BUS/SOAN 368 – Tech for Good Trust, Technology and Development in Ghana

Four credits, EXP
Three weeks in Ghana; one week on campus
Professors Jon Eastwood and Bright Frimpong

This course explores how people in Ghana use technology to build trust, solve problems, and foster development-often in ways that challenge Western assumptions. Blending insights from sociology, economics, and business, students examine how colonial legacies have shaped institutions and trust, and how digital tools-from mobile money to online marketplaces-interact with deeply rooted social networks. Through seminars, site visits, community service, and collaboration with Ghanaian scholars and entrepreneurs, students gain firsthand insight into the social dynamics of technology adoption.

Pre-requisite: The course begins with a required 1-credit winter prep term and culminates in a digital storytelling project. No technical background required-just curiosity about how innovation can support cooperation and community.

Program fee (Paid to W&L): $4,400
Includes programming, room, fees, most in-country transportation, all meals, and transportation back to W&L from Dulles airport at the culmination of the course.

Additional costs: airfare, cell phone, spending money, books, vaccine and inoculation fees, passport, and visa fees

For further details, please reach out to Professor Eastwood (eastwoodJ@wlu.edu) or Professor Frimpong (bfrimpong@wlu.edu).

The information session for this course will take place on October 6th at 7 pm in Newcomb Hall 122.

OR

Applications open October 7th, 2025.