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In spring 2025, students in Barry Driscoll's Political Economy of Developing Countries course traveled far beyond their �ֲ���ý��� classrooms — both intellectually and geographically. With support from the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE), the class journeyed to Ghana over spring break to explore a central question of political economy: Why are some countries poorer than others? The course focused on a specific paradox: If chocolate is so profitable, why are cocoa farmers so poor?

Grounded in the idea that economic and political systems are deeply intertwined, in rich countries and poor, the course paired classroom study of the global political economy with on-the-ground research in Konongo, Ghana, where students met with cocoa farmers, exporters, cooperatives, government officials, and local residents.

“There's no substitute for the psychological impact of face-to-face interactions,” Driscoll said. “I can tell students that cocoa households earn $1.50 per day, but that number only truly resonates when you shake a farmer’s calloused hand, feel the heat and humidity they work in six days a week, or use the same facilities they do. The emotion in the workers’ voices and being in their spaces — that’s what sticks with you.

“I explained to students that I had no intention of taking them to tourist destinations, and that we should not expect our accommodation to have stable electricity or hot showers, to say nothing of internet or air conditioning,’” he added. “But I explained that I thought the trade-off would be worth it in order to bring them to a part of Ghana that does not get many visitors. I think the students immediately saw the payoff in how people in Konongo welcomed us, wanted to know us, and were genuinely appreciative of attempts students made to speak the local language. This was truly an example of immersive learning.”

Personal Connections

For political science major Jane Hoffman ’25, the course was a natural next step after hands-on experience with local food systems through the Center for Prairie Studies and the �ֲ���ý��� Garden. “This course allowed me to continue thinking about food systems and sovereignty, but through the tools of political science,” she said, adding that the travel component of the course provided new and personal insights into the course material.

“We visited every part of the cocoa lifecycle: farms, warehouses, the port of Accra,” Hoffman explained. “But just as important were the informal conversations with our interpreters, people in markets, and farmers. Those conversations provided the human context behind the class readings.” 
Sonya Kandalin ’25, a double major in political science and economics, echoed this sentiment. “We learn so much through theory and literature, but going to Ghana helped identify gaps between what we read and what we saw,” she said. “We talked to people affected by policies and international trade, and we began to understand how those systems actually play out in daily life.”

Kandalin and Hoffman both emphasized how much they learned about research methods during the trip by conducting interviews with Driscoll and his course co-leader, economics professor Tammy McGavock. “It was invaluable to learn how social scientists gather and interpret real-world data,” said Hoffman. “And hearing how both professors approach fieldwork helped us understand the complexity and rigor involved.”

Broader Perspectives

The travel experience and immersive learning in Ghana helped students reflect critically on the narratives that often shape global development discussions. At the beginning of the semester, Driscoll asked students to watch an episode of John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” show focusing on global chocolate and then share their impressions. After returning from Ghana, they watched the program again and wrote a series of reflections.

“The point was not to find out if the John Oliver show was ‘wrong’ in any sense,” he explained. “I wanted students to perceive the show’s assumptions about what questions were worth asking and what subtle choices of emphases and focus it made. Students drew from their time spent with farmers and were able to describe a fuller picture of global chocolate and I think this simple exercise helped them see shifts in their own perceptions.”

For Kandalin, the trip emphasized the importance of engaging directly with the communities often treated as case studies in development literature. “It’s the difference between looking in from the outside and being immersed in the experience. Traveling abroad requires open-mindedness and a willingness to feel uncomfortable — and that’s when real learning happens.”

�ֲ���ý���’s Commitment to Global Learning

The Ghana travel experience was made possible in part by the Institute for Global Engagement, which supported the course-embedded travel and collaborated on student selection and trip logistics. “My co-leader, Professor Tammy McGavock, and my co-organizer, Ashley Laux (associate director of Faculty-Led Learning Across the Globe), played a huge part in selecting students who had the maturity and flexibility needed to travel to a place that would be frequently challenging.”

Both Hoffman and Kandalin expressed gratitude for �ֲ���ý���’s support of global education. “�ֲ���ý��� has provided so many opportunities to travel — both this trip and my study abroad in Central Europe,” Hoffman said. “Studying abroad with �ֲ���ý��� professors means we keep the same academic rigor and community that define campus life.”

Kandalin agreed. “I’ve studied abroad twice during my time here. I always felt supported and encouraged. �ֲ���ý��� understands that learning doesn’t stop at the campus gates — and they do the work to make global learning accessible.”

For Driscoll, this course was a culmination of a decade of research, planning, and collaboration. “The payoff wasn’t just academic, it was human,” he said. ”I think the students immediately saw the payoff in how the people of Konongo welcomed us, wanted to know us, and were genuinely appreciative of attempts students made to speak the local language.”

And for the students, the experience is one that will stay with them long after graduation.

Said Kandalin: “Being able to connect theory and practice, to sit across from someone living the effects of global systems — it fundamentally changed how I understand the world.”

About Course-Embedded Travel at �ֲ���ý���

�ֲ���ý���’s Institute for Global Engagement (IGE) supports course-embedded travel experiences that integrate international learning directly into the curriculum. By pairing academic study with immersive travel, students gain firsthand insight into the global dimensions of the issues they study—an education that is rigorous, relevant, and deeply human.