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Academics
- Learn about international development.
- Gain hands-on experience by participating in a community internship.
- Take Swahili language classes.
Academic Structure
Program type: MSID Kenya is an experiential program. Learn about Kenya through classes, field trips, internships, and research.
Level: 3000-4000 level courses.
Term: Fall semester, spring semester, academic year.
Prerequisites: 2.5 GPA; juniors and above; experience in your MSID country; relevant course work or volunteer experience preferred.
Courseload: 17 credits for fall or spring semester; 33 for the academic year.
Coursework
Semester Program
The semester program consists of five courses. All classes are
with program participants and are taught by local faculty. Through
the coursework and the internship, you have the opportunity
to discuss and reflect on the complex and diverse nature of development
as realized in your MSID country. Click here for syllabi of the Semester Program courses.
A packet of required pre-departure readings on such topics as development, globalization, experiential learning, cross-cultural communication and adaptation, and your host country will be included with your orientation materials and will help you arrive on site with some common background.
Academic Year Program
Enroll in the five fall semester courses and continue
spring semester with more experiential learning. Click here for a syllabi of
the Academic Year courses.
Global Identity: Connecting Your International Experience with Your Future
This optional, 1-credit online course will provide opportunities for you to make meaning of your learning abroad experience and prepare you to communicate your intercultural competence to future employers, graduate schools, or law schools. As global connectivity becomes increasingly important, you are asked to think beyond the borders of your own perception and better understand the world based on the new ideas and experiences to which you are exposed. Your ability to work in a multicultural setting and to succeed in different cultural contexts is vital to your future. This course will help you apply these skills to your post-graduation plans. The course is taught online with University of Minnesota instructors. Registration information will be provided with the program pre-departure orientation materials. The cost of the course is included as part of the program fee.
A wide range of placement possibilities are available through the MSID program. Development is an extremely broad term that has many different meanings and connotations. MSID does not wish to define for the student what development is or is not. Instead, the program provides background in development theory, cross-cultural communication, area studies, and organizational analysis and language. It facilitates a placement in direct contact with the people of the host society—both those who are managing social change through development efforts, and those for whom these efforts are designed. Ideally, the internship placement and living experience help you better understand the complexity of social change and development in the global context.
MSID internships have the following common elements:
- Are related to development
- Are grassroots—immersing you directly and personally in the social realities of the poorer strata of the population
- Demand meaningful, challenging work while serving agency goals
- Are guided by objectives agreed to by the supervisor, academic coordinator, and you
- Involve a minimum of 25 hours per week of work
- Participants earn 4 credits or 3 graduate credits.
Learn more about the Internship Selection and Monitoring Process.
Setting Realistic Internship Expectations
The semester students complete a 6-week internship and academic year students complete in total a 15-week internship. Both enrollment options provide students with the opportunity to develop a meaningful project or work assignment that can be of real assistance to their host agency. It is reasonable to hope to make a significant contribution to the agency or project, but it is important also not to judge the success or failure of the MSID experience exclusively by how much you are able to accomplish. MSID is first and foremost an educational program, and all internships can be powerful learning experiences.
Typical placement categories include:
- Public health
- Women's groups
- Small business development
- Environmental protection
- Education
- Sustainable agriculture
- Social services
- Community organizing
Past Internship Placements
See a description of past internship placements for this MSID country.
Academic Fit with a University of Minnesota Degree Plan
MSID fits into your degree program in many ways. Interdisciplinary coursework may count as elective credit toward your major. Research done on MSID may be used toward a senior paper or project. Speak with your academic adviser about how MSID can provide a capstone experience to your degree.
Many courses have already been reviewed to meet Liberal Education requirements. Go to the Liberal Education Database to search for courses or submit ones for approval.
Study Abroad in Your Major advising resources tell you why University of Minnesota faculty think study abroad is important for a particular major, what the department wants students to think about when selecting a program, and gives helpful academic planning hints. There may also be profiles of students who studied abroad in your major.
This program appears as a special recommendation on the following Study Abroad in Your Major advising resources:
*Please note that these concentrations are for all MSID programs and are not country-specific.
Last modified on May 20, 2008 |