3. Course Objectives
• Understanding the complexity of economic,
social, political, and organizational issues that act
as barriers to development in African countries;
• The reality of working with partners in capacity
building in a developing country setting;
• The skills - including research, proposal writing,
presentations, collaboration, event planning,
fund-raising - that are needed to move
development projects forward.
4. History of the course
• Joint course with African Studies Program
• An experiment with experiential learning at
the first year level
• Student-centre and problem-based learning
• Thematic approach
• Partnership with CAABWA
6. Models of learning
• Traditional class-room based
• Service learning
– Community based
– Travel abroad
– Internship
– “Voluntourism”
• Co-op
• Life-long learning
12. Kofi Annan
Former Secretary General of
the UN
“ Real GDP [in Africa] grew by nearly 5%
annually between 2000 and 2008 – twice the
level of the previous two decades;
According to the African Development
Bank, 6 African countries are forecast to enjoy
growth this year above seven per cent; 15
countries above five per cent; and 27 countries
above three per cent;
Direct foreign investment has soared from
$9 billion in 2000 to $52 billion in 2011;
The IMF [predicts] the continent will have
as many as seven of the ten fastest-growing
economies in the world over the next decade.”
http://kofiannanfoundation.org/newsroom/speeches/2011/02/future-africa
16. French map of Africa c. 1911 with
colonial claims. British possessions
are in yellow; French possessions in
pink; Belgian in orange; German in
green; Portuguese in purple; Italian in
striped pink; Spanish in striped
orange; independent Ethiopia in
brown
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Scramble_for_Africa
26. Just 2.6% of articles on Wikipedia are about Africa despite the continent containing 14% of
the world's population
http://geography.oii.ox.ac.uk/#information-imbalance-africa-on-wikipedia