Service Learning
Gender and Development in Ghana
A Sample Proposal for a Service-Learning
Program in Ghana
Introduction
There is a steady growth of interest among university students in service-learning as an option in their academic pursuits. To meet this demand, an increasing number of colleges and universities are adjusting their curricular offerings to include service-learning as an integral part of their institutional framework. This development is no less discernible within the study abroad field.
Rationale
The Republic of Ghana is aptly suited to meeting the needs of those students interested in participating in a service-learning academic environment. As a relatively poor and developing country, Ghana’s socioeconomic needs are immense, and the opportunities available for college students to learn about, and assist in meeting, those needs are unlimited.
Below are three of the most important reasons why a carefully designed service-learning program in Ghana, under the theme ‘Gender and Development in Ghana,’ would be successful.
Program Design
Students in this program would spend a semester or (academic) year in Ghana, taking specially arranged classes at a fully accredited (private or public) university in Accra and engaging in substantive volunteer service for 15-20 hours per week. After a week of orientation, they would begin fifteen weeks of classes and community service, both of which would revolve around the specific theme of the program, ‘Gender and Development in Ghana.’ In short, the content of the classes will dovetail with the nature of the community service in critical ways to ensure that (A) student learning is enhanced; (B) real community needs are addressed; and (C) students are able to critically reflect upon their entire experience.
After classes end, another week will be needed for final exams. One additional week can be provided for individual (or small group) travel and for handling various personal matters. The semester program, then, is designed for a total of 18 weeks. Fall and Spring semesters would follow the same pattern. However, special arrangements can be made for second semester year-long students, making use of independent studies, special topics seminars,
and field research projects.
Academic Study
Classes would be held on or off campus (depending on program interest). For a period of 15 weeks, students would take five required courses (listed below), each taught by a university-trained and university-employed professor, each designed to enhance the students’ understanding of Ghana, the West African sub-region, and the specific theme of the program, ‘Gender and Development in Ghana.’ A total of 15 academic credits would be earned from these courses.
Community Service
Students will be placed in agencies located in the greater Accra region—serving between 15-20 hours per week — and provide direct human services to those persons and/or institutions in need of this assistance. Although students will have a variety of assignments to choose from, each project will be based on the overall theme of the program: Gender and Development in Ghana.
A short (sample) list of some of the agencies we will work with include the following:
Field Trips
A series of field trips, site visits, and cultural events will be organized throughout the semester, including during the one-week orientation period. The aim of each trip, visit, and event will be to enhance the students’ understanding and appreciation of life and society in Ghana. Some of the probable destinations include Aburi, Cape Coast, Elmina, and Kumasi, Hohoe.
Housing
In order to facilitate and enhance the cultural immersion of students on this program, one of three options can be arranged: home-stay arrangements; campus housing; off campus housing in student hostels. In all cases, concern for safety and security will be the primary criteria in determining where students would ultimately stay; secondarily, every effort will be made to enhance the cultural immersion of the service-learning students by allowing them to interact with their Ghanaian counterparts within the residential living environment.
Staffing
The staff of the Aya Centre for Intercultural Awareness and Development would run this program. It has the requisite academic background and administrative experience to run this program effectively.
A Sample Proposal for a Service-Learning
Program in Ghana
Introduction
There is a steady growth of interest among university students in service-learning as an option in their academic pursuits. To meet this demand, an increasing number of colleges and universities are adjusting their curricular offerings to include service-learning as an integral part of their institutional framework. This development is no less discernible within the study abroad field.
Rationale
The Republic of Ghana is aptly suited to meeting the needs of those students interested in participating in a service-learning academic environment. As a relatively poor and developing country, Ghana’s socioeconomic needs are immense, and the opportunities available for college students to learn about, and assist in meeting, those needs are unlimited.
Below are three of the most important reasons why a carefully designed service-learning program in Ghana, under the theme ‘Gender and Development in Ghana,’ would be successful.
- The overwhelming majority of foreign students who participate in study-abroad programs in Ghana come with a strong desire to volunteer in one of the various community service projects that are available.
- The far majority of foreign students participating in study-abroad programs in Ghana have consistently been female. Among this group of females, the majority have been interested in volunteering their efforts in the area of gender and development. Indeed, the demand for this particular area of community service has been constant. Interestingly enough, however, the relatively fewer males that come each semester (often) indicate similar interests, although what has appealed to them more is the area of gender inequality in the pursuit of human rights.
- In Ghana, the relationship between gender and development is both interesting and resourceful. This is partly because it is such a dynamic part of the socio-economic and political landscape; moreover, it lends itself to a variety of opportunities for college students to learn about, contribute to, and reflect upon the ways in which women in Ghana seek to change the social order.
Program Design
Students in this program would spend a semester or (academic) year in Ghana, taking specially arranged classes at a fully accredited (private or public) university in Accra and engaging in substantive volunteer service for 15-20 hours per week. After a week of orientation, they would begin fifteen weeks of classes and community service, both of which would revolve around the specific theme of the program, ‘Gender and Development in Ghana.’ In short, the content of the classes will dovetail with the nature of the community service in critical ways to ensure that (A) student learning is enhanced; (B) real community needs are addressed; and (C) students are able to critically reflect upon their entire experience.
After classes end, another week will be needed for final exams. One additional week can be provided for individual (or small group) travel and for handling various personal matters. The semester program, then, is designed for a total of 18 weeks. Fall and Spring semesters would follow the same pattern. However, special arrangements can be made for second semester year-long students, making use of independent studies, special topics seminars,
and field research projects.
Academic Study
Classes would be held on or off campus (depending on program interest). For a period of 15 weeks, students would take five required courses (listed below), each taught by a university-trained and university-employed professor, each designed to enhance the students’ understanding of Ghana, the West African sub-region, and the specific theme of the program, ‘Gender and Development in Ghana.’ A total of 15 academic credits would be earned from these courses.
- Twi for Beginners This course will introduce students to Ghana’s most commonly spoken language—spoken by nearly 45 percent of the population as a first language, and used as a second language by a large majority of the remainder. The main emphasis of this course will be on the spoken language, connecting it to Ghana’s rich cultural heritage as well as making it practical for current everyday usage. Opportunities for language acquisition to complement community service activities will be provided. 3 credits.
- History and Culture of Ghana This course will provide a systematic study of the history and culture of Ghana from pre-colonial times to the present post-colonial era. The main focus will be on examining the ways in which Ghana’s historical legacy and cultural diversity have shaped its people and institutions. The historical roles played by Ghanaian women in the shaping of Ghanaian society will be emphasized as well. 3 credits.
- The Status of Women in Ghanaian Society This course, interdisciplinary in approach, will examine the condition of Ghanaian women in various stations in life. The main areas under review will be health, family, religion, politics, and economics. In this course, every effort will be made to expose students to studies conducted by Ghanaian women in these areas. 3 credits.
- Gender and Development This course will critically examine the literature in the areas where gender studies interfaces with development studies. In addition to studying the relevant theoretical perspectives in both fields, students will be required to examine specific case studies undertaken in Ghana, the West African sub-region, and other developing nations. 3 credits.
- Seminar in Community Service Internships This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to critically reflect on their experiences as community service providers in Ghana. It will be divided into three parts: Part I will include a series of lectures—some of which will be given by leading community service providers in Ghana—on understanding the unique features of community service work in Ghana. Part II will provide a forum for students to share some of their experiences in the community with each other based on the journals each of them will be required to keep during the semester. Part III will include student presentations of research papers required for this course. Each paper, although different in content, will focus on how the student’s experience in the community enhanced his or her experience in the classroom and vice versa. 3 credits.
Community Service
Students will be placed in agencies located in the greater Accra region—serving between 15-20 hours per week — and provide direct human services to those persons and/or institutions in need of this assistance. Although students will have a variety of assignments to choose from, each project will be based on the overall theme of the program: Gender and Development in Ghana.
A short (sample) list of some of the agencies we will work with include the following:
- AFWD (African Women’s Development Fund)
- FIDA (Legal Support Group for Indigent Women)
- WISE (Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment)
- NCWD (National Council on Women and Development)
- WAJU (Women and Juvenile Unit of Ghana Police Service)
- Ark Foundation (Women’s Domestic Violence Protection Unit)
- Gender Centre (Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre)
- Women in Broadcasting (Promotes Opportunities for Women Broadcasters)
Field Trips
A series of field trips, site visits, and cultural events will be organized throughout the semester, including during the one-week orientation period. The aim of each trip, visit, and event will be to enhance the students’ understanding and appreciation of life and society in Ghana. Some of the probable destinations include Aburi, Cape Coast, Elmina, and Kumasi, Hohoe.
Housing
In order to facilitate and enhance the cultural immersion of students on this program, one of three options can be arranged: home-stay arrangements; campus housing; off campus housing in student hostels. In all cases, concern for safety and security will be the primary criteria in determining where students would ultimately stay; secondarily, every effort will be made to enhance the cultural immersion of the service-learning students by allowing them to interact with their Ghanaian counterparts within the residential living environment.
Staffing
The staff of the Aya Centre for Intercultural Awareness and Development would run this program. It has the requisite academic background and administrative experience to run this program effectively.