Beth Polzin '00 Wins Fulbright Grant to Study in Ghana

A politics major and history minor with a special interest in African studies, Polzin developed the idea for her Fulbright proposal while she was in Ghana. Observing a heated argument between her tailor and a customer and the ways that a group of young dormitory workers resolved arguments, she noticed that "things would be talked out thoroughly. The details, rather than the resolution, seemed to be the most important part." In the marketplace, Polzin observed that the majority of disputes were same sex--men argued with men and women argued with women. She began to think that it would be interesting to study how gender and other factors (age, residents versus recent emigrants, economic standing) affected dispute resolution in Ghana. She has since extended the scope of her study to include disputes within families and communities and will look at both informal disputes and those resolved through the courts. During her year in Ghana, Polzin also hopes to become fluent in Twi, the most commonly spoken language there.

At first, Polzin considered dispute resolution as a thesis topic, but after talking with a friend who was working on a Fulbright proposal, she decided that it "made a lot more sense as a research proposal for a project to be done in Ghana." The road between her first thoughts about conducting research and her final Fulbright proposal, titled "Gender and Converging Civil and Traditional Law in Accra [Ghana's capital]," was long and bumpy, but Polzin had help along the way.

Holly Hanson, assistant professor of history and African American and African studies, was "invaluable," says Polzin, who enrolled in two of Hanson's classes this semester. "Holly encouraged me to do preliminary research this semester (on legal history in Ghana) to prepare for the work I will be doing in Ghana," Polzin says. "I have learned a lot from her about how to conduct research. She is familiar with all aspects of African history and African popular culture, and when she does not have an answer to a question, she always has a handy reference. Holly is already preparing me for next year." Stephen Ellenburg, professor of politics and Polzin's adviser, also assisted with the proposal. "Beth is among the most intellectually adventuresome and persistent students I've encountered here," he says.

Before she leaves for Ghana, Polzin will spend the summer receiving training as a legal assistant at Griffith and Yost, a law firm in Buffalo, New York, where she completed a January Internship this year. The firm is run by Ellen Yost Lafili '66 who concentrates on immigration law. When Polzin returns from Ghana, she plans to go to law school.

Graduating seniors, graduate students, and professionals all apply for these awards. Selection is based on the academic and/or professional record of the applicant; the feasibility of the proposed study plan; the need for the project to be undertaken in the country of choice; language preparation; and the extent to which the candidate and the project will help to advance the program aim of promoting mutual understanding among nations.

The Fulbright program formally began in 1946. Over the past twenty years, twenty-one MHC seniors (and at least six alumnae) have won awards in the Fulbright competition. Three of these students won English teaching assistantships in Germany. Most of the other students won full grants for study/research. Research topics have included archaeology in England, literature in Pakistan, zoology in Australia, biology in Switzerland, international relations in Germany, politics in Poland, and, last year, women's tobacco clubs in Malawi, soccer clubs in Bolivia, and anti-HIV therapy in Senegal.