Examine contemporary development debates that focus on globalization and its impact on Uganda, with case studies on environment, health, gender, and civil society in the vibrant city of Kampala.
16
Relevant previous coursework recommended
Luganda
English
Aug 29 – Dec 11
Uganda
Rwanda
Kampala
Development & Inequality
Identity & Human Resilience
After a difficult past and decades of reforms, Uganda has established itself as a model for contemporary global development. Witness how this African nation has implemented fascinating economic development programs and attracted significant financing from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. Perched on Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, the cosmopolitan capital city of Kampala offers opportunities to visit reforestation projects, small-scale farming communities, and the diverse wildlife of Murchison Falls National Park as you examine political, economic, and environmental issues related to development. Explore what makes Uganda’s refugee policy one of the most internationally recognized in the world with visits to refugee camps such as Nakivale refugee settlement. Meet Ugandan university students; study environmental, health, and human rights projects; and develop practical skills like community mobilization, project monitoring, and policy analysis. During the program, you’ll also visit Rwanda, with one of the fastest growing economies in the region, to see its unique development model. This excursion leads us to a critical analysis of the development nexus of the two countries.
Although there are no prerequisites, a background in development studies or a related field is strongly recommended.
Study Uganda’s shift from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals by visiting projects focused on water, solar power, school nutrition, and growth in the microfinance and banking sectors. You will also visit health projects and shadow community healthcare workers. Conduct focus group discussions with refugees and practice other research methods at a refugee settlement. Finally, take an excursion to Murchison Falls National Park, home to elephants, hippos, and chimpanzees.
Travel to Rwanda to study its political history, how relations with international actors and leadership styles have inspired Rwanda’s fast-paced development, and how this compares to Uganda. You also will visit genocide memorials to explore Rwanda’s recent history. During this part of the program, take site visits to Rwanda Governance Board, Rwanda Development Board, the Kigali Special Economic Zone, and a Millennium Villages Project site.
An excursion to eastern Uganda includes a three-day rural homestay during which you will study water schemes, health centers, schools, small farming, food security, and local governance. Learn how data may be collected in rural settings; practice participatory rural appraisal methods; and observe how rural people support their livelihoods in an era of privatization and economic liberalization.
These typically include visits to sites of historical, cultural, and economic importance, such as Kasubi Tombs, Uganda Museum, Kabaka’s Trail, the Sezibwa Falls, a foreign-funded waste management utility responsible for part of Uganda’s carbon credits, Mwanamugimu nutritional clinic, Uganda’s Parliament, and an urban refugee resilience project.
Please note that SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, however, SIT may have to change or cancel programs.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
The following syllabi are representative of this program. Because courses develop and change over time to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, actual course content will vary from term to term.
The syllabi can be useful for students, faculty, and study abroad offices in assessing credit transfer. Read more about credit transfer.
Contemporary Global Development – syllabus
(AFRS3000 / 3 credits)
This integrative, interdisciplinary course introduces theories and paradigms of development and concepts of globalization. The course draws on key case studies to illustrate and examine the tensions, contradictions, and intended and unintended consequences of the global development agenda. Key themes and case studies will include theories and paradigms of development, a recent history of global development, economic liberalization and development, the environment, people and food, Kyoto protocols, reforestation and agrarian transitions, governance, politics and economic liberalization, industrial- and GMO-driven farming versus organic farming, global development in post-conflict contexts (Rwanda), health and development, fishing crisis on lake Victoria (tensions between multinational agendas and local needs). Lectures are held at Makerere University, the SIT center, and related sites inside and outside Kampala and given by professors from Makerere University and experts from private nongovernmental organizations and cultural institutions. Assignments integrate readings, lectures, processing sessions, field trips, and/or in-class discussions.
Luganda – syllabus
(LUGA1003 / 3 credits)
The primary role of Luganda language training is to provide students with the principal tools needed to gain insight into Uganda’s many cultures and Luganda-speaking communities. Given its location in Kampala, where Luganda dominates, the program focuses on Luganda as the primary local lingua franca to best facilitate interactions and cross-cultural communication. The course is organized by a language coordinator and taught by a staff of native speakers experienced in teaching Luganda as a foreign language, with an emphasis on cross-cultural communication. Language learning consists of 45 hours of formal instruction. Luganda study is reinforced through the homestay experience and various participatory and interactive assignments. Language instruction may also include simulations and field trips to supplement classroom learning.
Research Methods and Ethics – syllabus
(ANTH3500 / 3 credits)
The Research Methods and Ethics course is designed to prepare students to undertake independent field-based research or a practicum experience within a development organization setting in Uganda. The course provides the theoretical and practical frameworks to facilitate successful adjustment to life in Uganda and to enhance student capacity to accomplish challenging tasks in new and unfamiliar settings, while conducting field research or engaging in a practicum that is ethically, methodologically, and analytically sound. The course prepares students for either a research- or internship-based ISP experience using readings or activities designed to build skills in qualitative research methods, including rapid rural appraisal and participatory methods, as well as project selection and refinement. Finally, students consider the norms and expectations of ethical field engagement and reciprocity, while reflecting critically on their role as “outsiders” in the development process.
Choose one of the following options:
Human and Community Development – syllabus
(AFRS3500 / 3 credits)
This course equips students with key knowledge and skills related to the conceptualization, planning, and implementation of micro-human and community development projects in settings such as Uganda. The course introduces students to the core issues in community analysis and assessment, perceptions of development and wellbeing in local people’s realities, and how local participation in project design and implementation can be enhanced. The course also introduces students to methods and tools of policy analysis, development of action plans, and tools for monitoring and evaluation.
International Business in the Developing World – syllabus
(AFRS3550 / 3 credits)
This course examines the historical development of business in Uganda, business formalization and informalization, and business finance in the developing world using Uganda as a case study, business turnover/failure, models and importance of corporate social responsibility, and models and outcomes of public/private partnerships. Two assigned texts provide students with literature and insights critical of the neo-liberal free market model, which has formed the bedrock of Uganda’s economic development policy in Uganda, as a way to contribute to debate and critical perspectives.
In addition to taking the above courses, students will also need to enroll in one of the following two courses:
Independent Study Project
Independent Study Project – syllabus
(ISPR3000 / 4 credits)
Students may choose to pursue a research-based Independent Study Project (ISP) conducted in Uganda in an approved location appropriate to the project. In consultation with the academic director, the ISP can be completed in Kampala or other areas of Uganda, and helps to integrate the information gained through the Development Studies and the Research Methods and Ethics courses and, as appropriate, Luganda language studies. The ISP provides the opportunity to analyze development theories using data and reflections from field-based experience. Regular sessions are coordinated for students to share their progress, challenges, and experiences with each other and with faculty mentors in order to become more effective researchers and consultants. Sample topic areas: environmental conservation and development; rural finance self-help groups and poverty alleviation; decentralization, participatory processes, and community empowerment; health, education, and the effectiveness of the Millennium Villages Project.
Sample ISP topics:
Browse this program’s Independent Study Projects / undergraduate research.
OR
Internship and Seminar
Internship and Seminar – syllabus
(ITRN3000 / 4 credits)
Popular discourse of the 1990s and early 2000s portrayed Uganda as a successful development case. Progress in the women’s emancipation, microfinance, democracy, human rights and civil liberties, HIV/AIDS awareness, and poverty reduction attracted attention of international development agencies and scholars. This internship experience is intended to place students in organizations that work on a myriad of these development issues as a way to enable them to appreciate the history, complexity, challenges, and opportunities of international development from the vantage point of their internship placement.
Sample internships:
Other potential internship sites:
Other potential internship sites:
The urban homestay is six weeks with a break in the middle for a two-week educational excursion. Kampala is a fast-growing, modern city representing a diverse range of ethnic groups. Luganda is the dominant language spoken in and around Kampala, so the program seeks to place students within Luganda-speaking families. Expect to become immersed in the region’s social life and form relationships with families and the broader community. Most homestay families live in the suburbs of Kampala.
Eighty percent of Uganda’s population lives in rural areas, so this one-week homestay exposes you to the agrarian way of life experienced by most Ugandans. The rural homestay alternates from semester to semester between Busia district among the Abasamia ethnic group, Kapchorwa district among the Sabinyi ethnic group, or Kasese district among the Bakonzo ethnic group. You and one other student will live with a rural host family for three days and three nights.
Recent positions held by alumni of this program include:
Development consultant at the World Food Program, Lilongwe, Malawi
Graduate student in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Princeton in Africa fellow at the International Rescue Committee, Kampala, Uganda
Intern, Clinton Foundation, New York, NY
Various positions within government organizations and international nongovernmental organizations
SIT Study Abroad is committed to making international education accessible to all students. Scholarship awards generally range from $500 to $5,000 for semester programs and $500 to $3,000 for summer programs. This year, SIT will award more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants to SIT Study Abroad students.
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Prepare for an accessible educational experience with SIT Study Abroad! In-country conditions and resources vary by site. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact disabilityservices@sit.edu for more information.
Accessibility Overview
Hear from our students about internships, independent study projects (ISP), homestay family experience, and excursions while on the SIT Study abroad program, ‘Uganda: Development Studies’.
Jack O’Rourke (Fordham University) published an article on including women in mHealth initiatives on ICTworks.
Nancy Nguyen (San Diego State University) finds deeper meaning in her study abroad experience in Uganda and Rwanda.
