The college of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS) at Makerere university, the university of Turin, with support from the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission intends to support a partnership between the department of sociology and anthropology at Makerere University and the Department of Culture, Politics and Society at university of Turin in Italy.
The partnership seeks to establish didactic scientific cooperation between the two departments. This initiative intends to train a new generation of high caliber scholars and researchers in the two countries through staff and students exchange.
The program started when the two Principal Investigators (Dr. Eria Olowo Onyango of Makerere University) and Prof. Cecilia Penacini (Turin) won a grant from the European Union to fund student and staff exchange program between the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Makerere University and the Department of Culture Politics and Society in Turin
At Makerere University, the exchange was later expanded to bring in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences where three staff members and eleven graduate students have so benefited from the fellowship
This year, 2021, nine candidates (6 MA and 3 PhD) are to benefit from the ERASMUS+ Scholarship Program. The candidates were interviewed by a panel of experts led by the program coordinator Dr. Eria Onyango Olowo on 27th October 2021 at the Social Sciences board room. The other panelists were Dr. Julius Kikooma who is also Deputy Principal CHUSS and Dr. Paul Marie from the Italian Agency for International Cooperation.
The program coordinator Makerere University Dr. Eria Olowo Onyango said the program offers a three eight months and ten days fellowship for qualifying candidates to complete an ongoing study program leading to the award of a PhD in social anthropology or in sociology.
The program according Dr. Olowo also offers up to six, six months full time fellowships for qualifying candidates to complete an ongoing study program leading to the award of an MA in sociology of Makerere university.
“Preferably, the PhD Fellowships will be awarded to 3 qualifying candidates who have completed field work and in the writing stage of their theses while MA fellowships will also be be preferably awarded to up 6 candidates who have completed research and are at the final stages of their theses.
The fellowship is fully funded under the Erasmus + program of the European Commission. The financial support from Erasmus+ EU funds for the mobility period is Euros 850.00 per month in addition the participant shall recerve Euro 820 as contribution for travel”, Dr. Olowo explained.
Duration
The fellowship is 8 months and ten days doctoral training for PhD fellows and 6 months for MA fellowship which starts November 2021 terminates in July 2022 for the PhD and February 2022 and terminates in July 2022 for masters fellows. The minimum duration for the mobility period is 3 months or 1 academic term or trimester. The total duration shall be concluded within 31/07/2022. Successful candidates will work in the department of culture, Politics and Society of the University of Turin.
14 people have so far benefited from the program
So far three staff and eleven graduate students have benefited from the ERASMUS + staff and student exchange.
Under staff exchange, three staff namely; Dr. Eria Onyango Olowo (Anthropology), Prof. Godfrey Asiimwe (Development Studies) and Dr George Okiror (Politcal Science) have so far travelled to teach for one semester each in Turin. From Turin three staff, Prof. Cecillia Penacini, Prof. Elsns Osche and Prof, Guido Zingari have come to teach at Makerere.
For PhD student exchange, six people have so far benefited and they include Dr. Jerome Ntenge, Dr. Stephen Aguto Odongo and Dr. Ritah Nakanjako. Others under PhD examination are Mr. Nicholas Mugabi, Mr. Innocent Kamya and Ms. Constance Mudongo
For the Masters, five students namely; Brenda Birungi, Doreen Natocho, Kulabako Christine Tricia Opoya Yolam and Nakagenda Novia have so far benefited from the program.
In addition there is also an ongoing PhD student registered in Turin where Mr. Gilberto Borri is being co-supervised by Dr. Eria Olowo Onyango in Makerere University and Dr. Allessandro Gusman in Turin.
In furtherance of this collaboration; the team has a research project, titled, “Africa on the Move” where they intend to conduct research on refugees in Bidi refugee settlement.