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African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) at Boulders Beach, Simonstown, Cape Town, South Africa.

Cape Town

Program Summary

Beginning Winter Quarter 2010, students will have the opportunity to participate in the Stanford Overseas Studies Program in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town, the site of the first European settlement in South Africa, is the seat of the country’s national parliament. With about 3.5 million inhabitants, it is a cosmopolitan, culturally diverse city, blending Khoisan, Xhosa and other African tribes with descendants of Indonesian slaves, and British, Dutch, French and German settlers. While much of the city’s history is darkened by apartheid, Cape Town was in the forefront of the opposition, and has entered the new millennium with a focus on rebuilding its communities and renewing its cultural vibrancy.

The Cape Town program offers a wide variety of courses, service-learning, research opportunities, and extracurricular activities aimed at helping students achieve a deep understanding and appreciation of the city, its cultures, the wider Western Cape region and South Africa generally. While the curriculum will be diverse and designed to serve the academic interests of most undergraduates, coursework will usually focus on contemporary challenges related to South Africa’s development as an emerging democracy, e.g., cultural, economic, environmental, health-related, historical, political, social. Specific curricular details will be made available during Spring Quarter 2009.

Program Location	Quarter(s) Open	Prerequisite(s)	Language of Instruction	Living Arrangements	Enrollment Capacity
Cape Town	Winter Spring	None - see below	English	Dorm	24
Objectives The academic objective of the Cape Town program is to introduce students to the people, history, politics and culture of post-apartheid South Africa with an emphasis on initiatives undertaken and challenges faced by an emerging democracy. Through coursework, service-learning and hands-on, collaborative research in Western Cape townships and informal communities, students will have the opportunity to connect theory and practice and enhance their research skills. As part of their course work and through their service-learning and community-based research, students will meet with local community activists, NGO staff and other leaders who are engaged in development work. Opportunities will be provided to study and interact with students from the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape, and visit important historical and cultural sites and institutions across South Africa. Academic Prerequisites There are no academic prerequisites. However, students are strongly encouraged to achieve a beginning understanding of the history and politics of South Africa – past and present – prior to enrolling by taking courses that address these issues on campus. In addition, while not required, students are encouraged to enroll in Xhosa courses through the Stanford Language Center, as preparation for research and/or service-learning in the Western Cape. See: http://ica.stanford.edu/afr/yearly-courses.

Program Location

Quarter(s)
Open

Prerequisite(s)

Language of Instruction

Living Arrangements

Enrollment Capacity

Cape Town

Winter
Spring

None - see below

English

Dorm

Objectives

The academic objective of the Cape Town program is to introduce students to the people, history, politics and culture of post-apartheid South Africa with an emphasis on initiatives undertaken and challenges faced by an emerging democracy. Through coursework, service-learning and hands-on, collaborative research in Western Cape townships and informal communities, students will have the opportunity to connect theory and practice and enhance their research skills. As part of their course work and through their service-learning and community-based research, students will meet with local community activists, NGO staff and other leaders who are engaged in development work. Opportunities will be provided to study and interact with students from the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape, and visit important historical and cultural sites and institutions across South Africa.

Academic Prerequisites

There are no academic prerequisites. However, students are strongly encouraged to achieve a beginning understanding of the history and politics of South Africa – past and present – prior to enrolling by taking courses that address these issues on campus. In addition, while not required, students are encouraged to enroll in Xhosa courses through the Stanford Language Center, as preparation for research and/or service-learning in the Western Cape. See: http://ica.stanford.edu/afr/yearly-courses.

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