Nearly 5,600 miles from Detroit, on Africa's western coast, history was recently made - and Political Science Professor Ronald Brown and his students watched it happen.

Last semester, Brown and a dozen students traveled to Ghana as part of WSU President Emeritus Irvin D. Reid's African Democracy Project (ADP). The group observed the democratic process through the eyes of the Ghanaian people during the country's presidential and parliamentary elections.

Each year the ADP takes a group of scholars to a different country in Africa to better understand citizenship and democracy in nations with developing governments. This was the fourth trip for ADP scholars.

This year the students explored the international connections between Ghana and the United States through a series of interviews with citizens and elected officials.

Probing Ghana's rich history, culture and political landscape, the students interviewed Ghanaians of all walks of life about a variety of topics, including how they see Ghana in the broader international community.

"Democracy is relatively new in Ghana," said Brown. "I think our students walked away with a greater appreciation for the hard work and difficulty that goes into making a democracy work."