Senior Seminar: General Papers (...or, how to think critically about the world around you)

This term I have been teaching a course called General Papers to the entire Senior 6 (grade 12) class at Byimana School of Math and Sciences, located 1 hour southwest of Kigali. With my housemate and co-teacher Rachel, we were responsible for teaching eight class periods/week to the 180 students of the senior class, filling in for the students’ full-time Rwandan teacher who is on extended sick leave. I’ve felt lucky to teach at Byimana as it is regarded as one of the top high schools in Rwanda, consistently fostering some of the highest scorers on the national exam. Our organization has a partnership with this school that is administered by the Marist Brothers, as the longtime headmaster, Brother Stratton Marisaba, is one of Maranyundo’s Rwandan school board members.

Like the girls at Maranyundo, the students of Byimana are extremely motivated, inquisitive and diligent in their studies – among the best and brightest in the country. In the past, many Byimana students have received the prestigious Rwandan national university scholarship or have been accepted on scholarship into universities in the US, Europe and neighboring countries within the EAC. As it is a school for advanced students of math and science, located in a country where traditionally girls were expected to remain at home, about 1/3 of the students are girls. While my impact on girl’s education may be less direct at Byimana, I find that I’m promoting Maranyundo’s mission in interactions with students, faculty and staff both inside and outside the classroom, encouraging strong leadership, respect and responsibility among these young Rwandan girls and boys who will (God-willing) enter university and, soon after, the workforce.

General Papers debuted in the Rwandan national curriculum just two years ago and is now mandatory for all students in the 10th-12th grades, based on a model developed several years ago in Uganda and Kenya. The goal of the course is to encourage students to think critically about a variety of topics relevant to today’s changing world through class discussions, presentations and writing assignments. The course encompasses exposure to a number of topics relevant to citizens of Rwanda and the globalized world. These topics include current news/events, demographic growth and development, science and technology, religion, health and disease control, gender, human rights, good governance, tradition and modernity, love, marriage and other relationships, unity and reconciliation, Vision 2020 and more. While one school term is understandably not enough time to cover all of these topics, with my co-teacher Rachel we broke the class weeks into themes and facilitated discussions, in-class presentations and writing exercises regarding the subjects that follow.

Rwanda’s Integration into the East African Community
Example class assignment:
In groups of four, discuss and then create a word web on one of the following questions:
1) What are the positive aspects of political/economic integration into the EAC?
2) What are the negative aspects of political/economic integration into the EAC?
3) What other models of this exist in the world? What do you know about them? How are they similar/different from the structure of the EAC?
4) What do you think of adopting a common currency?
5) What is the significance of language in forming the EAC?
Personal Essay: Given the opportunity, would you attend university or accept a job in a country outside Rwanda, within the EAC or beyond?
-Why/why not?
-If you could choose, where would you want to go, and why?
-What challenges might you face? Consider differences in culture, environment, family, friends, language, food, governance, etc.
-What are some advantages/disadvantages of living abroad?

Religion in Society
Individually – in class writing:
1) What roles does religion play in Rwandan society?
2) What role does religion play in your life?
Groups discussions:
1) Why are there tensions between Christian and Muslim cultures?
2) Which major events have illustrated or contributed to these tensions?
3) What steps could be taken to reconcile these tensions/problems among cultures? Which steps have been taken?

Women in Society
(International Women’s Day 8 March 2010)
Although women perform 2/3 of the work in the world, they receive only 10% of the income and own less than 1% of the property (UN 2005)
Based on this statistic and other indicators, women face many inequalities in today’s world. Working in groups of 8 with a focus on one of the fields A-F (A - Education, B – Business and Entrepreneurship, C - Science and Technology, D-Health: Personal, Reproductive, Family and Community, E – Government and Leadership, F – Family Roles), answer these 3 questions:
1) How have womens' roles changed in Rwanda in your group’s field in the past 15 years?
2) In what ways must these roles continue to change to promote increased gender equality and social development?
3) What are some of the major challenges women in Rwanda and worldwide face in your group’s field?
In class essay:
“The struggle for gender equality has improved the status of women in Rwanda”. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Use examples to illustrate your argument.

Rwanda’s Vision 2020
Essay:
Which of the goals of Vision 2020 do you think are achievable by 2020? Why? Which goals do you think may take more time? Why? Use examples to illustrate your argument.

In promoting Maranyundo’s mission at Byimana, we have been welcomed by the Marist Brothers and greater school community as an invaluable language resource in this time of transition in Rwanda. We have enjoyed getting to know the Rwandan faculty and the Marist Brothers living/working on the school campus, who often approach us with questions about English vocabulary, pronunciation, and in Kate’s line of work, best teaching practices. Additionally, I am currently assisting the headmaster of Byimana Primary School in translating the school’s 5 year Strategic Plan from French into English, created in accordance with the Millennium Development Goals, MINEDUC’s 9 Year Basic Education program and Vision 2020.