The issues of global poverty and international development, which have
received huge media attention in recent months due to events such as
the tsunami, the Make Poverty History campaigns, and the recent UN
Millennium Review summit, are entering into the mainstream of UCC
teaching and research through the development of a new degree programme
by the Department of Food Business & Development.
The BSc in International Development & Food Policy started last
September with an intake of 40 students, including ten mature students.
The academic co-ordinator of the programme, Dr Nick Chisholm, notes
that it is the first undergraduate degree programme in the State that
has a primary focus on international ("Third World") development, and
as such it has received strong support from development organisations
in Ireland including Concern, Trocaire and Development Co-operation
Ireland, the development section of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The course combines a strong focus on understanding key dimensions of
development with the acquisition of technical and management skills to
work effectively in this area. Students have the opportunity to pursue
more specific issues in the areas of food policy, governance and
conflict resolution, health-related aspects of development, and modern
languages (French or Spanish). Students also undertake placements in
the third year, many of them overseas, and this will give unique
exposure to practical development work within development organisations.
Given the expected increase in Ireland's overseas development
co-operation budget (the Taoiseach announced at the UN that Ireland
will reach the official UN target of providing 0.7% of GDP to overseas
aid by 2012) the Department of Food Business & Development believes
that this is the appropriate time to launch such a programme which will
provide students both with technical skills and a critical appreciation
of key development issues.
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