Honors Course On Afghanistan: Development Challenges Facing a Country At War.

Pedagogy of student-team presentations, debates, and presentations by faculty and National Guard members as well as Afghan faculty was used in a University Honors Course to educate students about the social and economic challenges Afghanistan faces as the country tries to initiate programs to promote social and economic development while emerging from years of war and instability.  The course was tied to campus-wide events related to the freshman read—The Kite Runner—as well as on-going Purdue University capacity building programs supporting agricultural development in Afghanistan.  Lectures, reading materials, and discussions examined Afghanistan social, economic, and political institutions as well as U.S. policy for Afghanistan.  Students had the opportunity to deliver presentations to  Afghan faculty who were completing graduate programs at Purdue and interact with National Guard Agribusiness Development Team members who had just returned from duty in Afghanistan.  The diversity of this learning experience was extremely valuable to all who participated.