Handbook home
NGOs and International Development (LAWS90155)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Not available in 2020
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
Fees | Look up fees |
---|
This subject considers the topic of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and international development. In addition to critically examining the development context, this subject will highlight the importance of NGOs in development and engage with the criticisms that NGOs working in and towards development attract. In that respect, the course demonstrates how interest in NGOs has both reflected and informed wider theoretical trends and debates within development studies, public international law and not-for-profit law. It will also consider NGOs in relation to ideas and debates about civil society, globalisation and ideas and practices of international aid. The subject will consider a wide diversity of NGOs and locate their modern roles within broader histories of imperialism, proselytization, charity, self-determination and struggle as well as within the ideological context of neoliberalism. The legal and policy relationships of NGOs with governments and how this impacts on national and popular sovereignty, service delivery and civil and political freedoms will be examined through contemporary practice and case studies.
Principal topics include:
- Introduction to NGOS: What are non-governmental organizations? What legal forms do they take? How are they regulated?
- Understanding NGOs in historical context
- Introduction to development: what do we mean by development?
- NGOs and development theory: from missionary to mainstream?
- NGO roles in contemporary development practice
- NGOs and ‘civil society’
- NGOs: contemporary practice and case studies
- NGOs and the government sponsored aid system
- NGOs and international humanitarian action
- Australia, development and NGOs
- NGOs in broader perspective.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have a sophisticated and critical understanding of the history of, and thinking around, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the context of development
- Obtain a specialised understanding of the central role played by NGOs in the fields of international and national development
- Be able to understand and assess critiques of NGOs and their relationship to, and work in, development
- Have an integrated and advanced knowledge of the international legal and institutional frameworks regulating NGOS in the context of international development
- Have a sophisticated and critical understanding of the range of theoretical approaches to understanding and critiquing the work of NGOs in the context of development
- Have an integrated and advanced knowledge of Australian law and policy with respect to NGOs working in a development setting
- Have an advanced capacity to critically examine current issues arising with respect to NGOs in the context of development
- Have developed high level analytical and research skills, as well as the capacity to understand and evaluate complex legal sources and literature, and literature in related disciplines
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate superior critical and creative ideas relating to NGOs and the concept of development.
Last updated: 9 September 2023
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The Melbourne Law Masters welcomes applications from students with disabilities. The inherent academic requirements for study in the Melbourne Law Masters are:
- The ability to attend a minimum of 75% of classes and actively engage in the analysis and critique of complex materials and debate;
- The ability to read, analyse and comprehend complex written legal materials and complex interdisciplinary materials;
- The ability to clearly and independently communicate in writing a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and to critically evaluate these;
- The ability to clearly and independently communicate orally a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
- The ability to work independently and as a part of a group;
- The ability to present orally and in writing legal analysis to a professional standard.
Students who feel their disability will inhibit them from meeting these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact Student Equity and Disability Support.
Last updated: 9 September 2023
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Class presentation of research paper topic | Throughout the teaching period | 10% |
Research paper on topic approved by the subject coordinator
| 14 August | 90% |
Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 9 September 2023
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
Not available in 2020
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Enrolment is on a first come, first served basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.
Students should note priority of places in subjects will be given as follows:
- To currently enrolled Graduate Diploma and Masters students with a satisfactory record in their degree
- To other students enrolling on a single subject basis, eg Community Access Program (CAP) students, cross-institutional study and cross-faculty study.
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.
Last updated: 9 September 2023
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist materials will be made available free of charge from Melbourne Law School prior to the pre-teaching period.
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 9 September 2023