What are the objectives of this course

The first objective of this course is to understand why development initiatives in developing countries have not had the progress or success the Western world had hoped. This will help us to better understand future solutions. What are the variables that evoke the response we have gotten?


This brings me to my second objective which is to learn who forms policy today and how it is done. Are they the right people with ethical ideals or are they biased? Most effective? How can we change current policy making?

I really like the point about learning who forms policy. I think that's a great objective because we can figure out who is moving policies today; who are the faces behind the machines? What's motivating those people to do the things they do, the way they do them? And also important, but probably a huge task, is to understand the context in which policy decisions are made-- what is the cultural climate like? Do religion, a very active civic society, a colonized history, a troubled political past come into play? Moreover, how do we access those policy makers (or become them) now or in the near future? Also, to what extent do we need them?

When we examine how development initiaties haven't worked, we should also find examples of ones that have, and again, figure out what has helped them work. We can find success stories on both the macro and micro scale. We can apply an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses to solutions of their own. I'd like to examine the scale of prospective solutions- is it government bodies acting, or small NGOs?

I also want to understand the relationships between particular problems. Do they interact in ways that we can use to figure out more efficient solutions?

I welcome and agree with Lizzie’s objectives: the who (and why) of policies and politics, and lessons from development initiatives around the world (the how).

The course's fundamental question lingers in my mind; what are and what will be the global challenges of the 21st century? Tangible resources like oil and especially water, the principles of freedom and democracy so frequently oversimplified in soundbytes, or broader standard similar to the UN Millennium Development Goals? Perhaps I’m simply dancing around the idea of course objectives, since the course description outlines poverty and environmental degradation. Still, I’d like to start simple (even if on my own) before delving into specifics.

I think that the main objective of this course should/could be to educate students about current global issues in a way that motivates each of us to be passionate about the topics throughout the semester and possibly into the future as well. Another goal of the course should be to form links between the issues at hand and to see if any solutions to the underlying factors can be approached and potentially improved with one universal method.


The course should provide information about policy approaches that are currently in operation to attempt to alleviate these challenges and how the global community is reacting to the hardship of others.

My objectives for the course are similar to others in the class. I believe that in order to understand how to create a mass movement there are several things that we must know before getting started. I think one of the goals in the class should be to determine how social norms, values and cultures are developed. Also we should seek to gain information about how information is passed throughout societies. Once we gain a better understanding of how social circles work we can begin to develop methods that will seek to help our societies solve global problems.

As a senior taking this class my objectives are very different than they would have been any other semester at Middlebury. The numerous classes that I have taken have shown me many of the problems and issues my generation will face. I am not scared to admit that I took this class looking for a magic bullet; something to mend the environmental, social and structural problems in the world around us. I was looking for an answer or approach that would show me how to miraculously fix all of these problems. In my last semester at Middlebury, I wanted to find something I could grasp and take with me out into the “real world” to allow me to change it.

I realize this is extremely lofty of me and there is not one approach that will miraculously cure all the world sick, put clean water and food on their tables, educate everyone, mend the blaring inequalities that persist or the persistent exhaustive deterioration of the environment. Therefore, what I hope to learn from this class is based on how policies are form to address these issues. How do we get the grassroots organizations to be heard and be recognized by those in power? As well as examine how to make decision making amore collective process where everyone is involved. I am interested in how consensus can be reached among the communities, in collaboration with the knowledge of people that have similar past experiences and those with an expertise in the area. Overall, I am interested in how one ensures the voices of the local communities are heard and are involved in establishing a sound, sustainable as well as flexible solution that can work as a model for further decision-making processes.