Course Overview
The distinction between development aid and humanitarian aid is fast dissolving as complex humanitarian emergencies (CHEs) become protracted and global climate change leads to the increasing scope and frequency of natural disasters. This course will discuss the principles and politics that shape humanitarian practice and give students the tools to pursue positive outcomes in an increasingly complex humanitarian space. The course will provide an overview of the evolution of humanitarian assistance and analysis of how this evolution shaped the current humanitarian regime. It will give students a sophisticated sense of the current humanitarian landscape and its different actors, from government donors to UN agencies and local and international NGOs. It will discuss best practices in key humanitarian sectors and give students the knowledge necessary to engage the key conversations and controversies currently shaping humanitarian practice and policy.