This course introduced students to environmental issues in Africa, with a focus on Rwanda. The course gave students the substantive knowledge, the skill set, and the personal connections to enable them to perform environmental research internationally.
The goal was to assist students in developing an understanding of the core environmental issues in Rwanda and Africa more broadly, in gaining direct exposure to these issues through interaction with scholars and practitioners in the region, and in articulating research questions to advance their dissertation work.
The course consisted of three elements: 1) a week-long field trip to Rwanda in March 2018, 2) in-class sessions with the instructor and professionals, and 3) a half-day symposium at UMass Boston where students presented their work and experiences to the broader community.