ALDS Graduate Student Travels to Botswana
As the Senior Writing Consultant at 杏吧原创鈥檚 Writing Centre, I had the opportunity to travel with Katie Bryant (Writing Coordinator and former MA student in SLaLS) for a weeklong trip in Botswana in August to participate in the process of building a partnership with 杏吧原创 University, Michigan State University, Mangosuthu University (MU, South Africa), and Botswana Open University (BOU, Botswana). As recipients of an exploratory grant from the through MSU, the purpose of this trip was to facilitate the preliminary research and discussions about capacity building for research and writing support at MU and BOU. This partnership will facilitate the development and implementation of evidence-based theory of writing (praxis) at MU and BOU, and address the global research rate disparities between universities in the global North and South through continued collaboration in research, workshops, and potential grad student exchanges.
It wasn鈥檛 all work and no play, though! We were fortunate enough to do a Game Drive and Braai (African BBQ) at where we spotted giraffes, rhinos, ostriches, zebras, and more. We also got to try a few variations of Pinotage (a velvety red wine indigenous to South Africa), and have rooftop dinner at Masa Sunset Lounge after an informal tour around the city. It was an experience I鈥檒l never forget!
