Candidate Profiles
MAGIS Candidates, 2008 - 2010

Brianna Dwyer-O'Connor

Brianna earned her B.A. in Sociology with minors in African Area Studies and Peace and Justice Studies at the University of San Francisco. Her undergraduate research focused on the formation of race and racism and the construction of gender roles as social and political barriers.  Brianna’s research on “Women’s Productive Roles in Agriculture in Zimbabwe” inspired her to pursue graduate studies and directed her research focus to sub-Saharan Africa.

As part of her undergraduate studies, Brianna traveled throughout Peru and visited Generacion, an organization that provides safe housing, education, and community for street children in Lima. Her undergraduate education was also complimented by an internship with Global Exchange, an international human rights organization based in San Francisco. Her work with Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Department provided an international perspective on consumerism and trade.

Brianna’s academic research interests center around human rights, globalization, and the environment. She is particularly interested in the role of non-governmental international organizations in defining and bringing attention to world crisis. Brianna seeks to investigate how natural resources and lack of access to natural resources connect to conflict and war, particularly as the environment changes due to global warming. As a MAGIS student, Brianna plans to research the role of non-governmental international aid organizations in defining and bringing attention to the genocide in Darfur.