Summer 2012 Benin Course

Gonzaga-in-Benin Program Course: History, Culture and Development in Benin

Course and Program Overview

This interdisciplinary course and study abroad experience provides an in-depth study of the people, history, and culture of Benin. The program includes a summer online course followed by group travel and service in Benin for two weeks in August. Readings and course activities will follow the history, politics and culture of Bennin and prepare students for in-country service and cultural experience. While our emphasis is on understanding contemporary Benin, its development opportunities, and challenges, we also study the history of the Dahomey Kingdom, colonial and post-colonial politics of Dahomey and Benin, and some of the litearture, religion, and music of Benin and West Africa.

While in-country we extend our learning and understand of these topics through ongoing service and development projects and through cultural interactions with our partners in Benin, which include two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the Songhai Center and Central Africa Obatu (CAO).

Program and Course Objectives

The Gonzaga-in-Benin Program supports understanding, service, and relationship with the culture and people of Benin. Through the academic study of anthropology, history, culture, and politics, we seek to understand contemporary Benin. Through service with our African partners, we hope deepen our understanding of the challenges and possibilities of development and to promote health education and well-being in Benin.

The following specific learning objectives guide the current course and program:

1. To understand how the history of Benin, including the Kingdom of Dahomey, the Atlantic slave trade, the colonial and post-colonial experience of Dahomey/Benin, and contemporary global pressures have shaped Benin.

2. To understand some of the challenges of development in general, in Africa, and in the particular case of Benin.

3. To appreciate the expression of literary, religious, and musical culture in Benin.

4. To experience Beninese culture, society, and politics through service and relationship with our partners in Benin.

Course Syllabus

The program course, "History, Culture, and Development in Benin," is an 10 week, 3 credit interdisciplinary course which includes two weeks of in-country service and learning. The course is organized into three units: 1) History and Politics; 2) Human ecology and Development; 3) Cultural Study. Course activities during the online portion of the course mix reading, student research and reporting, preparation for service projects, and online discussion. Course activities in-country include service, cultural experience and interaction, and group reflection and discussion. For more information about service projects and course structure see below.

1. History and Politics

This unit begins with a study of the Kingdom of Dahomey (Bay 1998) and early European encounters with the Slave coast during and after the slave trade (Coates 2001). After some background on Francophone Africa (Gardiner 1997), students study the colonial and post-colonial political experience of Benin (Decalo 1997; Magnuson 2005).

2. Human Ecology and Development

Students will be introduced to some basic concepts in cultural anthropology (Warms 2007; Gellner 1988) and acquainted with archaeological and bio-geographic approaches to human ecology (Reeder 1999; Randsborg 2009). The unit then shifts to contemporary issues on development, sampling some recent perspectives and controversies discussed by development economists (Sachs 2005; Easterly 2006; Moyo 2009) and an analysis of Benin's development environment (Biershenk 2009). We use a case study of human trafficking / human migration in Benin to illustrate the challenges of understanding development issues (Howard 2008 & 2011). We also look at recent development projects in Benin, including US AID projects. While in-country we study three ongoing development projects associated with the Gonzaga-in-Benin Program (the Water Project, Health Education at the Songhai Center, and the Zoungbomey Palm Oil Project).

3. Cultural Study

The third track of course readings samples some literature, religion, and music of Benin and West Africa. We start with some contemporary fiction and poetry that treats pervasive themes in contemporary West African literary imagination (Akpan 2008; d'Almeida 2009), but we also look at folk literature of Benin (Herskovits 1958; Mama 1998 & 2006). Our study of religion in Benin is focused on voodoo and the integration of Western and indigenous religous practice. We read some anthropology of religion (Lambek 2008) as well as some contemporary literature of voodoo in Benin and Togo (Rosenthal 1998 & 2006; Calder-Hounon 2008). The music of Benin is connected to both its history and it's place in West African contemporary music. We learn about the music of trance, talking drums, and contemporary Afro-pop and Jazz (Legends of Benin 2009; Monomono 2011; Avorgbedor 2005). While in-country we sample additional live and recorded music.