Development
and Community in Bangladesh
- JOIN
Bangladeshi students to learn about urban and rural life in one
of the world's poorest countries.
- EXPLORE
community development models pioneered in Bangladesh.
- UNDERSTAND
local perceptions of population, resources, education and social
change.
- RECOGNIZE
how development affects individuals and communities.
January
term
In
its short history, international agencies, governmental organizations,
and non-governmental organizations have made Bangladesh a key site for
implementing and testing various models of development. Through lectures,
discussions, demonstrations, and group field study (with Bangladeshi
collaborators), students in the course will explore the policies, practices
and ideologies of socioeconomic development in rural (Comilla, Kishoreganj)
and urban (Dhaka) Bangladesh.
Students
will hear from development theorists and practitioners and talk to the
intended beneficiaries of development programs. Through theoretical
inquiry and structured experiential learning, students will acquire
conceptual tools to compare and contrast the local understanding of
'development' and social change used by poor rural and urban Bangladeshis
with the development discourses of 'experts' and the urban elite.
The course
not only introduces students to the existential challenges faced by
poor Bangladeshis but also raises critical awareness of the theoretical
and practical challenges of 'development' programs.
Tentative Itinerary
Dhaka,
Kishoregani, Comilla
-7 days
in Dhaka - General orientation to the history, culture and economy of
Bangladesh, visit historical and cultural sites (National Museum, Lalbagh
Fort), introduction to urban poverty and urban development efforts (Bangladesh
Rural Advancement Committee, Grameen Bank), visit bazaars, shantyowns,
garment factories, development agencies, celebrate Eid festival (end
of Ramadan)
-2
days in Kishoreganj district (at United Nations Development Program)
- Lectures on development models and strategies, field visit to village
-13 days in Comilla district (at Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development)
- Lectures on development models and strategies, field visits daily
to villages for group projects
-2
days in Dhaka - Process information/discussion/write-up,wrap-up and
evaluation
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Program
Faculty
Professor
Haroun Er Rashid is Director of the School of Environmental Science
and Management at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). For several
years he has had major responsibility for IUB's 'Live-in Field Experience',
which sends urban-based students into the rural villages and urban settlements
to impress upon them the socio-economic realities faced by the majority
of Bangladeshis. Rashid has graduate degrees in geography and development
economics and is the founder of the private voluntary national development
organization Bangladesh POUSH.
Professor
Arjun Guneratne. Guneratne, Anthropology Department at Macalester College
(St. Paul, Minnesota), teaches courses on environmental anthropology
and the anthropology of development (among other courses) and has worked
on environmental issues in south Asia. He has done extensive study on
issues of ethnicity and ethnic identity in Nepal and is currently extending
his scholarship to focus on the environmental movement in Sri Lanka.
Guest lecturers,
including representatives of Bangladesh-based development agencies such
as Grameen Bank, will also be part of the program.
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Program
Logistics
Housing
and meals
In
Dhaka, students will stay at City Homes located in Banani, Dhaka. During
the two weeks in the Comilla district students will be housed at the Bangladesh
Academy for Rural Development (BARD) hostel in Kotbari, Comilla with IUB
students.
Field
Projects
A key component of the curriculum
will be village studies conducted with IUB students. As IUB and HECUA
students venture into urban settler communities and rural villages,
they will not only be exposed to narratives of poor Bangladeshis, but
also to each others' world views and evolving understandings of the
"development dilemmas" facing Bangladesh.
Lectures
and Language
There are no language requirements
for the course. Lectures and readings will be in English and IUB students
will help translate Bangla in the field.
Cost
The comprehensive fee is
$3,400, which includes round-trip airfaire Minneapolis/St. Paul-Dhaka,
airport transfers, ground transportation to field sites, planned group
excursions, lodging, all breakfasts, most lunches and dinners, and administrative
costs.
Additional expense to the
student will include the home school's J-term tuition and/or fee (varies
per school; check with Study abroad advisor), passport, visa, travel
insurance, and personal expenses (sundries, tips, gifts, and free time
entertainment/meals/transportation).
A $400 deposit will be required
to hold your place in the program (non-refundable, due within one month
of acceptance into the program), to be credited toward the comprehensive
fee. All deposits must be in by October 19. Final fee payment due November
15.
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How
to Enroll
Prerequisites