PSCI 252: Global South

Learn about the Global South.

Ever wondered what separates the Global South from the Global North? What is the Global South anyways?

PSCI 252: Global South answers these questions and more, as well as opens your mind up to the experiences of people who live in Global South countries. This article is your go-to guide for everything you need to know about this course, including its learning takeaways, class structure, and the required readings and assignments. You’ll also get to hear from Dr. Maissaa Almustafa, who designed and teaches the course. Get ready to learn how people and cultures from the Global South have shaped the world as we know it!

About PSCI 252: Global South

What you’ll learn

PSCI 252: Global South explores the people, issues, and identity of the Global South. You’ll learn how these regions have been affected by the historical processes of colonialism, imperialism, and globalization, and what that means for their development today. The goal of the course is to provide students with knowledge of different narratives related to the Global South, including perspectives from both powerful and marginalized positions. At the end of the course, you’ll discuss opportunities for development that will positively impact Global South communities. This course isn’t just for Political Science students either – as long as you’re in your 1B term or higher, you can learn all about the Global South and perspectives of development.

Major themes

• Definition of the Global South
  • Spoiler alert: the Global South doesn’t just include countries located below the equator! Throughout the course, you’ll redefine and explore the definition of the Global South and the people and communities that comprise it. In particular, you’ll focus more on the issues and history that affects Global South culture rather than their geographical location, which broadens the definition to include communities in the Northern as well as the Southern Hemispheres.
• Personal perspectives
  • This course places people at the centre of the study of the Global South. You’ll have the opportunity to read stories and perspectives from the people who live in the Global South and are most affected by issues in those regions, providing a more accurate and humanist viewpoint. This includes not only political leaders, but also activists, Indigenous peoples, and cultures who have been subject to marginalization.  
• Related crises
  • Global crises impact the Global South just as much, if not more, than the Global North. You’ll examine how world events like climate change, refugee crises, and even global pandemics like COVID-19 affect the people of the Global South differently. You’ll also learn about the relationship between the Global North and Global South, especially in situations where Global South communities are located within countries regarded to be part of the Global North (such as Indigenous communities in Canada).

Readings

The readings for this class have been carefully selected to introduce students to scholars from the Global South that they may not have interacted with before. You’ll read largely from the perspectives of people from Global South communities to see how different theories and policies have developed and enacted in these regions. In addition, you’ll get to watch documentaries, interviews, and short talks featuring these scholars and Global South communities to think about the Global South and the issues that affect it in a different way.

Assignments

Attendance and participation are major components of your grade in PSCI 252, so come to class ready to meaningfully participate in class discussions. You’ll also be marked on weekly reflection papers where you will be required to complete the readings and engage with them in a relevant way in order to organize your thoughts about the course content. This course opts for a final paper rather than an exam, where you will write an analytical paper on a theme covered in the course. While cumulating your understanding of course topics, the final paper also allows you to be empowered in your opinion and argue for a position using course resources as well as outside perspectives.

An average class

Dr. Almustafa usually starts class by asking a big question connected to the week’s themes and readings. After the lecture, students will discuss the readings and their perspectives as well as ask questions. Dr. Almustafa likes to include documentaries and short clips of talks by scholars, policymakers, and activists from the Global South where students can hear lived experiences by people affected by issues in the Global South. She also includes group work, including mock conferences where students represent different actors, prepare a position on an issue, and present it to other groups. If you take PSCI 252, get ready to discuss your point of view and learn from others as much as you do from the readings!

Why take this course?

As the University of Waterloo is located in a largely Global North country, the Global South isn’t always top of mind within Canadian politics and conversation. PSCI 252 invites you to better understand the Global South and the issues that affect its communities, as well as how these relate to and are at times caused by the Global North. You’ll develop your writing, discussion, and analytical skills as you argue for different positions, as well as gain the confidence to share your opinions and support your ideas with research and lived experiences. By the end of the course, you’ll not only get to practice skills that will make you a better student but also learn ways in which to become a better global citizen.

About Dr. Almustafa

Dr. Maissaa Almustafa earned her PhD in Global Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research focuses on refugee journeys and the lived experiences of people experiencing forced displacement. Through a transnational perspective, her work looks to highlight the individual stories and narratives of refugees in an effort to increase refugee protection globally.

What considerations did you have when designing this course?

“I am a person from the Global South, so I feel like I have this personal lived experience that I bring to my students. And my teaching philosophy and method was always affected by scholars who bring lived experience to their classes. I believe that my students will never understand Global South challenges and opportunities if they don’t get introduced to scholars from the Global South. That’s why in my reading list, there are many names that are non-Western scholars. These alternative sources of knowledge about the Global South can enhance students’ understanding of the actual things that are affecting the people in the Global South and change their way of looking at things.”

How do you engage students during class?

“I adopt discussion method a lot in my class, so I don’t like to only lecture. Especially in the wintertime, when things get dark and gloomy and students get tired, I once said, you know what, let’s stop now. Let’s move all the tables, put them in an open circle, and let’s have a discussion. I consider my teaching style one that is really people centred, student-centred. I like students to know that people are at the core of all these analyses and discussion, and at the same time for me, students are at the core. Making sure they are engaged and interested is a big mission for me.”

What do you hope students will get out of this course?

“I would like them to think about communities of the Global South from a different perspective. I hope that they start to put the people at the centre and start seeing how power dynamics, crises, social injustices, and the legacies of colonial structures have affected the Global South. Students can then try to connect this with what people in the Global South go through today. I really encourage my students to be socially responsible and make their awareness of this connected to their ability to change something related to the Global South. It’s a mixture of teaching, learning, and advocating for better living conditions for people in Global South from a well-informed position.”

What do you hope to add to this course in the future?

“Many of my students say they would like to have more discussion about Indigenous communities. We touch on that, but they believe we need to focus more on that. So, I’d like to talk about the Global South in the Global North more, because students come to class without knowing that this really exists. Then they discover that it’s a crucial part of the discussion about the global system and that it’s closer to home and mind. So I’m considering adding more about Indigenous communities; the only issue is time!”
What is your favourite topic in this course?
“I love when we talk about theoretical perspectives. And, actually, that’s the week when I see my students start to have some answers to their big questions about why people in the Global South are treated in a certain way. This usually happens when we talk about colonialism, imperialism, and Orientalism to the discussion. That’s the part when I feel like, wow, the light bulb is glowing!”
 
Special thanks to Dr. Almustafa for providing an interview for this article!