 |
Nattaly Perryman, AADS Major, 3rd from left - top row
Cape Town, South Africa |
The Program in African American and Diaspora Studies at UCT allows students to explore a range of courses in the humanities, music, fine arts, commerce, sciences, engineering, and African languages. The program allows Vanderbilt students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a sort of “new democracy studies,” (South Africa celebrated its 10th year anniversary as a democracy—1994-2004), where they will be observer-participants of the development of a new democracy attempting to overcome its legacy of Apartheid, deal head on the with politics of race, an emergent women’s right movement as well as health crises. The program is administered through CIEE.
Students will also participate in a homestay with the Cape "Brown" (formerly known as Cape Coloreds) and Moslem communities, previously disadvantaged groups under Apartheid. The CIEE program also offers other community service opportunities for interested students (e.g.,
Robben
Island ). All students will have the opportunity to pursue a CIEE Certificate of Achievement in International Education based on performance in the program and CIEE-planned extra-academic and community-based curricular activities for an additional $350. PAADS will pay this fee for interested and qualified majors.
PAADS in Cape Town, South Africa is jointly administered and monitored by the
University of
Cape Town ’s International Affairs Program Office (IAPO), distinguished scholars, and CIEE. Students are taught by UCT faculty. The language of instruction is English. Vanderbilt students enroll directly at UCT, pursuing coursework alongside other students. A 6 day orientation program is provided by IAPO. Students must enroll in 4 course per semester (a full load), and enrollment in the program is not permitted before the fifth semester at Vanderbilt (junior year).
There is a CIEE-appointed Resident Director who oversees, supervises and administers the CIEE-UCT collaboration as well as guides and assists students with academic, administrative, and day-to-day matters. Pre and post-departure information, guidance and orientation are provided by IAPO and CIEE.
The
University of
Cape Town is an internationally recognized institution of higher education; it is one
Africa ’s leading research university with a first-rate teaching and research-oriented faculty. Established in 1829 as South African College, the College benefited from large endowments of funds and land by Cecil John Rhodes during his years as Governor at the
Cape . Today, the University of Cape Town offers a strong liberal arts and science curriculum and centers such as the Centre for Conflict Resolution, the Centre for African Studies, The Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research, the Centre for Popular Memory and institutes such as the African Gender Institute, the Institute for Comparative Religion in Southern Africa and the Research Institute on Christianity and Society in Africa.
Cape Town, is a vibrant, diverse and beautiful city as it situated between mountains (
Table
Mountain and the Twelve Apostles), the ocean (the
Atlantic ), beaches and Winelands. The campus is located on the Atlantic coast, 15 minutes from downtown
Cape Town. Students would be housed on-campus with other UCT students.
Curriculum
The African American and Diaspora Studies Program at the University of Cape Town, South Africa is designed to allow students who major and minor in AADS the opportunity to rigorously study the unique history, culture, languages, and literatures of the diaspora in Africa, while also allowing flexibility to pursue a broad range of other courses of interests Non-majors and minors will also have the unique opportunity to pursue coursework in Africa and on
Africa as well as a variety of other non-African diasporic courses.
While the program is open to all students, the African American and Diaspora Studies Program, like UCT-CIEE, highly recommends students have prior work in African/Black/Diaspora Studies. Participants in the PAADS UCT/CIEE program will also be required to complete one foundational course in an area of study with a specific African content or perspective. This requirement is consistent with CIEE program participation.
The Program in African American and Diaspora Studies has also launched a study abroad opportunity in Stellenbosch (Cape Winelands), South Africa at Stellenbosch University.
Interested students should contact the Global Education Office for more information on international programs and financial aid (www.vanderbilt.edu/geo). PAADS students should also consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies as they plan their program of study.
