The Politics of Community Development, Gender, Representation, and Sustainability
Course Location: Kayanga, Karagwe, Tanzania
Academic Credits: 3 in Political Science (POLS 493, Community Development), 3 in English (ENGL 285, Images of Women in Literature)
Instructor: Eric Hartman, executive director, Amizade Global Service-Learning, and adjunct faculty, Public Administration, Political Science, and Service-Learning Programs, West Virginia University and Jessika Thomas, Special Assistant to the Provost, West Virginia University
Dates: July 7 – August 4, 2009
This is a team-taught, multidisciplinary course experience that provides an opportunity to serve small, local nonprofit organizations in Kayanga, Tanzania. Students will critically analyze the roles and images of women in developing societies: both through action research in the community and fictional depictions of women in a variety of developing societies. This interplay of the real – through tangible experiences and collaborative work with women in Tanzania – and the fictional – through novels by and about women across the globe – will lead to a broader understanding of the experiences of women. This examination will situate the specificity of women’s lives in rural Tanzania within diverse cultural experiences of women.
Disciplinary tools from both development studies and literary studies will facilitate a deep understanding of the ways in which societal norming functions to constrain an individual’s experience of her gender and the impact of gender on life opportunities. Student will conduct research on women’s actual experiences in rural Tanzania to connect the theoretical and the global with the actual and personal. The course will address the history of development efforts and facilitate better understanding the meaning and challenges of community development, focusing on the impact of development efforts on women’s lives. Students prepare for the immersion experience by reading about development and its history, the region around Kayanga, carefully selected novels about and/or by women, and analyses of women’s experiences. Specific documents that represent their work and experiences will also provided by our community partners.
The primary partner organizations are the Family Alliance for Cooperation and Development (FADECO) (www.fadeco.org) and the Women’s Emancipation and Development Agency (WOMEDA). During the summer 2007 course, students completed an evaluation of the sign-in book at WOMEDA and were able to determine that women who visit the organization for legal rights walk an average of twenty miles for that opportunity.
The academic portion of the course consists of two interrelated approaches for examining women’s experience in developing rural environments:
- The impact of development on women will be examined through modernization theory, state-driven development, development critiques and postmodern approaches, the expansion of the nonprofit sector, and increasing efforts to scale-up small, community-driven organizations to meet larger and broader needs.
- The social norming of women will by analyzed through literary representations of women and their experiences. Literary studies will develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills, especially in relation to gender, race, and culture; and a familiarity with and understanding of culturally diverse literature by and about women.
- Additionally, the global service-learning approach developed by Amizade ensures students the opportunity to consider these academic questions in light of tangible community experiences and service opportunities. Throughout the course, students will be challenged to identify ways in which their experiences in rural Tanzania will connect to and inform their individual approaches to global citizenship and ethics in their home communities.
The course and community partnership truly provides an opportunity to experience and begin to understand life in rural East Africa. The community partners are dynamic and innovative organizations that have been recognized for the profound value they contribute to the community by improving women’s rights and helping farmers and others improve their livelihoods. Students will walk on the same mountain trails as little girls who are carrying water back to their own homes, and then students will work with the organizations trying to better guarantee rights and opportunities for those girls.
After a three week immersion period in Kayanga, the students and instructors will travel together to Dar es Salaam, where they will visit with and continue to learn from larger development organizations based there. The immersion portion of the course will officially end in Dar es Salaam, at which point the students will have the opportunity to choose to fly home or connect with tour options common in that region, such as Safaris or visits to Zanzibar.
Throughout the course students will be asked to draw upon experiences living and working in Karagwe, on the one hand, and academic texts and best practices regarding development, on the other. The challenge throughout will be to develop personal conclusions regarding development practice. The service and academic exposure will combine with intercultural experiences to create a forum for critical reflection on community-driven service, intercultural communication, global citizenship, and development itself.
Program Fee: $4165 (before 12/31)* $4415 (before 2/15)** $4665 (after 2/15) Apply Now
The Program Fee includes room and board, local programming, staffing, and transportation, university credits, international health insurance, a contribution to the local community organization, and recreational and cultural activities.
Students are responsible for international airfare, passports and/or visas, immunizations and any books or required course materials.
* Students who are accepted and hold their place with a non-refundable $500 deposit by December 31, 2008 receive a $500 tuition discount.
** Students who are accepted and hold their place with a non-refundable $500 deposit by February 15, 2009 receive a $250 tuition discount.