Engagement with Africa: Opportunities for students

How to learn more about (education) development in Africa?

Global development studies at the University of Helsinki

Example courses from University of Helsink programmes

• Critical Readings on Globalization​​ (Master’s Programme in Contemporary Societies)
• Theories of Development​​ (Master’s Programme in Contemporary Societies)
• Classics in Global Development Studies​​ (Master’s Programme in Contemporary Societies)
• Diversity, Migration and Global Social Work​ (Master’s Programme in Contemporary Societies)
• Working Life Project: Instruments of Development Policy

Open University courses

• Open Uni: Development Studies
  • Study tracks in the Society and Change Programme​​
  • Research in Development Studies seeks to understand and explain the problems of developing countries and to find solutions to them. The problems are examined from the point of view of theory and practice, as well as history and the present. Studying the Development Studies is suitable for those who want to find backgrounds in world political and economic events and developments or who need basic knowledge of developing country societies in their work. Knowledge of developing countries and their specific characteristics is also an integral part of the ongoing globalization debate.​
• Open University studies in Finnish: Avoin yliopisto: Globaali kehitystutkimus
  • Globaali kehitys, 5 op​​
  • Globaalin kehitystutkimuksen keskeiset kysymykset, 5 op​​
  • Globaalin etelän yhteiskuntarealiteetit, 5 op

Summer course

• Feminist Approaches to Global Development Studies
  • Open uni: Feminist Approaches to Global Development Studies
  • Summer 2022 5 cr

UniPID course “Global Education Development” (University of Oulu)

• UniPID course offered by the Faculty of Education at University of Oulu
• Course designers: Boby Mafi, Elina Lehtomäki and Sharanya Menon

What is global education development?

“In this course, we use the concept ‘global education development’ to address, learn about and to discuss educational development across the world, globally – not only at country level (international) but rather, to emphasize global connectedness in education and to understand how global governance guides educational development, the interaction between local actions and global policies, and to position ourselves in the field of educational development.

Applying the decoloniality lense we will critically reflect on who sets agendas and defines priorities, what research informs about development, whose voices and knowledges are included in development discourses, and in assessing changes.” (Lehtomäki, 2020)

Themes that will be explored in the course

Why do this course?

• A good opportunity to start questioning what the discourses and practices of Global Education Development areand how they tend to be dominated by Northern and Western perspectives
• Interact with a variety of guest speakers throughout the course (academics, policy makers, NGO workers from diverse contexts)
• Learn about Global Innovation Network of Teaching and Learning (GINTL)
• Network with students across different Finnish Universities

Registration and more information

• Check the UniPID course catalogue and remember to sign up by December 2022 for the next intake!
• Global Education Development is offered every Spring (January to April).
• The course is organised in collaboration with GINTL.
• Responsible teachers:
  • Marika Matengu (Marika.Matengu@oulu.fi)
  • Elina Lehtomäki (Elina.lehtomaki@oulu.fi

Mobility to Africa in Educational Sciences (University of Helsinki)

The University of Helsinki provides mobility opportunities through university-wide agreements to South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia. University of Helsinki students can find out more on the pages of the pages of the International Exchange Services and Education Cooperation. The application deadline for the academic year 2023/2024 is 11–25 October 2022.