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This is an advanced seminar-style (discussion) course that will dive deeply into a selection of active areas of research in the development economics literature. It can be thought of as a successor course to my introductory survey course Economic Development (SA.310/320/744), although that course is not strictly a prerequisite. Each week we will read 2-4 related papers on a topic where there is an ongoing debate both in the academic literature and in policy circles. Examples include the impacts of foreign aid, industrial policy, the role of culture in economic development, and the economics of urbanization in LMICs. As an advanced course, the purpose of this class is to help students develop the skills to critically engage with any literature in development economics. It is targeted to advanced masters students wanting to go deeper into the literature, doctoral students in related fields, and anyone looking to learn more about how to closely read economic research. It will be particularly useful for those considering going on to a PhD or otherwise considering a career in research, although it will also make those more interested in working in policy into better consumers of research. Prerequisites: introductory microeconomics and macroeconomics, plus at least one statistics or econometrics course. Economic Development is also recommended by not required. <a href="http://bit.ly/1bebp5s" target="_blank">Click here to see evaluations, syllabi, and faculty bios</a>