work / report
Continuous assessment
Further information:
Continuous assessment combines individual and group components spread across the academic year:
- Written exam (January) - 40 % of the final grade. Tests theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired in the first semester.
- Intermediate group report (December) - 10 %. Presents the selected country and theme, preliminary quantitative analysis, key issues to explore qualitatively, proposed interview profiles, and initial bibliography.
- Mid-second-semester presentation - 10 %. Oral presentation of the qualitative research plan and preliminary findings.
- Final group report and oral defense (May) - 40 %. Comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis of poverty in the selected country, combining economic and socio-anthropological approaches.
Compliance with deadlines and the expected quality of work is mandatory.
All work instructions are communicated to students and available on eCampus.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Contacts
Mélissa Schneider - melissa.schneider@uliege.be
Frieda Vandeninden - f.vandeninden@uliege.be