Professor: Karen G. Williams, Ph.D.

Course: ANTH 101 – Introduction to Cultural Anthropology

Modality: Synchronous Online 

Partner Institution: Abdelmalek Essaadi University

Links/Conference Presentation: 

Abstract of Project: Gender is a complex identity marker that intersects with various systems of power and has a lasting impact on our institutions and our daily lives. For example, global statistics indicate that just 39% of rural girls attend secondary school. This is far fewer than rural boys (45%), urban girls (59%) and urban boys (60%). Thus, who and how one is educated has lasting i mpacts on their ability to survive and provide for their families. Men’s average wages are higher than women’s in both rural and urban areas. Rural women typically work longer hours than men, due to additional reproductive, domestic and care responsibilities.

This 8-week final project brings college students in Morocco and New York City together to explore the issue of gender inequality, in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #10 of “ Reduced Inequalities. ” In this module, you will l earn how gender inequality manifests in the US and Morocco, collaborate and complete activities with international peers, and conduct a survey project on gender inequality in your local community. Finally, you will present your research project with your i nternational team at a virtual student conference at the end of the semester.

Crafting the Project with Professor Partner: I had a great working relationship with my partner. We spent extra time to complete the project, often communicating via Zoom, email and/or Whats App. Our work schedules dovetailed nicely. For example, when Dr. Bouchara was busy, I was able create assignment sheets and rubrics, and when I was busy, she was able to take the lead on giving student feedback and keeping us on task for the next step. We created an open container so that students felt comfortable asking either of us for feedback during the final revisions. For both partnerships, we co-graded final projects and provided students with all the feedback; however, students in our classes received the grades we assigned. We equally contributed to the project’s development and were able merged aspects from our different disciplines. Specifically, Dr. Bouchara shared key aspects of gender inequality within STEM fields while I offered an anthropological perspective focused on cultural norms and values.

Student Engagement During the Partnership: During the Fall of 2021 students were excited and engaged with the project. Having a small class allowed me to give more focused attention on their projects. I believe this help to sustain students’ interest because each class we had long check-ins. Students then went back to their partnerships with ideas and solutions to their challenges. And because students knew they could contact the professor in Morocco (or me) it made the lines of communication between them easy when they had questions and received answers.

During the Spring of 2023, the students seemed to have a more difficult time engaging with the partnership. Now that students were post-Covid and had more in-person classes, work, and other obligations outside the household, they had less time to meet weekly and discuss the project. They relied on communicating in short bursts. Students felt the project was a burden and more difficult to complete

Student Communication During the Project: Students used a variety of methods to communicate depending on what they needed to accomplish. During Fall 2021 GSACS project, students mainly used W hats App and/or email for regular communication. WhatsApp allowed students to easily communicate without worrying about international charges. Group assignments, such as the ice breaker and final projects were posted on Padlet. This is another platform that was easily accessible to students in Morocco and New York City. Lastly students used Zoom and Google to meet and discuss assignments and data analysis. In f all 202 1 we were still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, thus students were at home more, and therefore had more flexibility and willingness to meet virtually.

During the Spring of 2023 GSCACS program, students primarily utilized WhatsApp and Padlet. This time around, the Professors were more intentional about using Padlet to post instructions and student assignments. This allowed students to see and comment on work from other groups. Unlike the previous co hort, this cohort did not schedule group meetings as often, instead they relied on WhatsApp to discuss assignments and data analysis. Students expressed more frustration about the lack of communication and unreasonable expectations from peers.

Biggest Obstacles Faced: One of the biggest obstacles for both cohorts was that the size of my classes was always smaller than the size of my partner’s classes. This meant that there were 1 – 3 Guttman students in the groups compared to 6 – 9 Moroccan students in the group. As a result, Guttman students felt more pressure to represent the different perspectives that might be had within a large community like New York City. And it was a big deal if they did not chime in and/or had to miss a meeting due to work, class, or a family obligation. Most of the students in Morocco did not work while Guttman students did. During check-ins we often spent time discussing aspects of effective communication — how to set boundaries and how to respond to expectations that can’t be met.

The other obstacle was the time zone difference — there was a six-hour difference. This was a bigger issue for the Spring 2023 cohort. Students were back in – person full-time and were back working outside their homes. This meant staying in contact and responding quickly was more arduous.

Evaluating Success: Overall, the project was a great learning experience, and I had the pleasure of working with the same partner both times. The second time was easier because we didn’t have to spend time getting to know each or our teaching styles and expectations. Instead, we were able to focus on curriculum modifications and updates. Students learned a lot about how to make successful transnational collaborations, even when things failed. And despite having different start and end dates at our respective institutions, I think we fared well with navigating GSACS due dates for the conference. The dates for the conference often came at challenging times in the semester and therefore my curriculum had to be adjusted. And while students had to do lots of work on their holidays, they rallied to complete the projects. I’m proud of their hard work.

Class Syllabus:

Intro-to-Anthro_-syllabus2

 

Key GSACS Assignment:

GSACS-Key-Assignments

 

Final Project:

GSACS-Final-Project