STUDY ABROAD IN CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA!
A 4-week summer program, mid-May to mid-June
Get out of the classroom and into the world on this 4-week, 3-credit experiential learning program designed to help situate your education abroad within a broader social context. Open to students in any major and any year. First- and second-year students are highly encouraged to apply!
Learn more about this amazing opportunity at the:
LEARNING COMMUNITIES IN CAPE TOWN
INFORMATION SESSION
Tuesday, October 4
3:00-5:00 pm in Gentry 119E (come when you can)
Meet Capetonian, Rev. Vernon Rose, who sets up service-learning placements in non-profit organizations for students in ANY major and Dr. Marita McComiskey who teaches the summer course!
TO APPLY: www.ABROAD.uconn.edu, search "Cape Town"
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More Information:
THE PROGRAM
Since the early 1990s, South Africa has witnessed sweeping changes in its political and cultural landscape. Once stigmatized as a racist regime and egregious violator of human rights, it is now celebrated as one of the most tolerant nations on earth with one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. South Africa's constitution is indeed the only one with specific language on women's rights, children's rights, workers' rights, health care rights, education rights, and
environmental and conservation justice.
Cape Town, a magnificently beautiful city nestled between sandy beaches and gorgeous mountains, provides the setting for this Summer Education Abroad. An 8-day service-learning component enables students to become immersed in the work of a non-profit organization selected especially for them. Building upon longterm relationships with supervisors at a wide variety of non-profits, Rev. Vernon Rose, Cape Town native and Associate Director of UConn programs in Cape Town, is able to find an appropriate placement site for each student based on her/his specific career goals and personal interests.
THE ACADEMICS – WGSS 3993: Foreign Study in Cape Town (3 credits)
Taught by Dr. Marita McComiskey, Resident Director of UConn’s spring & summer Cape Town programs for the last seven years, this 4-week experiential learning course, in addition to the field placement will include reading and writing assignments to help better situate Cape Town experiences within a broader social context. Through lectures, guest speakers, discussions, films, and cultural events designed to provide insight into the history and politics of South Africa, this class will enable students to analyze their time spent living, learning, and working abroad to better understand the multiple ways race and gender, as social constructs, continue to be shaped by key social institutions such as government, media, religion, education, health care, economic systems, and culture both here and abroad. By creating a vibrant learning community among participants this program provides a structured environment to help reflect upon cross-cultural competencies and personal development. Co-educators in this course will collectively process new skills and knowledge to help integrate their international travel with their current academic plans as well as their future personal and profession goals.
THE EXPERIENCE
Participants live in a fully-furnished house, with easy access to public transportation, located in Cape Town’s southern suburb of Rondebosch, a primarily residential area, with a medium-size shopping area, a small business district, and the main campus of the University of Cape Town. In addition to the course work and service learning opportunity this Study Abroad Program offers: a week long orientation which includes visits to historic and cultural sites of interest such as Robben Island; a three day home-stay to experience everyday life with a local family; and a two day trip to a game reserve to see the animals for which South Africa is famous.
For more information, contact: Dr. Marita McComiskey at marita.mccomiskey@uconn.edu