As Development Studies scholars, we look into the various dimensions of development and underdevelopment in order to provide us a holistic and an integrated perspective and analysis of complex development issues and challenges.
These dimensions of development are the following:
Economic
Ideological and philosophical
Ethical
Political
Legal and constitutional
Administrative
Environmental
Technological
Socio-anthropological
Geographical
Cultural
Psycho-social
We also evaluate development in various levels of analysis, namely: community, institutional, regional, national, international and global.
It is in this context of studying the complex process of development and the reality of poverty that I enjoin our students to view and apply their learnings from all their courses in an integrative and dialectical manner. Aside from the practicum, this academic training in the university is best complemented by active membership in socio-civic, development-oriented, and mass-oriented organizations. Our training in development theorizing must undergo the rigid test of development practice. It is only through this dialectical interaction that genuine, empowering and transformative education and development will take place.
