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LIDC,
36 Gordon Square, London,
WC1H 0PD, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7958 8251
Fax: +44 (0) 20 3073 8303
Introduction
Founded in 1823, Birkbeck continues to fulfil its founder's mission to make higher education available to working people. It is London’s only specialist provider of flexible, evening higher education and encourages applications from students without traditional qualifications. Birkbeck is recognised for providing the highest quality teaching, informed by its outstanding research. Birkbeck has a broad academic base with a number of particular specialist areas, including international development. The College has five Schools: Arts; Business, Economics and Information; Science; Law; and Social Sciences, History and Philosophy, each of which has a number of departments.
Research
The Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies (within the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy), has the greatest concentration of international development research. Research focuses on a number of areas, including gender and social policy in Latin America; ageing, poverty and development in India; social, cultural and economic displacement caused by biodiversity conservation; and the growth of alternative media networks and new communications technologies in developing countries. Academic staff in the department also have an interest in the role of NGOs and other third sector organisations in development, with research examining the effectiveness and impact of projects in Africa and Asia. In addition, research on international development is carried out in the School of Law, in areas including land law, international development investment and intellectual property rights.
Teaching
The Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies offers an extensive programme of international development courses, including an MSc in Climate Change Management; International Childhood Studies; and Development Studies and Anthropology (starting September 2010). The Development Studies postgraduate course has been running since 2002 and has expanded considerably in recent years to more than 70 students taught on a full-time or part-time basis.
The School of Law has a substantial MRes and Masters (LLM) programme including an MA in Human Rights, LLM in International Economic Law, Justice and Development, and LLM in Law and Political Justice (a collaboration between Birkbeck and the University of Pretoria).The Department of Politics has MSc/MRes degrees in: Global Politics, International Security and Global Governance, Public Policy and Global Governance as well as a wide range of other masters and undergraduate degrees.
Highlighted initiative
The interactions between globalisation, gender and health are currently being explored at Birkbeck, drawing on evidence from Latin America, particularly Chile. This research focuses on two specific dimensions associated with globalisation: the change in production processes in the wider economy and their impact on and linkages with health, and the globalisation of health policy and the associated commercialisation of health care provision. Using a gendered framework of analysis the research considers the diverse ways in which these processes have played out at regional, national and local level and how they have impacted on health service users and health care workers.
Participation in LIDC
Birkbeck and SOAS are cooperating in workshops on Law and Development, and are both co-supervising a new joint Bloomsbury PhD Studentship looking at the legal, social, economic and political challenges of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The new London Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics is collaborating with other Colleges in the area of corporate social responsibility in an international development context. Birkbeck is also involved in the Distance Learning for Development Programme, through its original distance MSc in structural biology, which is delivered to scientists in developing countries, and distance teaching programmes in Geographic Information Science (GIS). Researchers from Birkbeck and Institute of Education are jointly organising an international conference on Migrants and the Right to Health that will take place in London in May 2010.
Founded in 1823, Birkbeck continues to fulfil its founder's mission to make higher education available to working people. It is London’s only specialist provider of flexible, evening higher education and encourages applications from students without traditional qualifications. Birkbeck is recognised for providing the highest quality teaching, informed by its outstanding research. Birkbeck has a broad academic base with a number of particular specialist areas, including international development. The College has five Schools: Arts; Business, Economics and Information; Science; Law; and Social Sciences, History and Philosophy, each of which has a number of departments.
Research
The Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies (within the School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy), has the greatest concentration of international development research. Research focuses on a number of areas, including gender and social policy in Latin America; ageing, poverty and development in India; social, cultural and economic displacement caused by biodiversity conservation; and the growth of alternative media networks and new communications technologies in developing countries. Academic staff in the department also have an interest in the role of NGOs and other third sector organisations in development, with research examining the effectiveness and impact of projects in Africa and Asia. In addition, research on international development is carried out in the School of Law, in areas including land law, international development investment and intellectual property rights.
Teaching
The Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies offers an extensive programme of international development courses, including an MSc in Climate Change Management; International Childhood Studies; and Development Studies and Anthropology (starting September 2010). The Development Studies postgraduate course has been running since 2002 and has expanded considerably in recent years to more than 70 students taught on a full-time or part-time basis.
The School of Law has a substantial MRes and Masters (LLM) programme including an MA in Human Rights, LLM in International Economic Law, Justice and Development, and LLM in Law and Political Justice (a collaboration between Birkbeck and the University of Pretoria).The Department of Politics has MSc/MRes degrees in: Global Politics, International Security and Global Governance, Public Policy and Global Governance as well as a wide range of other masters and undergraduate degrees.
Highlighted initiative
The interactions between globalisation, gender and health are currently being explored at Birkbeck, drawing on evidence from Latin America, particularly Chile. This research focuses on two specific dimensions associated with globalisation: the change in production processes in the wider economy and their impact on and linkages with health, and the globalisation of health policy and the associated commercialisation of health care provision. Using a gendered framework of analysis the research considers the diverse ways in which these processes have played out at regional, national and local level and how they have impacted on health service users and health care workers.
Participation in LIDC
Birkbeck and SOAS are cooperating in workshops on Law and Development, and are both co-supervising a new joint Bloomsbury PhD Studentship looking at the legal, social, economic and political challenges of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The new London Institute for Corporate Governance and Ethics is collaborating with other Colleges in the area of corporate social responsibility in an international development context. Birkbeck is also involved in the Distance Learning for Development Programme, through its original distance MSc in structural biology, which is delivered to scientists in developing countries, and distance teaching programmes in Geographic Information Science (GIS). Researchers from Birkbeck and Institute of Education are jointly organising an international conference on Migrants and the Right to Health that will take place in London in May 2010.
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