Instructor: Dr. Kwabena Nkyerkyer

Project: Adolescent Reproductive Health

The student will work with Dr. Kwabena Nkyerkyer in attempt to understand and research the social and economic influences placed upon adolescent sexuality in modern day Accra. In a comparative study, the student will have the opportunity to interview teenagers and young adults in both an urban and rural setting. The student will extract a sense of adolescent approaches to sexuality, factors that contribute to these conditions and attitudes, constraints upon improved sexual education, and the social, cultural, and religious contributions to a physical and psychological sexuality. Studies will include personal and one-on-one research with Dr. Kwabena Nkyerkyer, interviews within various settings and communities, and case studies.

Among several other questions, the following could be explored:

• How does adolescent sexuality differ between the city and the countryside? What factors account for and contribute to these differences?
• Is teenage promiscuity a problem? Are teenage pregnancies a serious issue? What is being done to alleviate this problem?
• What financial restrictions influence adolescent perceptions of sexuality?
• In what forum do adolescents learn of sexuality?
• How does religion restrict perceptions of sexuality and what is the global consequence?
• Within the rural setting, does a male dominated society affect adolescent sexuality in one way or another?