2014-2015 Academic Catalog

Nov 15, 2024

2014-2015 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ID 250 - Aid and Empire

Aid and Empire; Looking into the Gift Horse’s Mouth. This course examines the history and geopolitics of foreign aid—from the Marshall Plan to the “war on terror.” What drives countries or individuals to help another? To what degree is this politically motivated? To answer such questions, we first examine the issue of empire though a series of controversial books about the “aid-industrial-complex.” We then survey the operations and practices of a variety of donors including: multi-laterals (World Bank), bi-laterals (USAID), private sector (family foundations), and individual donors. By learning to “see like a donor,” students will explore the art and craft of grant writing and other fundraising strategies for development projects and then write a proposal for a real project of their choice. To conclude the course, we explore alternative fundraising paradigms and emergent philanthropic trends.