IDSC 260: Kenyan Cross-Cultural
Professor:
Dr. Jean Corey
Boyer 208
E-mail – jcorey@messiah.edu
Office Phone – 717-766-2511 ext.2097
Cross Cultural Course Fee: $4000 (this fee is tentative and based on current cost of airfares)
Objectives:
 Learn about the local cultural and economic context through collaborative
research with students from the University of Nairobi.
 Explore how oral literature and performance scholars use oral literature and public
performance as a means of understanding and responding to contemporary issues.
 Further cement and encourage an exciting collaborative relationship between
the University of Nairobi, St. Paul and Messiah College and their respective
students and professors.
 Engage in collaborative literary, historical, and political research review of
contemporary Kenya.
 Examine potential uses of oral history, literature and performance in community settings.
 Consider the power and possibilities of oral literature and performance as an aspect of
creating social change and informing public policy in the U.S.
 Engage assets-based approach to development
 Develop responsible, respectful, and mutually productive relationships with local
people and research partners
 Live and work in an intensive, cross-cultural setting with Kenyan students and
families while examining issues of culture, perspective, and interpretation
 Gain and articulate an understanding of the physical, social, emotional and
spiritual dimensions of poverty in the Global South, and specifically in the local
context of Kenya.
 Work effectively as a team in a cross-cultural environment, and to identify areas
of personal growth related to team dynamics.
 Identify the challenges and complexities of development and Christianity in the
East African context.
 Identify opportunities to respond to God’s call to love our neighbor as ourselves in light
of what we are learning and experiencing together.
Required Reading:
Kothari, U and D. Hulme.2003. “Narratives, Stories and Tales: Understanding Poverty
Dynamics through Life History.” Institute for Development \Policy Management,
University of Manchester.
Mombo, Esther. “Religion and Materiality: the Case of Poverty Alleviaition” Religion and
Poverty: Pan-African Perspectives, ed. Peter J. Paris. Durham, NC: Duke UP (2009)
Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Decolonizing the Mind: The Politics of Language in African
Literature. Heinemann (1985)
Weep Not, Child (1987)
Njoroge, Nyambura J. “The struggle for full humanity in poverty-stricken Kenya”
Religion and Poverty: Pan-African Perspectives, ed. Peter J. Paris. Duke UP
(2009)
Ochieng, W. A. Modern History of Kenya. Evans Africa (1990)
Ochieng, W. A. Themes in Kenyan History. Nairobi, East African Educational
Publishers (1990)
Okombo, O. and J. Nandwa. 1992. Reflections on Theories and Methods in Oral
Literature. Nairobi: Kenya Oral Literature Association.
Wasamba P. “The Concept of Heroism in Samburu Moran Ethos”. Journal of African
Languages and Cultural Studies. Vol. 21, No. 2, December 2009, 145 – 158.
Wasamba P. “Centring the De-Voiced: Rethinking Personhood in Oral Literature Field
Research.” The Nairobi Journal of Literature, No. 6 , July 2010, 99 – 114.
Suggested Reading
Conquergood, Dwight. “Performance Studies: Interventions and Radical Research,”
TDR: The Drama Review 46.2 (2002): 145-156.
Kristof, Nicholas D. and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into
Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Random House (2009).
Madison, D. Soyini. Critical Ethnography: Method, Ethics, and Performance (2005).
Makumi, Mwagiru. Diplomacy, Documents, Methods and Practice (Nairobi: IDIS, 2004)
Mwangi, Meja. Going Down River Road (1976); Kill Me Quick (2009).
Nyong'o, A. Regional Cooperation in Africa: Unfinished Agenda (Nairobi: African
Cooperation and Integration Academy of Sciences, 1990)
Oduyoye ,Mercy. Beads and Strands: Reflections of an African Woman on Christianity
in Africa. Orbis (2004)
Perks, Robert and Alistair Thomson, eds., The Oral History Reader (2006)
Pollock ,Della,\. Remembering: Oral History Performance (2005).
Slim, Hugo, Paul Thompson, Olivia Bennett, and Nigel Cross. Listening for a Change:
Oral Testimony and Community Development (1994).
Dates & Duration
The class will spend 21 days in Kenya. Eight pre-trip discussion sessions, one two-day pretravel retreat, and a half-day re-entry meeting are required.
Evaluation
Discussion Participation
Journal and Double Entry Reading Notebook:
Final Project/Essay
Disabilities Policy
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Messiah College welcomes students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability and
wish to discuss needed academic accommodations for this specific course, please speak with me
as soon as possible. Campus policy states that disability accommodations must be pre-approved
through the Office of Disability Services, located in 101/102 Hoffman (phone: 5358).
Tentative Schedule:
Week 1: M-Th: 9 am–12 noon: Oral History in Practice and Performance
1 pm–3:30 pm: Culture, History, and Challenges of Kenya
Fri: Field Visits to schools, courts, museums, villages, NGOs and government
agencies, farms
Saturday – Monday: Fieldwork with University of Nairobi students
Week 2: Tuesday –Friday: St. Paul’s University
9 a.m. -12:00 noon: Religion, Poverty, Gender and Health
Dr. Esther Mombo and colleagues will lecture/ discussion with St.
Paul students will follow.
Week 3: Friday evening – Monday: Service learning –homestay (students will travel to
Nakuru, Nyeri, or Kisumu, Kenya to work at New Life Homes. Students will
stay with families in the area during this time.
Tuesday – Friday: Sight-seeing, debriefing at University of Nairobi and
St. Paul’s.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The costs of this course will be three-credits of your spring semester tuition, with an additional
course fee yet of $4000. A $200 non-refundable deposit is required within two weeks after you
are accepted into the program to reserve your spot on the trip. You should deposit this
amount at the business office into account no. 2291 and send me a copy of the receipt. The
remaining balance will be included on your spring semester bill.
Refunds: Students who withdraw from the course will receive a refund of $50 for canceled
reservations through September 15th. After September 15th the entire deposit is non-refundable.
Because payments on a student‘s behalf are typically made months in advance to travel agencies,
airline companies, and assorted accommodations, payments are non-refundable. Therefore, if a
student withdraws from participation in the trip for any reason or is removed from participation
by the College, they will forfeit whatever monies cannot be recovered, plus a $100 handling fee.
The exact amount of recovered monies can generally not be established until the trip has been
completed.
MEDICAL INFORMATION
Be sure to return your Medical Information Form by February 1, 2013. You will need to also
submit your insurance information by this date in the event you need emergency medical
attention. If you have one, you should carry your insurance card with you to Kenya.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Messiah College makes reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities who are
otherwise qualified to participate in its activities and programs. However, the Americans with
Disabilities Act does not govern accessibility standards in other countries. The College does not
discriminate on the basis of disability in admissions for study abroad programs, but is not
responsible for assuring accessibility in international locations and cannot guarantee that
accommodation will be available. While the College will try to arrange accommodation for
special needs who require accommodation to self-identify at the time of application for
participation in an international experience. These students must notify the Disability Services
office of their interest in participating in an international experience and of their need for
accommodation. The Director of Disability Services will meet with the student and sponsoring
faculty member to determine whether the student‘s needs can be accommodated.
ALCOHOL POLICY
Messiah College prohibits the manufacture, possession, use, or distribution of illegal drugs and
alcohol by all students. It is expected that while students are enrolled in course work-- including
cross-cultural courses--they will not use alcohol or illegal drugs both on and off campus.
Violation of this policy will be grounds for immediate return home.
INSURANCE POLICY
The current international travel assistance insurance for which students and faculty pay when
they travel abroad specifically excludes liability (i.e. refuses to pay) for losses occurring as a
result of certain ultra-hazardous activities. These activities include motorcycle driving, scuba
diving, skiing, mountain climbing, sky diving, professional or amateur racing, and piloting an
aircraft. The insurance is not intended to cover these activities or others of the like (bin private
aircraft, etc.). Faculty is not to include such activities in course curriculum or to otherwise
authorize students to participate in them.
HEALTH CARE AND MEDICATIONS
If you take daily or weekly medications, you will need to give a three-week supply to the
professors to hold in reserve in the event of lost luggage.
VACCINATIONS: Kenya does not require any vaccinations.
MALARIA MEDICATION
Everyone must take malaria prophylaxis as prescribed by their physician. This usually means
taking malaria prophylactic before departure and continuing to take it for the prescribed period
after returning. In Kenya most find the drug, doxycycline (many brand names and generic) to be
effective against malaria and certain intestinal bacteria. However, please be sure to discuss this
with your physician well in advance of departure.
DRESS CODE
Dress in Kenya is generally more conservative than in the US. So, in order to be culturally
sensitive and not offend our hosts the following dress code is enforced: Clothing worn to reveal
underwear or cleavage, pants worn below waist level, or clothing that is excessively baggy or
tight is not permissible.
Clothing with inappropriate messages (i.e. vulgar language, obscenities, and/or drug or alcohol
advertisements) is not allowed.
Shirts must be waist-length or longer, and the mid-section should not be visible. No tank tops,
tube tops, or halters please.
Swimwear must be appropriate and is to be worn only at designated swimming areas. For
females, this means a one-piece or a two-piece ―tankini‖ that covers the middle and behind. For
males, this means swimming trunks that are at least mid-thigh length and not tight.
Please note that you will be asked to change clothes if dressed inappropriately.
Student Conduct: Messiah College Standards for Student Conduct, as outlined in the
Community Covenant and Student Handbook, apply to cross-cultural courses. Should it become
necessary to send a student home early because of behavioral problems, the additional expense
will be paid by the student being expelled from the class. Students are also required to sign a
study abroad contract which outlines expectations for behavior and conduct. It is understood that
the faculty leaders have authority to disqualify any student at any time—before or during the
trip—for violations.
RESOURCES
The following are helpful on-line resources for background and preparatory reading:
Information on the logistics of study abroad, travel and residence can be found at Messiah
college‘s EPICENTER‘s website: http://www.messiah.edu/academics/epicenter/.
American Embassy, Nairobi, Kenya: http://nairobi.usembassy.gov/
Traveling Abroad (US Dept of State) at http://www.state.gov/travel/
St. Paul’s University: http://www.stpaulslimuru.ac.ke/
University of Nairobi: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/
New Life Home Trust: http://www.newlifehometrust.org/
Ghanaweb: comprehensive resource about Ghanaian life and culture
http://www.ghanaweb.com/
The Ghanaian Times daily newspaper http://www.newtimesonline.com/
Accra Daily Mail newspaper http://www.accra-mail.com/index.asp
Ghana travel links http://goafrica.about.com/od/ghana/Ghana_A_Travel_Guide.htm
Ghana photo gallery http://tinyurl.com/36p9pt