School of Government Undergraduate Study (International Development Department)

IDD has over 50 years of experience undertaking ground-breaking research, teaching, and policy advice on the most pressing global challenges. During your time with us, you will learn from world-class academics making a real impact through their research.

IDD is committed to making a positive change in the world through cutting-edge research and policy engagement and as a Masters student in the Department, you will learn not only about theory but also practice. Your lecturers will include current and former advisers to the UK Government, Oxfam, the UN and a range of NGOs and development organisations. During your studies, you will be given many opportunities – in your modules and beyond – to consider and test out how development challenges can be approached and addressed in practice. You will also have the chance to meet and learn from guest lecturers and speakers who work across the world of development and diplomacy.

IDD is a friendly and enthusiastic community and throughout your time with us, you will receive personalised support and encouragement from your personal tutor, lecturers, support staff, and your fellow students. We urge you to get involved as much as you can and to let us know how we can best support you in achieving your aspirations and goals!

School key contacts

Student Experience Officers

Kerrie Myers: gov-studentexperience@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Contact Kerrie about any aspect of your student experience.

Education Support Officers

Email: gandsugenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Here are the contact details for your Education Support Team. You can contact your administrator when you need support for issues related to the organisation of your course such as timetabling, assessments, lectures and Canvas.

This is also the email address for you to write to if you are unsure where to direct your query.

Wellbeing Team

Email: Gov.wellbeing@contacts.bham.ac.uk

Contact the wellbeing team for pastoral support and any queries about disability support and reasonable adjustments.

Academic leads

IDD Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Director

Professor David Hudson (Semester 1): d.e. hudson@bham.ac.uk

Dr Claire McLoughlin (Semester2): c.mcloughlin@bham.ac.uk

Contact David or Claire with any queries relating to your modules and assessment.

Senior Tutor

Dr Simon De Lay: s.e.de-lay@bham.ac.uk

Contact Simon with any concerns about your academic progress or tutoring.

Head of Department

Professor David Hudson: d.e.hudson@bham.ac.uk

Spotlight on Research

There’s lots going on around the department in terms of research – including projects addressing key contemporary challenges such as authoritarianism, the power of ideas in driving African politics, environmental resource management, and transnational corruption. We try to engage students in our research as much as possible, not only by bringing our findings into the classroom, but also by offering opportunities for students to get involved more practically.

Jonathan Fisher and Nic Cheeseman, IDD, (with Idayat Hassan), won funding from Facebook's Foundational Integrity programme, which supports research on misinformation and polarisation. They will be investigating strategies used by state and non-state actors to close down social media space, and civil society and activist responses. This follows previous work on the role of WhatsApp in Nigerian election campaigns, 2018-2020.

Merisa Thompson, IDD, won a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant for her project: ‘Intersections of Gender, Race and Class: The Impact of Colonial Legacies on Contemporary Food and Agricultural Policy in the Caribbean’.

Spotlight on Teaching

Our teaching explores some of the world’s most pressing development challenges, from poverty and inequality, to migration, conflict and climate change. We know that in our increasingly globalised world, these problems are growing in complexity and significance. We’ll be encouraging you to think critically about causes as well as solutions to some of these challenges!

We like to teach theory by using contemporary case studies – drawing on events that are happening around the world right now and unpacking the political dynamics behind them.

But we don’t just teach theory. More practically, you’ll have the opportunity to see development in practice, through a study visit to a low or middle-income country. This is as part of your ‘working in development’ module, which aims to teach you core skills in using some of the tools we use to monitor and evaluate development, and provide an opportunity for you to listen to and learn from different actors involved in development processes.

Good News Story

Professor Nic Cheeseman recently won the Josiah Mason Award for Academic Advancement at the University of Birmingham. This award recognises academic activity that has significantly advanced the discourse or understanding within a specific academic area, with a national or international significance. Nic won this award for his research into how to strengthen democracies around the world. He works with major international players to turn his research into practical steps that can be taken to defend democracy.

Any Recommended Reading

There isn’t any specific reading you’re expected to do before you start your course. You’ll be given a short list of core and suggested readings for each weekly topic you study with us. But if you want to familiarise yourself with some of the key contemporary debates about development, or learn more about some of the global challenges facing the world right now, you can check out these sources: