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.