From the Indian Ocean to the Danube River, this course investigates the history and modern day realities of international development and piracy. We will examine policy areas including decolonisation, foreign aid, governance, poverty reduction, economics, human rights and the environment as well as asking whether long-term solutions can address the needs of developing countries.
Designed as an introduction to international development, this challenging and dynamic course will establish how piracy is underpinned by negative socio-economic conditions, such as poverty, and if we are observing the upsurge of a phenomenon thought to have declined with the 19th century. We'll ask whether piracy and poverty illustrate the failure of the global community to promote effective development, or if that same community has fallen captive to the spill-over effects of its short-comings.
With day trips to the OECD in Paris and the United Nations International Maritime Organisation, we'll focus on the economics of piracy and how the piracy value chain affects the objectives of international development. As a student, you'll not only gain knowledge in international development and the economics of piracy, but you'll also be able to use some of the main theories explaining links between the two. The course takes as its example the case of modern-day piracy. Piracy in the new millennium accounts for losses of over USD 15 billion world-wide.
It is especially prevalent in the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, a critical route for international trade shipment. Although the international community appears to believe this is a problem largely associated with the region of Africa and the Indian sub-continent, piracy also occurs in surprising locations, such as the Danube River of the European Union. Through this course, you will learn about international development (history, international organisations, global governance, foreign aid, poverty reduction, human rights and the environment), the economics of piracy, as well as relate to practice some of the main theories explaining linkages between the two, such as Modernisation, Dependency, World Systems, Liberalism and Marxism.
Period
01-07-2013 - 19-07-2009 (-206 weeks)
Target group
Students in this course will have a general interest in the policies and politics of international development, will desire to learn about the history of international development and the major international institutions supporting this process. The course through its creative element, namely the focus on piracy, is open to all with some background in political science, history, geography, law, economics, or to those with no background in these subjects but with some interest to learn about them.
The course is suitable for both students and practitioners, those taking a break from a full-time job, or those seeking a job with an international/public sector organisation. The visit to international organisations will particularly facilitate the interest in their work and allow students to pose direct questions of interest to them on all aspects of their work.
Course aim
This course is designed to introduce you to international development (history of decolonisation, the work of the United Nations, foreign aid, economics, governance, healthcare, poverty reduction, human rights and the environment), the economics of piracy (the piracy value chain, the incidence of piracy since 1990 and the economics of piracy), as well as some of the main theories explaining linkages between the two, such as Modernisation, Dependency, World Systems, Liberalism and Marxism.
Once this groundwork is in place, you will be required to apply this knowledge to debates on responses to crises and calls for reforms in global governance and international development (especially foreign aid). The module serves as an excellent platform for students interested in conflict resolution and crises of governance and international development, providing the tools and information to form your own opinions and debate the most pressing issues facing our highly globalised and interdependent world today.The course will comprise two one-day trips, to the OECD in Paris and to the UN IMO headquarters in London. Other activities, such as a guest speaker and museum visit may be undertaken as appropriate and with the tutors guidance.
Credits
7.5 ECTS credits
Many of our students get credit for the summer courses taken at Kings. You should approach your home university before applying to find out whether they accept our courses for credit. We would recommend a three-week course to be equivalent 4 US credits or 7.5 ECTS, for instance.
Course fee
GBP 1350: tuition fee only
Course leader
Dr Diana Bozhilova has a PhD in European Studies. She has studied at King's College London and the Humboldt Universitaet zu Berlin. Diana is Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Hellenic Studies, King's College London.
King's College London
Address: Strand, London
Postal code: WC2R 2LS
City: London
Country: United Kingdom
Website: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/summerschool
E-mail: summerschool@kcl.ac.uk
Phone: +44 20 7848 1533
Hostages and Negotiations
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Diverse
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2013-02-11, 00:00
autorenew
2025-09-29, 17:01
history_edu
Cristian Ion
