Bard College International Human Rights Exchange (IHRE), with University Witwatersrand
TERMS: Fall (July through November)
LOCATION: Johannesburg
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: IHRE is an international, interdisciplinary semester focused on theory and practice of human rights. Students take four courses each term, including lectures, discussion and an internship. The student body is made up of approximately equal numbers of North American and African students. Students live in university housing with other international students.
Interstudy: University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermartzburg Campus
TERMS: Fall/Spring/Year
LOCATION: Pietermaritzburg
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Direct enrollment at the Pietermaritzburg campus (PMB), which is the flagship campus of the University of Natal and offers degrees in humanities, social sciences and sciences, following the southern hemisphere academic calendar: February–June; August–November. PMB is an accessible residential campus, with strong student services and a liberal arts orientation. Pre–departure preparation, orientation, advising and excursions provided by Interstudy. Students live in on–campus residence halls.
NOTE: Interested students may contact Professor Ellen Kaplan (theatre—PMB has a notable activist theatre program) or Professor Louis Wilson (Afro–American studies).
Interstudy: University of KwaZulu–Natal, Howard College Campus
TERMS: Fall/Spring/Year
LOCATION: Durban
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Direct enrollment at the Howard College campus (Durban), which is the urban campus of the University of Natal and offers coursework in education, engineering, health sciences, humanities, development and social sciences, management studies, and science and agriculture. Note the southern hemisphere academic calendar: February–June; August–November. Non–white students (including Black South African, Indian and others) now make up more than seventy percent of the student population. Pre–departure preparation, orientation, advising and excursions provided by Interstudy. Students live in on–campus residence halls.
NOTE: Professor Ellen Kaplan (theatre&mdasb;PMB has a notable activist theatre program) and Professor Louis Wilson (Afro–American studies) have visited this program, and interested students may contact them if they wish.
CIEE: University of Cape Town
TERMS: Fall/Spring/Year
LOCATION: Cape Town
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Direct enrollment following the southern hemisphere academic calendar: February–June; August–November. The university is set on a steep hillside, and is a highly–selective institution with a traditional arts and sciences curriculum based on English and European models, as well as programs in engineering. All students enrolling through CIEE are required to take one course with a South African focus each semester, and Smith also requires that student study a local language (typically Xhosa or Afrikaans, but students may choose from the 10 official languages other than English). CIEE provides community–service placements, housing, registration and advising. Students live in UCT campus housing with kitchen facilities or in off–campus group houses.
NOTE: Professors Ellen Kaplan (theatre) and Louis Wilson (Afro–American studies) have visited this program, and interested students may contact them if they wish.
SIT South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights
TERMS: Fall/Spring
LOCATION: Cape Town
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Explore South Africa's multicultural society and history of apartheid; stay with four families to meet and interact with South Africans from different geographic and ethnic backgrounds; complete a four–week independent study project.
SIT South Africa: Community Health and Social Policy
TERMS: Fall/Spring
LOCATION: Durban
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Students examine the relationship of health care policy, education and practice in South Africa, and learn about the relationship between traditional healing and western medicine, prenatal care, access to health care and health education. Visits to Johannesburg and Capetown. Various homestays, including rural communities to learn about grassroots–level health care, and shadowing of community health workers. Independent study project required.
SIT South Africa: Social and Political Transformation
TERMS: Fall/Spring
LOCATION: Durban
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: English
PRE-REQUISITES: None
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Investigate issues of inequality, poverty, gender and racial and ethnic discrimination; excursions to rural KwaZulu–Natal and Cape Town. Homestay in Hlabisa, a rural village. Service–learning project can become part of independent study project.
