Daniel WessnerEducationPhD, University of Denver ProfileDan Wessner directs the University of Denver's Master's in Development Practice (MDP) program. After a decade of designing such programming for non-governmental organizations, Dr. Wessner moved to the University of Denver in July 2009 to launch DU's new MDP program. Prior to DU, he was a Professor of International and Political Studies at Eastern Mennonite University (2005-2009) and Associate Professor of International Studies at Bluffton University (2000-2005). He has taught and worked on development projects for extended periods of time in China (Northeast University - 1984-1985; Kunming Institute of Technology - 1985-1986) and Vietnam (Can Tho University - 1990-1993; Diplomatic Academic of Vietnam, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - 1997-1999; An Gian University- ongoing virtual and on-sight courses since 2001). His international educational development work spans campuses in Latin America, South Asia, Himalayan States, and East/Southeast Asia. Dr. Wessner teaches international law, peacebuilding, sustainable development, and Vietnamese studies. His research concerns social constructivist examination of state and sub-state behavior in post-war milieux. He is a member of the State Bar of California and an ordained minister of the Mennonite Church. His wife, Liz, is an artist and author. Their adopted children bridge the cultures of Vietnam and the United States. DU's new MDP programThe objective of the MDP is to train development generalists with comprehensive knowledge and particular skills for international work on the Millennium Development Goals. While housed at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, the MDP draws on faculty from ten DU graduate schools. The program also partners with a dozen overseas campuses and NGOs, which link with DU through global classrooms and host the MDP cohorts for applied study and research. Each MDP cohort spends 20 months on campus and 6 months in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Further Information: DU's new Master's in Development Practice (MDP) program. Research/Publications ProjectsInter-Cultural Communicative Competence, www.emu.edu/ic3 (2009). This 90-module web-based platform advances a blended learning pedagogy that grounds language learning in interactive online studies, field-based research, and inter-cultural relations. IC3 links students of diverse countries so they may build broader knowledge, nurture empathy, and participate in transformative problem-solving pertinent to the Millennium Development Goals. Monkey King & Sage: Hanois Politics of Syncretism, my doctoral dissertation on the underlying political anthropology of Vietnam, is under revision for publication.
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