Globe and Mail - Four cities, 12 days, a $20,000 target

The “hot cities tour” is the shortest course offered by McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, but surely ranks among the most intense and rewarding.

On Feb. 16, about 30 undergraduate and MBA students who were selected by an independent panel head to South Africa to meet top business, government and community leaders in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

Course professor Karl Moore, who arranges access to leading officials, designed the course to run 12 days – of which 10 are on the road. Students complete academic assignments before leaving, throw themselves into the whirlwind sessions while there and wrap up the course with a major “reflection” paper to demonstrate what they have learned from their experience.