Students to Teach Entrepreneurship in South Africa

Newswise — Babson College MBA and undergraduate students will teach entrepreneurship in South Africa this summer.

The effort is part of an experiential, global service learning course taught by Professor Elizabeth Swanson Goldberg.

While in South Africa, Babson students will partner with students from the University of Stellenbosch to teach two week-long developmental entrepreneurship classes to over 125 students at eight local high schools in rural areas and townships disadvantaged during the apartheid era.

This course will introduce students to the culture, history, politics, and economy of South Africa. The pre-trip phase will consider the effects of colonialism and apartheid rule on South Africa, as well as the nation's development in the post-apartheid period (1994 - present). They will pay particular attention to the role of small-scale entrepreneurship in restoring balance to the segregated, oppressed communities of people under the apartheid regime. Students will consider approaches to economic development in the post-apartheid period, including the effects of community and government programs and policies.

The trip will also include travel to major historical and cultural sites, including the city of Capetown, the Cape of Good Hope, Gugulethu Township, and Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for over 25 years. The trip will include a traditional Shangaan cultural experience and safari in Kruger National Park.

Prof. Goldberg, who holds the Mandell Family Term Chair, is author of Beyond Terror: Gender, Narrative, Human Rights (Rutgers University Press, 2007).

Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., is recognized internationally as a leader in entrepreneurial management education. Babson grants BS degrees through its innovative undergraduate program, and grants MBA and custom MS and MBA degrees through the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College. Babson Executive Education offers executive development programs to experienced managers worldwide. For information, visit http://www.babson.edu.