Developing Countries of Global South
in International Relations
Lecturer: Radka Havlová
E-mail: radka.havlova@vsci.cz
Requirements: Total 100 points
Assessment criteria Max. number of points
Presentation/Seminar paper 30
Oral exam 60
Active attendance 10
Total 100
Description of requirements:
1. Presentation: short presentation for max. 25 minutes on selected topic. List of
proposed topics is included in the lecture plan below. Presentations are to be sent for
review at least 3 days before the scheduled presentation date.
alternatively can be replaced by
Seminar paper: 10-12 pages; topics to be agreed with the lecturer. Must refer well to
resources, elaborate topics in an academic manner (intro incl. research question,
analysis, conclusion)
Choose either seminar paper or presentation, do not do both!!! If you do not submit
a seminar paper or hold a presentation you can not pass the course!
2. Written final test = 60 points max.
3. Active attendance: 1 bonus points for each seminar attended, max. 10 points for
semester, students are expected to actively participate in class discussions.
In case of online lectures, active attendance will be replaced by alternative
assignment. More information will be provided once the lectures start.
Lecture plan
Lecture No. Topic
1. Global South, colonization and decolonization of Global South and their
impact on development of the countries of the Global South
2. Political problems of Global South – autoritarian regimes vs. democracy,
freedom of speech, media freedom, corruption, fragile states
3. Military problems of Global South – role of armies, regime instability,
terrorism, separatism
4. Economic and environmental problems of Global South – economic
development, indebtedness, structural reforms, environmental problems
of Global South (water resources, deforestation, desertification…)
5. Social problems of Global South – ethnicity, population, role of religion,
drugs, socioeconomic inequality…
6. Middle East and North Africa as part of the Global South – main
determinants of development, main problems and conflicts in the region
7. Africa as part of the Global South – main determinants of development,
main problems and conflicts in the region
8. Asia as part of the Global South – main determinants of development, main
problems and conflicts in the region
9. Latin America as part of the Global South – main determinants of
development, main problems and conflicts in the region
10. Great powers and Global South – US, EU, Russia, China, India, Japan and
their relation to countries of Global South
11. International organizations and Global South – UN and regional
organizations and Global South, BRICS…
Presentation topics
Lecture Topic
1 ---
2 1. Impact of direct and indirect form of colonia administration on post-colonial
development of Global South
2. French colonial empire and the current relations of France to its former
colonies
3. British colonial empire and the current relations of Great Britain to its former
colonies
3 4. Critical analysis of measurement of level of democracy in countries of Global
South
5. Corruption in countries of Global South
6. Fragile states in Global South
4 7. Role of army in selected countries of Global South
8. Terrorist organizations in selected region of Global South
9. Separatism in Global South (selected region)
5 10. Economic problems of post-colonial development of countries of Global
South
11. Responsibility of former colonial powers for economic development of their
former colonies?
12. Major environmental problems of countries of Global South (selected region)
6 13. Population problems in countries of Global South (selected region)
14. Economic inequality in countries of Global South (selected region)
7 15. Civil wars in Middle East and North Africa – Syria, Libya, Yemen, Iraq
16. Religious problems in Middle East and North Africa
17. Israel among Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa
8 18. Ethnicity as a source of conflicts in Africa
19. Natural resources as a source of conflicts in Africa
9 20. Main territorial disputes in Asia
21. Main social problems of selected Asian country of Global South
10 22. Drugs and Latin America (Mexico, Columbia)
23. Instability in Latin America (Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba...)
11 24. China and Global South
25. US and Global South
26. Regional powers in Global South
12 27. UN and Global South
28. BRICS
29. Regional organizations in selected region of Global South
Literature
1. John Rapley. Understanding Development: Theory and Practice in the Third World,
Routledge, 2013, ISBN 9781135056131
2. Ben-Artzi, R. (2016). Regional Development Banks in Comparison: Banking Strategies
Versus Development Goals. Cambridge University Press.
3. Bermeo, N., & Yashar, D. J. (Eds.). (2016). Parties, Movements, and Democracy in the
Developing World. Cambridge University Press.
4. Centeno, M. A., Kohli, A., Yashar, D. J., & Mistree, D. (Eds.). (2017). States in the
developing world. Cambridge University Press.
5. Signé, L. (2017). Innovating Development Strategies in Africa. Cambridge University
Press.
6. Justin Dargin. The Rise of the Global South: Philosophical, Geopolitical and Economic
Trends of the 21st Century, World Scientific, 2013, ISBN 9789814397810
7. B. S. Chimni, Siddharth Mallavarapu. International Relations: Perspectives for the
Global South, Pearson, 2012, ISBN 9788131771662
8. Jacqueline Anne Braveboy-Wagner. Institutions of the Global South, Taylor & Francis,
2008, ISBN 9780203018422
9. Palash Kamruzzaman. Civil Society in the Global South, Routledge Studies in
Development and Society, Routledge, 2018, ISBN 9781351625432
10. Haroon A. Khan. The Idea of Good Governance and the Politics of the Global South:
An Analysis of its Effects, Routledge Studies in Governance and Public Policy,
Routledge, 2015, ISBN 9781317567202
11. Thomas G. Weiss, Pallavi Roy. The UN and the Global South, 1945 and 2015,
Routledge, 2018, ISBN 9781315309279
12. Conflict Barometer, Heidelberg Institute for Conflict Resolution, www.hiik.de
13. The Uppsala Conflict Data Program, ucdp.uu.se