MPhils in Development Studies from the University of Sussex in 1999-00

Brighton, a town of about 180,000 and an hour south of London on the English Channel is our new home. Although thankful for weather that is sunny by English standards, we definitely get enough showers to remind us where we are and encourage us to explore Brighton’s uniquely trendy, hip and happening indoor atmosphere. So while this bustling student haven promises enough clubs and pubs to enjoy a pint in a different locale every day of the year; on sunny days, its seaside flavour provides the perfect setting for tranquil walks on the famous pebble beach which is often windswept and features great waves and stunning sunsets.

The town itself is graced with Regency architecture, old churches, and a maze of cobblestone lanes lined with shops, called appropriately enough “The Lanes”. The Royal Pavilion, Brighton’s crowning glory is unique with its Moorish exterior and oriental interior; speaking to Britain’s colonial history it provides a rich counterpoint to our Development Studies programme at the University of Sussex.

The University campus is a four-mile/8-minute train ride from Brighton at Falmer on the green, pastoral South Downs. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, our development studies course combines mainstream economic perspectives on the development of poorer countries, with alternative viewpoints from the fields of anthropology, sociology and political science. This approach is very challenging and coincides with our holistic perspective on what development should be. Our lecturers and supervisors at the Institute of Development Studies are world-renown in the field of development and provide us with worthy guidance and insight in our academic efforts.

Having both lived and worked in other countries, Alexandra in Argentina and Linda in Laos, we find in this course a chance to channel and explore our interest in internationalism, humanism and cross-cultural solidarity. Our greatest learning comes from the diversity among our coursemates. There are 30 of us in the M.Phil. course this year, hailing from 18 countries. Together we bring an amazingly wide variety of work, education and life experience to the class room, making this education an exponential synergy! While we pull together to meet the rigourous standards of British academia, the social side means pot luck suppers with everyone cooking a national dish, a welcome break from the traditional British fish and chips but always happily accompanied by a pint of brewski!