Building Teaching and research Excellence through the Africa Institute

Participating Faculties: Social Science (host), Arts and Humanities, Education, Health Sciences, Information and Media Studies, Music, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry

Project Leader: Joanna Quinn

Total Project Funding:  $376,000

Funding Period: Three years

Abstract:
The Africa Institute will implement three interdisciplinary initiatives: First, attract leading African scholars to Western, who will impart specialist knowledge while working with established research partners to develop new or existing research. Second, those scholars will provide teaching and mentoring to graduate students, who will then return to Africa with the expert scholar to provide instruction and expertise to undergraduates in the “expert’s) home institution; allocate the award of one Trillium Scholarship to an African doctoral student; and bring two postdoctoral research fellows to Western. Third, increase Africa-related course offerings by strengthening existing courses and developing six new courses—which will form the basis of a new Minor in African Studies, and modules of which will be made available online for use by our African university partners.