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POL40130

Academic Year 2025/2026

Poverty, Development and Global Justice (POL40130)

Subject:
Politics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Politics & Int Relations
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Dr Graham Finlay
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

That our world is characterized by severe and widespread poverty is generally held to be not merely unfortunate or regrettable, but unacceptable. This module examines some of the leading theoretical accounts of a just response to global inequality, and considers them in the light of contemporary attempts to end or mitigate this poverty. These attempts are usually described as 'development' and this module will examine what contribution development theory can make to the political theory of global justice and how theories of global justice might illuminate development work. Issues in development may include: accountability, civil society, and democratizing development.
This module is an option for those registered for the UCD M.Sc. in Sustainable Development in partnership with UN SDSN. Students on this programme may take this module fully online.
All students registered for this module have full access to all of the digital resources on the SDG Academy and access to the UN SDSN Network.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this course, students will: be familiar with the main concepts and issues in global justice, be able to analyse and present normative political arguments, be able to formulate their own views and write a structured critical essay on a module topic.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

22
Autonomous Student Learning

202
Total

224

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Seminars, individual independent research, presentations.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Essay 1 (5000 words) Week 6 Graded No
50
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Essay 2 (5000 words) Week 14 Graded No
50
 No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Written feedback by email or in class.

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