Life-changing, amazing, inspiring and eye-opening are all words students have used to describe their summer study abroad trip to Ghana with Political Science Professor Renford Reese.
During the two-week journey in June and July, 27 students were immersed in the West African country’s way of life. They went on tours, interacted with locals and listened to a variety of lectures in order to analyze of the impact of culture, politics, and institutional dynamics on contemporary Ghanaian identity.
“This was my most rewarding academic experience,” Reese said. “I had the opportunity to see students grow, mature, and be transformed into conscientious global citizens.”
Before embarking on the trip, students took the prerequisite course PLS 499: Ghanaian Culture and Society.
“Ghanaian lecturers and tour coordinators were impressed with how knowledgeable the students were about Ghanaian history, politics and culture,” Reese said. “All were superb cultural ambassadors for the United States and for Cal Poly Pomona.”
The trip’s activities gave students the ability to do cross-cultural analysis, field research, and examine political economy and business practices of Ghana. During their field research students interviewed many Ghanaians of various ages to learn first hand their views on topics such as Americanization of Ghanaian society.
“The most compelling part of my trip to Ghana was interacting with local Ghanaians,” said Jose Vargas, a fourth year political science major. “When we talked about our cultures and ways of life, I realized that there were concrete similarities. … I had the same hospitable climate that I am used to and was glad that our cultural differences did not interfere but rather solidified such an environment.”
Before arriving in Ghana many students possessed stereotypes and misconceptions of Africa and Africans, Reese said. Nearly all of these misconceptions were effectively challenged at some point during this trip, he added.
