Written by: Jeremy Mesich, Bethlehem Zebib, Shantyle Andres, Jenna Wood & Allison Hopper
The last day of class was a bittersweet reflection of everything we have learned over the course of the past twelve weeks in INDEV 101 with a mixture of concepts we had already learned in INDEV 100. The premise of today’s lecture was going through everything we already have learned and how these topics relate to the field of International Development. Lastly, we went back to the very first lecture on Chilika Lagoon and discussed the themes and issues beyond the global and national factors.
Firstly, the class was divided into five groups that were each given two topics and to come up with a presentation with how the themes and subjects affected everything in relation to development. As many of us are finishing our first year of university this exercise was an amazing technique to see how much we have all actually learned. It is amazing as university students to see that facts we have learned be applied to almost any subject within global studies and development. Each group was able to bring their own insights and opinions on how they feel about each aspect. Due to development’s complex and diverse nature, it was only natural that every student within this class had their own views and it is important for all of us as students studying international development to respect and appreciate everyone’s opinion. Furthermore, this class we went back to the very first issue we learned about in this class, Chilika Lagoon. The very first week we only looked at the two main drivers of the issues surrounding Chilika Lagoon, however in the final moments of class we revisited every topic prior to this week and how each issue related to the problems Chilika Lagoon faces. We learned that you cannot always blame the external factors within an issue and it is vital to take into consideration internal conditions. In addition, the locals were already struggling with poverty due to the poor consideration of the Indian Government. We are always ready to blame everybody else for an issue but refuse to take accountability for our own actions. The truth is many external organizations tried their best to help with this issue, but with the Indian Government’s greediness and hunger for money they ended up causing countless social, economic and environmental damage.
In conclusion, it was amazing to see how much growth we have achieved as students and everyone deserves congratulations for all the effort, tears and passions they had put into this course.