BA in Sustainability ProgramI’ve dedicated my life to working in the public interest—integrating work in energy and the environment, political and economic development, together with training and education. I have worked in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. I tend to focus on the big picture, and long-term historical trends. I draw heavily from the fields of sociology and world history in asking students a recurring question: “So, what can we learn from all of this?” In addition to sociology and history, I can also work with students who have no prior experience in the fundamentals of public administration and general program management. These are “concrete skills” areas that can have application in a wide range of professional settings. I’ve trained students (ranging from adult learners and graduate students to undergraduates and advanced high school students), across multiple universities in the fundamentals of the following: budgeting, program design, program monitoring and evaluation, data and policy analysis, and the political process. I have also taught comparative research methods (or, how we go about finding out about stuff). I have experienced four wars (Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Mozambique), one coup d’état (Nigeria), one revolutionary movement (behind rebel lines with the Rwandan Patriotic Front) one large-scale urban riot (Lagos, Nigeria), and worked in New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 (USA). In addition to understanding the fundamentals of disaster management, I can also train students in the analysis of selected global and historical trends that occasionally result in such calamitous events. Increasingly, I have come to see that much of the social turmoil in the modern world is being generated by resource scarcity: land, water, food, and petroleum, to name a few. Much of the conflict we see in the news today (but often left unmentioned) is about people trying to gain access and/or hold on to scarce resources. Part of what I will emphasize is how to go about “looking under the hood” of a given set of events in world affairs, to try to find the underlying mix of resources for which this or that political faction or interest group may be competing. This gets to fundamental issues of power and control. Another world is not just possible, it is inevitable. So, what could be some alternatives to the present world order? What might that new order look like? Who will be in power, who will gain control? What are some positive examples of alternative ways of (co)existing in the world? These will be just some of the core questions that we will explore. Finally, I think it is really important, when pondering weighty matters of “the fate of the world,” that we still find a way to laugh and enjoy, while we are studying and learning. So, to this end I ask only that you come with a curious mind, an open heart, a willingness to work collaboratively, and a good sense of humor. Much of the world of work involves working in teams, working collaboratively with others. There’s an old saying from among the Gambella people of southeastern Ethiopia, which is relevant here: “You fetch the water. I will fetch the spice. Then, together, we will prepare a stew that will feed the entire village.” This speaks to my own view on a wide range of collective or shared endeavors, especially learning. So think of your overall education as a shared (and “shareable”) experience, which can have value long after you have graduated. Think of it as something that you can take with you as you traverse your world—the new world that you will help to create. Educational Background: PhD and MA in Human Organizational System, Fielding Graduate University, School of Human and Organization Development; MPA in Health Policy, Columbia University; MIA in African Affairs, Columbia University; BA in Social Sciences/Health Policy, University of California at Berkeley. Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program Fellow, 1984, Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government.
|
Blaine Pope, PhD, MIA, MPA, MA