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Students who traveled to Kenya and Tanzania over the January interim session will lead a brown bag discussion titled “Kiafrika Safari: African Journey” noon today in Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall.
The presentation will highlight their experiences in East Africa, where they took the Lafayette course Modern Sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and Tanzania.
Taught by Kofi Opoku, professor of religious studies, and Roger Ruggles, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, the class examined the sociocultural environment and natural resources that shape development and change in Kenya and Tanzania. Particular attention was devoted to the rich indigenous history and traditions that provide social and economic purpose for art, the foundations for democratic institutions, support for dignity, industriousness, and accommodation for development.
Richard Jackson ’05 (Norwalk, Conn.), a mathematics-economics major, says he took the course because of his deep interest in the political, cultural, and social factors that play a part in several African countries.
“I am always looking to draw connections between the African and African American experience, especially because I feel that I have been influenced by both cultures tremendously,” he says.
Jhenelle Andrade ’06 (Bronx, N.Y.), a neuroscience major, also felt a strong connection while traveling. She will discuss the links she saw between East Africa and her Jamaican heritage.
“I will be emphasizing the differences as well as the similarities I observed with African and Jamaican culture,” she says. “This trip was more than a class for me, it was almost like a pilgrimage to a home I never knew.”
“I fell in love with the landscapes of Kenya and Tanzania; they were unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” adds Reco Collins ’05 (Stone Mountain, Ga.), an economics and business major. “Being less than two feet away from a pride of wild lions was something out of a ‘National Geographic’ episode and was a highlight for me.”
Other students who will participate in the discussion are Britney McCoy ’05 (Upper Marlboro, Md.), a double major in A.B. engineering and government & law; Brandon McCloud ’05 (Easton, Pa.), a double major in anthropology & sociology and government & law; Fayola Bostic ’05 (St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago), who is pursuing a B.S. in electrical & computer engineering and an A.B. degree with a major in international studies; Danielle Wright ’05 (Bayside, N.Y.), a psychology major; and Rasheim Donaldson ’06 (New York, N.Y.), an anthropology and sociology major.
Other January study abroad courses in 2005:
Students’ first-person accounts of their experiences in these trips will be posted on the Lafayette web site along with last year’s first-person accounts.
Students learned about the sociocultural environment and natural resources \nthat shape development and change in an interim study abroad course, Modern \nSub-Saharan Africa: Kenya and Tanzania.