AFRICAAM 62Q: A Comparative Exploration of Higher Education in Jamaica (Anglo-Caribbean) and South Africa

Course Description

How do developing (former colonized) nations feature in global conversations on the purpose of higher education in the Twenty-first Century and beyond? In this project-based seminar students will examine higher education systems in South Africa, and the Caribbean ¿ special emphasis on Jamaica. Together, we engage and explore fundamental questions such as: Is higher education purely a private good or a public good with private benefits? Are universities simply a means of social mobility in developing countries? What role does higher education play in the attainment of national development goals? How has student activism as evidenced by movements like #RhodesMustFall, #FeesMustFall in South Africa, and The Rodney Riots at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica reshaped the higher education landscape and the national discourse.