This program will enable students to examine critical issues in politics, society and economic development in the West African state of Ghana. Central topics include: The struggle for democracy and political reform; Civil society and political participation; Challenges of economic growth, restructuring, and adjustment; Strategies for reducing poverty and improving popular welfare; Ethnic identity and national unity; Ghana's stability and security in a difficult region.

The course will provide students with a general orientation to Ghanaian politics and history, linked to a series of advanced seminars on critical issues facing the country today. Seminars may be taught by Ghanaian academics along with politicians, former government officials, and non-governmental activists. In addition, there will be field trips to important sites around the country, including the Ashanti center of Kumasi, the Volta Dam, the Kakum ecotourism park, and coastal forts associated with the slave trade.