“I’m committed to an approach to study abroad that values community engagement and reciprocity; enacted through feminist pedagogical practices which include self-reflection, active participation, and mutual respect so as to heighten the transformative potential of the engagement and exchange.”
Marla Jaksch is an associate professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with interests in neo/colonialism(s), development and digital cultures, science and technology studies in sub-Saharan Africa; and transnational feminisms, expressive and material culture, and digital media. She has developed and led transnational community engaged learning and research courses to different countries in East Africa, South America, and India for more than 10 years.
In 2014 Dr. Jaksch led a trip to Tanzania in which students installed four stand-alone solar units that provide light to clinics without consistent electricity. The class concluded with a 3-day long community-based research project in collaboration with another local organization to offer a workshop for 120 participants using the photo-voice method to produce community-based narratives regarding motherhood and maternal health. The course resulted in several national and international conference presentations, an art exhibition, a digital archive, and several publications.
This winter Dr. Jaksch will co-teach a course entitled “Gender Equity in Education – International Leadership and Community Engaged Learning in India”, in which students will co-facilitate a peer-to-peer workshop on gender and sustainable energy. The result of the workshop will be 2-3 solar units that will be installed in a rural community lacking consistent electricity.