Apr 18, 2024  
2020-21 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-21 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

GFS 312 Promoting Youth Leadership Development in USA and South Africa


Youth worldwide are the future leaders in their respective countries and imperative is their well-being and development so that they may later assume leadership roles. This course utilizes the ideals and principles of Positive Youth Development (PYD) to promote healthy developmental outcomes among youth in post-Civil Rights U.S.A. and post-apartheid South Africa, an emerging democracy. Course content considers PYD for improving education, (physical and behavioral) health, and community building among youth in contemporary U.S.A. and South Africa.

Course topics include (1) historical, cultural, and social contexts to understand and contrast youth developmental outcomes (in education, health, and community) across countries, (2) social class-, race-, and gender-related disparities in youth developmental outcomes in both countries and (3) organizations and youth programs in both countries.

The class will travel to South Africa during May 2016 to visit historic sites relevant for youth leadership and development such as former prison on Robben Island, residential townships (e.g., SOWETO), gov’t buildings in Pretoria, and museums (e.g., The Apartheid Museum; District Six; Hector Pieterson); among other sites are Table Mountain, penguin colony at Boulder Beach, and Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope. Students will work with staff at an NGO in Cape Town region where youth and families are served. Guest speakers, video presentations, and interactive classroom activities supplement course material and facilitate preparation for travel to South Africa.

This course requires an additional travel fee.