Annual Report 2015-2016 Table of Contents Message from the Acting Director 1 Meet the Staff 4 Faculty reports 8 Pitt Students in Africa 15 Area Schools Experience Africa 23 Student Clubs 26 Let’s Talk Africa 28 African Studies Certif icate Recipients 35 *Cover photo by Dr. Jamie Miller director's Message with great pride particularly at a time when Africa is witnessing momentous transformation with a great sense of optimism and high hopes for a brighter future. As a program we aim to deepen and expand scholarly and educational opportunities not only for our students but for faculty and other stakehold- ers in ways that will enhance learning and understanding of the changing The 2015-2016 academic year perceptions of a continent ever more was yet another exciting year for the integrated in the world. African Studies program (ASP) at the University of Pittsburgh. The pro- This annual report highlights gram experienced tremendous growth several of our significant develop- in student interest in our courses, out ments as well as the achievements of of the classroom learning activities the faculty and students. It provides us and programs abroad in Africa. We with a unique opportunity to share our also saw growing interest among af- progress and reflect together on the filiated faculty and members of the lessons learned from our success and wider Pittsburgh community engaged the challenges ahead as we strive to in Africa related educational and other grow and achieve greater success as a activities. ASP enjoys the support of program. As you will see in the report, over 45 affiliated faculty who support many positive things are happening in the program’s mission through their African Studies and we are having an commitment to serve the students and impact on our students as they prepare active engagement in Africa focused re- for their roles as global leaders and search and scholarship. We view their citizens. Many of our students studied contributions and accomplishments abroad, did internships and participat- 1 ed in service learning opportunities in We welcome you to visit our various African countries throughout website to explore and learn more the year. We strongly believe that giv- about African Studies at Pitt and all ing students opportunities to study the exciting events and activities of Africa, travel to see and experience our members. Check out our upcom- other cultures is important in giving ing events, and please join us and be them the foundation they need to live, a part of the ongoing knowledge and lead and serve in a global context. cross-cultural exchanges throughout the year. I hope that you enjoy read- Faculty affiliated to African ing our reports and stories while you Studies are active in teaching courses learn about the African Studies at Pitt on Africa, undertaking research ac- and our contributions to enriching the tivities, and forging partnerships with international education experience of colleagues in African institutions. our students. Thank you for your in- Our students take African Studies terest in the African Studies program courses, African languages and par- and for your continued support. ticipate in programs in Africa. All these activities are in keeping with the I wish everyone a wonderful and mission of the African Studies pro- exciting new academic year. gram to enhance the study of Africa and foster interdisciplinary research Sincerely, to find imaginative solutions to con- temporary challenges and problems, Dr. Macrina C. Lelei and to connect faculty and students from all units on campus working on all things African Studies related. Our overarching goal is to be a conduit for Pitt’s many Africa initiatives in the sciences, arts, humanities, social sci- ences, engineering, and health. 2 Chancellor’s Staff Award for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Lelei was a recipient of the 2016 Chan- sized how these programs have made them kinder cellor’s Staff Award for Diversity and Inclusion--a and more accepting of others. As described by under- category that was created to recognize a staff mem- graduate student Bhavini Patel, Dr. Lelei has helped ber who has contributed to the University’s diversity students “…be sensitive towards the individual di- initiatives and worked to create a culture of inclusion versity of culture, language and lifestyle patterns…” to their department, business unit, or school at the and she truly embodies the culture of respect and University. The selection committee was struck by inclusions on campus and beyond. We congratulate the far-reaching impact that Dr. Lelei has had on our Dr. Lelei on this truly deserved award! students, an impact that has not only created a more diverse and inclusive campus, but that has extended well beyond the boundaries of Oakland. Our students who have participated in study abroad programs in Tanzania, South Africa and Ghana have returned with expanded views of the world. Many of them have been recognized with the highest forms of national and international awards including Rhodes, Boren, and Fulbright Scholarships. Moreover, many of those students who have participated have empha- Above: Dr. Lelei recieves her 2016 Chancellor’s Staff Award for Diversity and Inclusion alongside co- worker Anna-Maria Karnes Education Award The Union of African Communities in South- western PA recognized the African Studies Program for the work they do to promote the study of Africa not only on campus but in the schools and communi- ties in Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas. ASP was one among the recipients of the 2016 Diversity Award within the Education category. The UAC- SWPA African Diversity Awards were the first of their kind to recognize people, business, organiza- tions and institutions that have excelled in promoting equality and diversity across the region. We are truly honored and humbled by this recognition, and we will continue to work hard to promote the study of Africa throughout the region. 3 ASP STAFF MEMBERS nna-Maria Karnes is a graduate atherine Mooney is the Adminis- student in the School of Education’s De- trative Assistant for the African Stud- partmentA of Administrative and Policy Stud- iesK Program. She joined the African Studies ies. She was originally born in Cameroon but Program in January as an intern. She earned comes to us from Texas. She began her Ph. a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and D studies in International and Comparative History from the University of Pittsburgh in Education fall 2012 and focuses on compar- April. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Political ative and higher education in Ethiopia. An- Science with a concentration in International na-Maria is the student advisor, a role in which Relations, specifically pertaining to post-con- she assists students with course planning and flict policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. She pro- academic matters, providing guidance to cer- vides administrative support to all operations, tificate students on completng the program. maintains the African Studies website, designs She also shares the responsibilities of K-12 outgoing publications, plans and implements outreach, allowing African Studies to actively on-campus events, interfaces with students and challenge public perception of Africa through- the African Studies community, organizes the out the community. She also advises all African Model African Union for high school students Studies Certificate students on pursuing inter- in the Pittsburgh area, shares K-12 outreach ests in Africa and completing the certificate responsibilities, and provides support for the program. program’s staff, interns, and students. 4 ASP interns his year, the African Studies program utilized four interns, each of whom Tserved an integral function to support program activities: Tiauna Boyd is a master’s student in GSPIA and conducted research on deterrents to students interested in pursuing study abroad in Africa. She also assisted on an as-needed basis with event preparation and execution and went on the Pitt Summer Abroad Program in Tanzania as the Program Assistant during the summer of 2016. Erika Kotroba graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in French and Political Science. Erika was an intern for the Fall semester and the student ambassador for the Spring semester; her work was invaluable to the program, and she will be missed. Meghan Schneck is a junior at Pitt majoring in Emergency Medicine in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences. Meghan was an intern in the Fall semester. Katherine Mooney was the intern for the Spring semester. Together, they were responsible for creating and sending out the monthly newsletters, raising awareness of the certificate through on-campus advertising campaigns, expanding our social media presence, brainstorming and implementing a student-run event, and conducting classroom visits. below: End-of-Spring Semester celebration luncheon with our hard-working interns 5 Scholars Fellows & and other countries. During his short time at Stephen Larzen Juma Pitt, Stephen is already drawing contrasts be- Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assis- tween his experiences here and in Kenya, say- tant (FLTA) – Swahili (Kenya) ing, “The classes are very crowded in Kenya and there are limited resources for the amount of students at my school...Pitt has proved to have an abundance of opportunity”. Stephen is also excited and looking forward to doing outreach activities to schools to share his knowledge with the school students and to learn about the American education system. Onyinyechi ‘Gandhi’ Chukwunyere Graduate Fellow Originally from Kitale—an agricultural town in the northern rift valley of Kenya, Stephen Juma spent the academic year at the University of Pittsburgh, serving as a FLTA for African Studies and a Heinz Fellow for the Global Studies Center. Stephen received his Bachelor’s degree in Education with a major in Linguistics from Masinde Muliro University in Kenya, and is a high school teacher in his home country.