Development Studies
Eleanor Townsley, Nexus Director
Katie Walker, Associate Director
108 Daniel L. Jones Building
413-538-3010
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/academics/find-your-program/development-studies
Overview and Contact Information
Nexus is an 18-credit interdisciplinary pathway that demonstrates interest in a career field. Courses are selected by students in consultation with the Nexus track chair.
We live in an era of mounting global challenges, ranging from poverty and inequality to democratic backsliding, political conflict, and climate change. Various forms of “unfreedoms” worldwide curtail human flourishing today, defying the neat categories of "developed" and "developing" countries. The Development Studies Nexus offers a critical lens on the interconnected processes of global and local change and on the policies and practices that seek to address real-world problems. Students in this track appreciate people’s diverse views and experiences of social change and support multiple forms of power and agency to pursue social justice. Students may pursue internships with public or private organizations at the local, national, and international levels that aim to eliminate barriers to equitable, inclusive development. These organizations include food banks, religious organizations, NGOs, nonprofit corporations, government agencies, and international financial organizations such as the UN, among many others.
See Also
Faculty
This area of study is administered by the following Nexus track chairs:
Catherine Corson, Miller Worley Professor of Environmental Studies
Ayca Zayim, Associate Professor of Sociology, Teaching Spring Only
Requirements for the Nexus
A minimum of 18 credits:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Four courses chosen from the list of courses approved for this Nexus or selected with approval of the track chair | 16 | |
At least one course at the 300 level | ||
At least one course at the 200 level or above | ||
One course at the 100 level or above 1 | ||
| A substantive summer internship 2 | ||
| COLL-211 | Reflecting Back: Connecting Internship and Research to Your Liberal Arts Education | 2 |
| A presentation at LEAP Symposium | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
Only one course at the 100 level is permitted to count toward the Nexus.
- 2
The summer internship must meet College requirements for a substantial educational experience: At least 200 work hours and responsibilities that exercise ability to think analytically and creatively, and contribute meaningfully to the organization’s stated mission and complements the student's area of focus.
Additional Specifications
-
Students will schedule an advising meeting with a track chair to get approval and complete an online Plan of Study form to be returned to the Nexus Program office.
- The sequence of a Nexus is part of what makes it unique:
-
In preparation for the summer internship or research, students complete courses chosen in consultation with the track chair. If seeking funding through LYNK UAF, students will additionally complete orientation and advising, and online training.
- COLL-211 is taken after the internship or research project and culminates in a presentation at LEAP Symposium.
-
Courses Counting toward the Nexus
Courses other than those listed below may count toward the Nexus. Students should consult the Nexus track chair for consideration of courses not on the list.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | ||
| ANTHR-216HR | Special Topics in Anthropology: 'Anthropology and Human Rights' | 4 |
| ANTHR-216LA | Special Topics in Anthropology: 'Anthropology of Latin America' | 4 |
| College(Interdeptmnt) Courses | ||
| COLL-211 | Reflecting Back: Connecting Internship and Research to Your Liberal Arts Education | 2 |
| COLL-212 | Reflecting on Your Summer Internship or Research Experience Education | 2 |
| Economics | ||
| ECON-213 | Economic Development | 4 |
| ECON-241 | Critical Development Studies | 4 |
| ECON-249DF | Topics in Economics: 'Development Finance' | 4 |
| ECON-314 | Globalization and Development | 4 |
| ECON-349BG | Advanced Topics in Economics: 'Backlash Against Globalization' | 4 |
| ECON-349DV | Advanced Topics in Economics: 'Development Economics: A Closer Look in Africa' | 4 |
| Environmental Studies | ||
| ENVST-206 | Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Change | 4 |
| ENVST-210 | Political Ecology | 4 |
| ENVST-212 | Global Environmental Politics | 4 |
| ENVST-216 | Global Environmental Justice | 4 |
| ENVST-223 | Development Geography | 4 |
| ENVST-251 | Research, Ethics, Justice and Campus Sustainability | 4 |
| ENVST-314 | China in the Global South | 4 |
| ENVST-321EQ | Conference Courses in Environmental Studies: 'Food Equity and Empowerment' | 4 |
| ENVST-331 | Water, People, and Politics in the Anthropocene | 4 |
| ENVST-346 | Global Environmental Politics Governance | 4 |
| Geography | ||
| GEOG-105 | World Regional Geography | 4 |
| GEOG-202 | Cities in a Global Context | 4 |
| GEOG-208 | Global Movements: Migrations, Refugees and Diasporas | 4 |
| Gender Studies | ||
| GNDST-333EC | Advanced Seminar: 'Gender Inequality and Economic Development: Challenges, Contradictions, and Contestations' | 4 |
| History | ||
| HIST-301CS | Colloquium: 'Capitalism in South Asia' | 4 |
| HIST-357 | History of British Capitalism | 4 |
| Politics | ||
| POLIT-232 | Introduction to International Political Economy | 4 |
| POLIT-385 | Global Security | 4 |
| Religion | ||
| RELIG-181 | Introduction to African Diaspora Religions | 4 |
| RELIG-331AF | Advanced Topics in Religion: 'African American Spiritualities of Dissent' | 4 |
| Sociology | ||
| SOCI-240 | Collective Behavior and Social Movements | 4 |
| SOCI-316DG | Special Topics in Sociology: 'Sociology of Development and Globalization' | 4 |
