Botswana
Social and Political Transformations in Botswana
May 24 - June 2, 2009
Itinerary
This 10-day seminar begins and ends in Gaborone. Click here to see the Summer 2009 Seminar itinerary.
Seminar Fee
CIEE Member: $2,700 Non-Member: $2,900
Academic Content (please note this is tentative and subject to change)
Lectures
- The Evolution of Setswana Culture
- The Role of Traditional Leadership in Contemporary Botswana
- Human Rights and Development in Botswana
- The Struggle between African Traditional Religion (ATR) and Christianity in Contemporary Botswana
- Civil Society, Politics and the Process of Democratization
- Contemporary Societal Ills: Immigration/migration, Crime, Unemployment, and Poverty
- The HIV/Aids Scourge and its Impact on Development
- Socio-Cultural Factors Leading to the Spread of HIV/Aids in Botswana
- Race, Ethnicity and Identity in Botswana
- The Role of Natural Resources Management in the Socio-economic Development of Botswana
- Women and Development in Botswana
- The Role of NGOs in Botswana’s Development Discourse
Co-curricular Site Visits & Field Trips
- City tour of Gaborone and the University of Botswana
- Cultural Village and Manyana Rock Paintings
- Phutadikobo Museum
- Nature Reserve
- Visit NGO organizations
- Visit Botswana crafts centre
Rationale
Since independence, the government has been recognized for its successful democracy and thoughtful allocation of resources from its mineral wealth and mining operations. Endowed with amazing biodiversity and vast natural resources, Botswana’s significant economic growth and development has been widely hailed. In recent years, however, this growth has slowed and the country is coping with the repercussions of having a population of which approximately one-quarter is infected with HIV. Go beyond Botswana's credo of Democracy, Development, Self-reliance and Unity to understand how Botswana is attempting to balance tradition and modernity; economic growth with preservation of natural resources; and development amid the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Additionally, experience Botswana’s pristine and well managed national parks, the world’s only inland Delta with its rare and beautiful species of flora and fauna and the majestic Kgalagadi desert. These field trips will present seminar participants with great learning opportunities. For example, does Botswana need to increase acreage of grazing land for wild animals or that of cattle? What about the culling of elephants? How do the competing and sometimes conflicting needs for economic growth through prospecting for diamonds stand in the way of the First Peoples of the Kgalagadi’s claim to their ancestral land and/or tourism? As we explore these and other related issues, the complexity of issues with which Botswana is currently grapping becomes even more evident.
As the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Secretariat and headquarters, Botswana presents Seminar Participants with another unique opportunity to learn about regional development issues with which the whole Southern African region is currently grappling using Botswana as a case study. These range from democracy and the rule of law, gender, human rights, HIV and AIDS, and education among many others.
Host Institutions
The University of Botswana traces its roots back to the founding of the University of Basutoland, Bechuanaland and Swaziland (UBBS) in 1964. The current institution was established in 1982, and has a student population of 15,000. The University’s Vision is to be a leading academic centre of excellence in Africa and the world; while its Mission is to advance the intellectual and human resource capacity of the nation and the international community. The University is comprised of six Faculties, including Business, Education, Engineering and Technology, Humanities, Science and Social Science, and a School of Graduate Studies and School of Medicine.
Seminar Leadership
The faculty leader for this seminar is Dr. Baagi Thema Mmereki. Dr. Mmereki is currently Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Botswana. His primary research areas are in physical and environmental chemistry with an emphasis on air quality issues. Dr. Mmereki received his Masters degree in Physical Chemistry from Georgetown University and his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Toronto. Dr. Mmereki has been with the University of Bostwana since the completion of his doctorate in 1994. He has served as a Staff Development Fellow at UB, and currently he manages the UB chapter of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE). Dr. Mmereki will become Chair of the UB Chemistry Department from January 2009.
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