Enhancing Quality of Sociology Postgraduate Teaching and Learning through Staff Exchange and Collaboration among Three Universities

Cooperating countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria and Austria

Coordinating institution: Debre Markos University (Ethiopia), Dessalegn Mekuriaw, dessalegnmeku@gmail.com

Partner institution: University of Lagos (Nigeria), University of Innsbruck (Austria)

Project duration: 1 May 2021 - 30 April 2023

Abstract:

The scope of the Project is to build a partnership between Sociology Departments of Debre Markos University in Ethiopia, University of Lagos in Nigeria and University of Innsbruck in Austria. Its overall goal is to develop high quality joint postgraduate sociological teaching and advising at the three collaborating institutions, thereby producing skilled Sociology graduates that would contribute towards the achievement of SDGs. To this end, three sub-teams of researchers, comprising of three members in each team with one Sociologist from each of the collaborating institutions will be set. Criteria for inclusion in the sub teams will be based on expertise in Sociological Theory; Social Research Methods and Applied Sociology. The aim of the partnership is to enable an intensive collaboration between the sub-teams; intercultural team-building and critical reflection on different scientific cultures and local conditions; exploring how curricula and teaching practices at each department are carried out, as well as what gaps need to be filled to produce skilled and competent Sociology graduates that will contribute to the achievement of SDGs. To achieve this purpose, the team will engage in developing and revising postgraduate curricula of part-ner institutions at the Masters level. Similarly, they will engage in teaching of courses jointly developed; joint advising of Masters Students, conduct of research and public lec-tures. These will be done from the viewpoint of “contextualizing‟ the curricula to suit with local realities. It is expected that the project will contribute to the improvement and internationalization of graduate teaching in the partnering institutions. (Excerpts from the Abstract).