Bulls, Goats, and Pedagogy: Engaging Students in Overseas Development Aid

This article illustrates the profound learning that occurs—for students and instructor alike—when a class on third-world development attempts to undertake foreign aid. With undergraduate, graduate, and departmental money, I purchased bulls and carts for farmers, and goats for widows, in two West Afr...

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Published in	PS, political science & politics Vol. 42; no. 1; pp. 181 - 187
Main Author	Miles, William F. S.
Format	Journal Article
Language	English
Published	New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.01.2009
Subjects	Africa Alumni associations Carts Classroom Communication College Students Colleges & universities Cost estimates Department Heads Developing Nations Development economics Discussion (Teaching Technique) Donations Economic Development Educational Facilities Improvement Enrollment Experiential Learning Foreign Aid Foreign Countries Furniture Goats Graduate Students Industrialized nations Learner Engagement Learning Mayors North and South Outdoor activities Pedagogy Political Science Poverty Principals School principals Service Learning Teachers Teaching Methods The Teacher Third World Undergraduate Students Villages Africa
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Summary:	This article illustrates the profound learning that occurs—for students and instructor alike—when a class on third-world development attempts to undertake foreign aid. With undergraduate, graduate, and departmental money, I purchased bulls and carts for farmers, and goats for widows, in two West African villages. Such experiential learning personalized for students the study of micropolitics under conditions of poverty, the development of organizational structure, and north-south dependency.
Bibliography:	ark:/67375/6GQ-BKG5PLTS-N PII:S1049096509090179 ArticleID:09017 istex:A4622D2C86631324F6BA37BC3B078F0015B8C897 The author wishes to thank Professor John Portz, chair of the Northeastern University political science department, without whose unstinting support bulls, goats, and scholarships would not have become such a part of our students' learning experience. In the absence of conventional receipts for departmentally-purchased livestock, Professor Portz displayed particular fortitude vis-à-vis Accounts Payable. Professor David Rochefort has been an inspiration for experiential learning writ large. I also wish to acknowledge Professor Bruce Wallin who suggested that I write up my long-distance pedagogic experiences for the benefit of the profession. Undergraduates whose enthusiasm realized these projects include Nick Boston, Sobaika Mirza, Estella Moriarty, Sarah Tishler, and Kelsea Zetterman. Graduate students who have taken a leadership role include Alisa Houghton, Jennifer Hackbush, Kristen Hudak, Alison Uzdella, and Marketa Vavreckova. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1049-0965 1537-5935
DOI:	10.1017/S1049096509090179