SOC384 SOCIOLOGY OF DEVELOPMENT
| Course Code: | 2320384 |
| METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week): | 3 (3.00 - 0.00) |
| ECTS Credit: | 6.0 |
| Department: | Sociology |
| Language of Instruction: | English |
| Level of Study: | Undergraduate |
| Course Coordinator: | Prof.Dr. HATİCE AYŞE HOŞGÖR |
| Offered Semester: | Fall or Spring Semesters. |
Course Objectives
This course interrogates the contested field of “development” through the lens of sociology, historical sociology, and critical political economy. We will trace debates from classical modernization theories to postcolonial critiques, while foregrounding subaltern histories, comparative perspectives, and contemporary challenges such as neoliberal authoritarianism, extractivism, and the ecological crisis. Students will critically engage with theoretical frameworks and historical cases, examining development as both ideology and practice, and as a terrain of power, resistance, and alternative imaginaries.
Course Content
This course examines the developing countries in the world economic system in terms of their relations with developed countries and regions in history and at present, as well as the impact of underdevelopment on social, political and economic structures.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Situate theories of development within broader traditions of social and political thought. Critically analyze the interplay of colonialism, capitalism, and development discourse. Compare historical and contemporary trajectories of development across regions. Engage with radical and postcolonial critiques of development. Develop research and analytical skills through discussions and essay writing.
Program Outcomes Matrix
| Level of Contribution | |||||
| # | Program Outcomes | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | To correlate sociology and other social sciences | ✔ | |||
| 2 | To interpret knowledge produced by society from a sociological perspective | ✔ | |||
| 3 | To renew and improve their accumulation by following up-to-date publications and research programs in their fields | ✔ | |||
| 4 | To be open to occupational novelties in order to understand social change | ✔ | |||
| 5 | To produce original solutions within and outside the discipline and in interdisciplinary levels | ✔ | |||
| 6 | To know and implement the ethics of sociological research | ✔ | |||
| 7 | To be aware of social, environmental, and economic effects in the areas where sociological approaches are appropriated | ✔ | |||
| 8 | To use and transfer the accumulation of sociological knowledge in an interdisciplinary way | ✔ | |||
| 9 | To understand social structures and dynamics by correlating the past, the present and the future | ✔ | |||
| 10 | To connect social theories of knowledge and social practices | ✔ | |||
0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution