On January 12, 2010, an earthquake struck Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Though much of Haitian reality is sensationalized at best, and at worst, silenced, we aim to dissect the historical, geographically specific factors that produced the insecurity that provided the conditions for the devastation of this earthquake. In essence, we will work to denaturalizing the “natural disaster” and critically engage with the benefits, controversies and drawbacks of international intervention in a wide variety of fields.

Haiti will be a case study through which we are working to more broadly critique current and historical international development theories and how they inform specific modes of intervention, ie. praxis. Students will learn about the nation’s struggles across five core disciplines including:

1. Healthcare
2. Engineering, Architecture, and City Planning
3. Economics and Business
4. Law: Politics, Public Policy, and Social Justice
5. Agronomy and Forestry

The course is a guest-lecture series. During each class period, students learn from the week's speaker, develop or discuss ideas on possible redevelopment plans, and have the opportunity to meet them.
 
The course spans across disciplines, and we aim to incorporate a diversity of voices, perspectives and knowledges into this critical, interdisciplinary analysis, so students from any academic background are encouraged to join the class.

Students must attend all class meetings and complete all but one homework assignment in order to pass the class. One absence is allowed. Arriving to class past 6:25 PM twice will result in one unexcused absence. Attendance will be strictly enforced, and failure will result if more than two classes are missed. This is because we invite guest speakers every week, so please be respectful to them by arriving on time!

Homework is often assigned by the guest speaker of the week, though is supplemented with other critical pieces, which could include reading articles of relevance, watching a video of Haiti's history and culture, or examining the incoming speaker's published research on Haiti's redevelopment. The homework assignment is often accompanied with a weekly writing response, which is a generally 300-500 word reflection based on the assignment of the week. Specific questions or even a prompt will not be provided for the weekly writing response. You will have one free homework pass that can be used any time except for the first two assignments or for the final project.

In addition to the 300-word response, students should write 3 insightful questions to ask the speaker. Please email your homework assignment back to k.p.thomas-canfield@berkeley.edu by the start of class.

There will also be a final project. Students will research and independently present on an organization or development model within the student’s own field that they found especially compelling and successful in the development in Haiti since 2010. Please make sure to present your case about why you believe this organization has been beneficial or potentially how it compares with less successful models. Have fun with it! This presentation will be between 3-5 minutes long, and will be presented at some point during the last two weeks of class. Further details will be provided closer to the time it will be due.