Study Abroad

Program Overview

 

ESJ's Study Aboard program begins in summer quarter with a pre-travel course on South African history, culture, language and customs. The four-week study abroad happens from mid-August to mid September, between Summer and Fall Quarters. Upon their return to Seattle, students participate in a follow-up program to reflect upon their experiences and to share them with others.

 

 

 

 

Experiential Learning Opportunities

• cultural and political lectures  
• a home-stay in one or more of the townships
• opportunities to investigate targeted projects first hand e.g. hip-hop culture, HIV-AIDS impact and prevention
• an overnight stay in the traditional homelands without electricity or running water
• visiting urban and rural indigenous religions healers, and many other socio-cultural, historical, and political experiences.

 

Learning Objectives

• appreciate the values and religious/secular beliefs of various groups of urban and rural South Africans.
• interact with diverse cultures appropriately
• respect the strength, durability, and integrity of South African cultures
• examine the impact of Apartheid and racial/class strife on Black, White and Colored South Africans
• examine how race is constructed in South African society interact with South Africans from a cross-section of society in authentic socio-cultural situations

South Africa 2008

We spent over a week  visiting cultural and historical sites between Cape Town and Kwa-Zulu province. We saw the Nelson Mandela Museum and former parliament center in Mthatha.  we made friends with our upcountry guide Fumlani, a nephew of Nelson Mandela's.  We visited Mandela's  birth place (Mvezo),   home-village and eventual burial ground(Qunu).  We were invited to stay at  the Nelson Mandela Youth Heritage Center while in Qunu. We visited the Steve Biko cultural center in Port Elizabeth, spent the night in a village in the homelands, and saw the burial site and educational center for Xhosa royalty outside of King William's Town. We video taped and wrote about all of these experiences and created a video and audio production of our Study Abroad experience as our final project upon our return to Seattle.