Overseas Aid and International Development
UndergraduateMUR-SUS2072026
Course information for 2026 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Appraise how effective Australian overseas aid and development policies are. Form a picture of key development agencies. Unpack the motivations behind international aid. Engage in historical and philosophical analyses of the ongoing debates in this field.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- Subject may require attendance
- Enrol by
- 19 July 2026
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- 13 weeks
- Price from
- $2,176
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Overseas Aid and International Development
About this subject
At the completion of this subject students will be able to:
- Apply the principal concepts, theories and practices of overseas aid and international development to analyse issues.
- Evaluate the effectiveness and value of frameworks, principles and theories to guide policy and practice in international development contexts.
- Critically analyse recent debates informing aid and development, the motivations behind international aid and the attendant difficulties in its delivery.
- Discuss why aid and development remain so contested within international relations and such a problematic context for altruistic notions of help.
- Collaborate effectively on development-related tasks with a range of people to address complex global challenges.
- Introduction;
- Development in Context
- Big Theories
- Development as Discourse
- Doing Development
- Australian Aid Policies;
- Tourism and Development;
- Capacity Building;
- Development and Involuntary Displacement
- Chinese Soft Power
- Fair Trade
- Microfinance
This subject was previously known as AID204 Overseas Aid and International Development.
NOTE: To take this unit through OUA you must be enrolled in a bachelor's degree [B1333 or N1076]. This unit cannot be completed via Open Access.
Why are aid and development important? What are the differences between humanitarian emergency responses and long term development? How can we encourage people to take ownership for their own sustainable development? What are the barriers to this for them and us? What is is it to be the beneficiary of a development intervention? This unit aims to give a historical and theoretical grounding to respond to these questions and to give us a more detailed picture of what development entails.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.
- Reading presentation (20%)
- Wiki/Blog post (25%)
- Engagement (20%)
- Invigilated Examination (35%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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Entry requirements
Part of a degree
To enrol in this subject you must be accepted into one of the following degrees:
Elective
- MUR-BAR-DEG-2026 - Bachelor of Arts
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MUR-AID204 (Not currently available)
MUR-COD204 (Not currently available)
Others
To take this subject through OUA you must be enrolled in a bachelor's degree [B1333 or N1076]. This subject cannot be completed via Open Access.
To enrol in this subject, you must have passed a minimum of 12 credit points at 100-level.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
Related degrees
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateMUR-BAR-DEG