I wanted to quote an excellent blog post by Karen, a grad student in international affairs:
We are trained to think like short term consultants. Everything is project/program based. We are trained to measure everything through statistics, through case studies. A project seems to be measured as “successful” if you get it funded by a donor, not if it is actually needed or feasible. My mock assignments usually have something to do with making recommendations to some company wanting to do a project in another country or a government in a developing country. Are we learning how to make a living in telling developing countries what to do? Where are the assignments on how to observe and listen to communities?
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And back to the issue of learning how to make money in telling poor people how to live their lives…one thing that is peculiar to me is the lack of culture/history classes we are required to take. I can take courses on writing security memos in Africa, but yet, I’m hard pressed to find African history or language courses? Area studies is generally considered to be a “waste of time” at my school. Many people just opt to specialize in “harder concentrations”. How effective is drafting policies when you don’t have a sense of a people’s culture, their religion, their language, their way of life?
I’m not a grad student, nor have I studied public policy per se — but I recognize a lot of truth in what Karen is saying. Studies that focus on the “cultural” aspects of countries and communities are usually considered “soft” in the social science field. But shouldn’t we be studying cultural nuances, languages, and history to better understand a place – not just economics and politics?
I think, though, that where this leads to is the need for work/study experience abroad. I think this speaks to the idea that we cannot simply turn to grad school and expect to learn about concepts like “development” and “human rights” and really figure out how to change the world. We need to expand our boundaries by simply taking the plunge and working abroad, and then speaking to people around us to better understand the needs of communities and the unique challenges they may be facing.
I will be honest in saying that I haven’t properly followed my own advice yet with regards to spending extended periods of time abroad — more so because I haven’t found the right opportunity yet — but I also don’t harbor illusions that grad school will teach me everything I need to know. And I think this is important: go in with the understanding that schooling can help supplement your knowledge, but also with the realization that it most certainly won’t be enough to help you understand the world and it’s problems. It’s just one piece of the puzzle.
And finally, what I do wish is that grad schools would also take the approach that we – well educated, relatively well-off western youth – should not necessarily be the ones dictating policy or leading international nonprofits or community based projects. Instead, we should be taking the roles of allies in the movement, to support local leaders and activists.
There is all too pervasive a love for leadership in our nation’s schools. From high school to grad school, all educational institutions want to admit students in their class who have demonstrated leadership in student clubs, activities, sports, nonprofits or companies. All too often nowadays, it means that we have hundreds of people flocking to start their own non-profits and social enterprises, and then getting prestigious fellowships that praise them for doing just that. But there becomes a point where academia’s (and society’s) love for leadership can actually be detrimental to the hard work of sitting back, listening, learning, and serving as allies. We can’t all be leaders, and maybe we shouldn’t all be leaders when it comes to what’s best for a village in India or a community in Nigeria. Sometimes, our role has to be the supporting one, not the primary one. And I have to wish that our country’s schools, especially those focusing on teaching students how to address social problems domestically or internationally, would recognize this.
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