Gender, Education and Opportunity Course Description

Spring semester 2006

The introduction of Western-derived educational systems into Africa ushered in a social revolution that created, for some people, unprecedented opportunities for economic advancement. Unfortunately, this type of education also rein- forced or created new inequalities in many African societies and undermined the focus on precolonial forms of education. These inequalities have been particularly prevalent in relation to the provision of education for women and girls and the uneven distribution of Western education across various ethnic groups in Africa. Any balanced study of education in Africa therefore needs to broaden the definition of education in order to encompass the bulk of experiences faced by the majority of the population. This course will focus on the myriad of educational systems that are found in Africa. We will study the ways that formal schooling has been crucial in providing new opportunities for some African students, but we will also seek to understand why education in Africa is sometimes described as being provided only to the “fortunate few." Some of the systems that we will focus on include apprenticeships, initiation into age-grades and secret societies, Koranic schools, Western schools, “education for development" programs, and adult literacy programs. We will study how educational practices in Africa have changed over time and place a particular focus on how gender has impacted the provision of educational opportunities for women and girls.

Sophomores and above.