Sangu Delle

Class of 2010

            My undergraduate academic experience has been an

inter-disciplinary problem solving centered education, in which I

did not acquire knowledge in the abstract, but learned with

synthesis and practical application at the forefront.

            This originated from one of the most memorable

classes I have ever taken—Professor Sven Beckert’s “History

of American Capitalism.”  The course examined the major

trajectories of the development of American capitalism.  We

started from the structure of Native-American economies to the

position of the United States’s economy in the world economy.

The interdisciplinary approach that Professor Beckert took in

teaching this class was refreshing.  In some lectures, he

analyzed capitalism from an ecological perspective.  In others,

he employed an economics or anthropological lens.

            Inspired by this multi-disciplinary approach to learning, I

switched my major from Economics to African and African-

American Studies, where I could integrate my love for history,

economics, literature, and even science, to focus on the

development of the continent I so deeply love.  I had a

conversation with Professor Evelyn Higginbotham, Chair of the

Department, and she sold me on the newly launched Social

Engagement Initiative.  This initiative, of which I am proudly the

first guinea pig, truly shaped my academic experience.  Social

Engagement weds academic study with practical experience,

allowing students to explore and reflect upon on-the-ground

applications of their intellectual work.  By stepping outside the

Ivory Tower, we are able to understand how and why academic

study, ideas, and even technological discoveries are

challenged by the lived experiences and cultural prescriptions

of communities very different from our own.

            In my case, I spearheaded a water and sanitation

development project in a community called Agyemanti, working

with a team of professors from Economics, Anthropology,

Public Health and Engineering.  I became increasingly

knowledgeable of the interlocking factors of poverty,

technological costs, governance, culture, and global

redistributive justice.  In fact, this project is now the basis for my

“alternative senior thesis” which is the capstone experience of

Social Engagement, and will include a documentary of my

project, and a policy paper making the case for investing in

water and sanitation as a means of reducing poverty and

improving healthcare outcomes.  Social engagement within

African studies gave me the richest academic experience I

could ever imagine, helped a community get access to clean

water and sanitation and provided a fulfilling opportunity to

practically apply my education.