Daily Pioneer News

Pat Foster, director of the Patricia A. Doyle Women's Center; Annie Kinwa-Muzinga, associate professor of agribusiness; and Jennifer Mandel, assistant professor of social science and geography stand with a professor and department chair and the provost of Kwame Nkrumah University in Kumasi.

PLATTEVILLE- The new University of Wisconsin-Platteville winterim class, Agriculture and Women's Livelihoods in Ghana, is in the final planning stages.

Jennifer Mandel, assistant professor of social science and geography; Annie Kinwa-Muzinga, associate professor of agribusiness; and Pat Foster, director of the Patricia A. Doyle Women's Center, recently returned from a trip to Ghana where they set up meetings and lectures with speakers and professors and mapped out the places the class will visit. The three-credit class will cover everyday life experiences in production agriculture, exchange markets and consumption, connections between urban and rural communities, and Ghana's landscapes. The class fulfills general education requirements in either social sciences, gender studies or international studies. Students choose two of these areas for credit.

"This is a lifelong experience no one can take away. Companies are looking for people who have international experiences. Our students need to be global students," said Kinwa-Muzinga.

Even though much of the class focuses on women's studies, Mandel says there are aspects of the class that will interest students from every major.

"There's something for everyone. For example, engineers may enjoy our visit to the Volta Dam, which is a huge dam that provides hydro-electricity to most of West Africa. We will also be visiting the Kankum Nature Reserve, which has the last piece of virgin rainforest in Ghana. There are rope bridges in the trees that students will be able to walk on," said Mandel.

The group will leave on Dec. 30 and arrive in Accra, the capital of Ghana on Dec. 31. Upon arrival, students will have orientation sessions at the University of Ghana at Legon. Other stops in Accra include the U.S. Embassy, the United States Agency for International Development, Kwame Nkrumah (the first president of Ghana) Memorial, and the Mokoloa Market.

The next stop will be the Kwame Nkrumah University and University Farm in Kumasi. Students will see current research projects, compare Ghana's agriculture and geography with the United States, and meet professors. After that, students will visit Asantehene's Palace where they will attend a festival and meet the king and see him perform ceremonies. Students will also visit the Kumasi Market and the Craft Village.

In Cape Coast, students will visit Elmina and Cape Coast Castles, where slaves to be shipped to America were once housed. Students will also have the opportunity to take drumming and dancing lessons.

During the trip, students will stay in the Regency Hotel in Accra, the Engineering Guest House on a university campus in Kumasi and One Africa Hotel in Cape Coast. The professors want the students to experience a wide range of accommodations and how Ghana people live.

The professors noticed the people of Ghana are very friendly. Everywhere they went, the people said, "welcome" to them. The friendliness of the people, the rich and diverse history and culture and the fact that English is the official language of Ghana make it all the more appealing for students to enroll in the class, according to the professors.

In addition to experiencing the rich history of Ghana and culture, the professors want students to be open minded and learn to respect people on their own terms.

"It's important for students to look at things with an open mind. Nothing is right or wrong, it's just different," said Foster.

"We invite everyone to consider joining us. It will be a great learning experience, said Kinwa-Muzinga.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Women's Livelihoods in Ghana class may contact Kinwa-Muzinga at (608) 342-1007 orkinwamua@uwplatt.edu; Foster at (608) 342-1453 or fosterp@uwplatt.edu; or Mandel at (608) 342-1311 or mandelj@uwplatt.edu.