Prof. Jon Eldon shares the benefits of studying abroad with a spotlight on Senegal and The Gambia.
Students accepted into this program will receive an automatic $1,000 from by the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development. Interested? Applications open December 1.
What makes this program so special?
ELDON: It’s easy to study big theoretical problems from a classroom in the US, but it’s very hard to see how they look from a personal level on the other side of the world. This class builds on my decade-old relationships in West Africa to place you inside rural villages to work alongside local farmers, traders, NGOs, and others as they seek to balance things like food security with soil degradation, economic development with biodiversity conservation, and poverty alleviation with climate change. This sort of immersive experience typically requires years of investment, such as through Peace Corps or, in my case, a PhD, but it is available here as just another 3-credit course.
Why should students study abroad?
ELDON: Most students have the experience that I had—you study a topic or problem for years as part of a college degree, then you go out into the world and wonder why it looks so different. It is not easy to reconcile the two and a lot of people don’t even try, but a study abroad experience during college can serve as a critical bridge and can help you find direction that you would otherwise have to find on your own. Think of it as a shortcut to wherever you personally are trying to go. More immediately, you’ll get stories, experiences, and friendships that you’ll likely carry for the rest of your life.
What skills do students gain from studying abroad?
ELDON: I hope that students will gain from this 3 week course what it took me 3 years in this region to appreciate, which is that problems related to sustainability, rural livelihoods, development, etc., are vastly more complex than the theories we form and discuss from our academic perches, but also that the answers are sometimes far more simple, straightforward, and effective than we can possibly imagine. This class will teach you to appreciate the complexity while looking for the pragmatic possibility. You might also learn to drive a donkey cart and plant some millet and maize.
What is one fun fact about you?
ELDON: I poured concrete on a military base in Alaska after finishing my Master’s degree in evolutionary biology in order to fund a winter of bumming around the South Pacific and talking to farmers in preparation for my PhD. Turns out that wasn’t the normal way of doing things, but no one told me that at the time.
What are you looking for in an applicant?
ELDON: Curiosity and flexibility. If you bring those, I’ll handle the rest.
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