International development studies program advisors
Johnathan Bascom
Professor of geography
jbascom@calvin.edu
616-526-7053
Office: NH 081
Courses taught: IDS 201, GEO 230, 242
Background:
Prof. Bascom's work experience includes an internship with the Africa Bureau of the US Agency for International Development. Much of his research and writing focuses on refugees and the issues that surround their migration, protection, and assistance. He has also written on a pedagogical approach to teaching Third World geography.
Roland Hoksbergen
IDS program director, professor of economics
hoksro@calvin.edu
phone: 526-6369
office: NH 164
Courses taught: IDS 201, 351, 395, ECON 237
Background: Before coming to Calvin College , Prof. Hoksbergen worked for the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) in Latin America. He has led off-campus semesters in both Ghana and Honduras . His research includes the role of civil society in developing countries and the strengthening of partnership networks among non-government organizations.
Tracy Kuperus
Adjunct professor
tlk5@calvin.edu
phone:
526-6534
office: NH 170
Courses taught: IDS 201, 351
Background: Before coming to Calvin, Professor Kuperus taught in the political science departments at Westmont College (1995-96) and Gordon College (1997-2002). She has co-led Calvin's off-campus interim to South Africa. Her research has focused on church-state relations in South Africa and the interaction between civil society and democratization in southern Africa.
Daniel Miller
Professor of history
mill@calvin.edu
phone: 526-6196
office: HH 474
Courses taught: IDS 201, HIST 238
Background: Prof. Miller offers courses on the history of Latin America and he has taken
student groups to Central America and Argentina. His current research interests include the Mexican Revolution and the growth of Protestantism in Latin America.
Mwenda Ntarangwi
Associate professor of sociology (anthropology)
mgn2@calvin.edu
(616) 526-7658
Office: SC 227
Courses taught: IDS 355, SOC 153
Background: Prof. Mwenda Ntarangwi joined the Calvin faculty in January 2008. Ntarangwi's scholarship and teaching hinge on the intersection between culture and performance as analyzed through the lens of symbolic interpretivism.
Amy Patterson
Associate professor of political science
apatters@calvin.edu
616-526-7028
Office: DC 261L
Courses taught: IDS 201, POLS 272
Background: Prof. Patterson served in the Peace Corps in Senegal, working with rural farmers on agro-forestry and environmental education programs. She has conducted research on the role of women in local Senegalese politics, and the politics of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Todd Vanden Berg
Professor of sociology
tvdberg@calvin.edu
616-526-6705
Office: SC 235
Courses taught: IDS 201, SOC 253
Background: Prof. Vanden Berg's fieldwork in Cultural Anthropology is with the Longuda of Adamawa State Nigeria. His research includes the topics of involuntary resettlement and religious integration, specifically on the witchcraft beliefs of Longuda Lutheran Christians. He has also led the interim to Jamaica.
Kurt Ver Beek
Assistant professor of sociology
kverbeek@calvin.edu
Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Address
Courses taught: STHO 210, 211, 212
Background: Prof. Ver Beek has worked with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee in Central America for six years and now leads the semester and interim programs in Honduras. He has worked with many grass-roots organizations in Honduras and is a founder of the Association for a more Just Society (AJS). He is currently studying the long-term effects of short-term missions.
Other Calvin faculty with international development expertise
Adel Abadeer, economics, teaches ECON 337 and 338 and has expertise in Egypt and the Middle East , and recently published a book on modern-day slavery.
David Dornbos, biology, teaches BIO 364 and has a strong interest in agricultural issues.
Mark Fackler, communication arts and sciences, has led many interim classes to Kenya.
Dianne Slager, nursing, specializes in community health and has led interim courses to Liberia, where she worked for many years.
Evert Van Der Heide, economics, teaches ECON 237 and 337, and studies economic development in Indonesia, focusing especially on labor and employment issues.
Joel Westra, political science, teaches POLS 309 and specializes in international organizations and law.
