CJR Study Abroad in the Global South: South Africa 2007
Spring Semester class + May 14-June 12 in South Africa
Introduction:
Join PLNU faculty and staff for a month of study in South Africa! After a Spring Semester studying South African cultures, history and politics on Point Loma’s campus, spend four weeks in South Africa living in peoples’ homes and experiencing contemporary life in South Africa. Visit many of the historic sites we read about in class - Soweto township, site of many resistance movements against the Apartheid Government, the gold mines of the mineral rich “Gold Reef,” Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and St. George’s Cathedral, a church that was attacked by police forces hostile to the non-violent resistance of the parishioners. Visit other important sites, like Ndlovu Medical Centre, a rural AIDS health clinic that also serves as a small business development incubator for some of South Africa’s poorest residents. See rural and urban schools while studying recent changes in South Africa’s education system and explore South Africa’s popular culture with a visit to a soccer stadium.
Academics:
A strength of the South Africa Term is that you will have most of the course work done before you even step foot on a plane. Register for the following 6 upper-division credits in Spring 2007:
SOC360 Race and ethnicity: Comparing South Africa and the United States
Students will study race and ethnicity as historically situated socio-political constructs through a comparative analysis of race relations in South Africa and the United States. Centered on the role that race/ethnicity has played in the stratification of society, special attention will be paid to race and ethnicity as variables in access to jobs, education, healthcare, housing and other social needs.
REL490 Special Topics in Religion: Theology from an African Perspective
Students will have the opportunity to learn about contemporary theological concerns from one of the church’s important African scholars, Prof. Mashangu Maluleka. Central to this course will be the study of ecclesiology, the nature of the church. The following question will guide our exploration: What can we learn from comparing the church in South Africa to the church in the United States about what it should mean to be the church catholic? Professor Maluleka has written on the challenges facing the African church and has been willing to tackle controversial issues such as polygamy and ancestral worship and brings a sincere love for the church to his studies.
Schedule:
South Africa Term
May 14 – June 12, 2007
FAQ’s:
Where will we be staying?
In Johannesburg we will be staying in the hostels of the Good News Convention Centre, Muldersdrift. The convention center will be the base from which we travel and will also serve as the meeting place for any classroom activities required.
In Cape Town we plan to stay with families that live in the area. Each student will be assigned a living partner and will be placed with a local family that has agreed to act as a host family. We will then all gather for group field trips and other educational opportunities throughout the Cape Town area.
How will we get around?
There will be group transportation available for all activities. There will be times when you will be able to explore the cities on your own using public transportation.
Can we explore on our own?
There will be times structured into the schedule where you will be allowed to explore designated areas on your own. We will arrange drop-off and pick-up times. Due to the distances and the nature of public transportation, we ask that you not go off on your own except during designated times and in designated areas.
Is it safe to be in South Africa?
The short answer – yes…when you are with people who know where they are going and when to go there. There are many of us who travel to and in South Africa all the time with no problems. There are dangerous parts of the cities we will be in and dangerous times to be in certain neighborhoods. We will avoid the more dangerous times and neighborhoods. We will rely on experience and local guidance from people who know the area best. We fully trust our South African counterparts who themselves live safe lives in these cities.
What will meals be like and where will we eat?
You can expect to eat mopani worms, Zebra steaks, dried ostrich, peri-peri chilis, vetkoek, blatjang, potjie kos and boiled maize. But then again, there will be lots of foods that you’re more familiar with. Taste and see!
The cost of the trip will include two meals a day, breakfast and either lunch or dinner. Most meals in Johannesburg will be with the group at the Good News Convention Centre. We will plan to eat some group meals out. We will eat at least one meal a day together in Cape Town. Your host family will be provided with some funds to assist in hosting you.
How much spending money do I need?
This all depends on you, but we ask you not to be too extravagant in your spending. Your dollars will go far given the exchange rate in South Africa (Rands). There are ATMs and banking facilities in South Africa. The cheapest way to exchange money is to bring along an ATM Visa/Mastercard that you can use to withdraw money from an account in the U.S. Otherwise I would recommend travel cheques. You will have opportunities to buy goods made in South Africa to bring home with you. You will also want to sample some of the local foods beyond the two meals a day that are provided through the program.
What kinds (and how many) clothes should I bring?
Bring layers! It will be winter in South Africa, but a mild winter more than likely. It is unlikely that you will need a heavy winter coat, but a heavy sweatshirt would be a good idea. Also, a rain jacket for Cape Town might come in handy. Both Cape Town and Johannesburg have a tendency to have large temperature swings, being very cold at night and very warm during the day. Bring warm sleep clothes, as the typical accommodation will not have central heating (a shock to the system if you’re not used to it)!
Travel light and bring at least one week’s worth of clothes. We do not anticipate you needing more than “smart casual” clothes. Shorts and jeans for our touring trips would be appropriate. We will make laundry facilities available once a week and you can buy detergents there rather cheaply (although you might bring your own if you are prone to allergies).
What about electronics?
You bring electronics at your own risk. Know that for US electronics you will need a transformer that converts your 110V to 220V along with the conversion plugs!
What about email and telephone access?
You will have occasional access to email and occasional access to a telephone for international calls. Do not plan on daily access. All email access is charged per minute, as are even local calls in South Africa. Calls home will be limited to family or designated guardians and limited to time for updates only.
The director will keep a cell phone handy for emergencies. We will also coordinate a group update email to be sent out once a week.
Will we be going on a Safari?
Aaah, the famous tourist question…While “edu-tourism” is not the goal of this program, we may just be able to work in some time in visiting the famous Pilansberg Game Reserve. The last time I was there we had a lion walk right to our vehicle as if it could smell that we were and exotic dish…
Profile of Contemporary South Africa
Population:
45.2 million (UN, 2004)
Age:
0-14 years: 29.5% (male 6,337,468; female 6,254,925)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 13,898,269; female 14,017,559)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 886,801; female 1,323,508) (2004 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.7 years (33.3 in CA; 35.3 in U.S.)
male: 24.2 years
female: 25.3 years
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 44.19 years (77.2)
male: 44.39 years
female: 43.98 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.18 children born/woman (2004 est.) (2.1 in U.S)
HIV adult prevalence rate:
21.5% (2003 est.)
People living with AIDS:
5.3 million (2003 est.)
Capital:
Pretoria
Major languages:
11 official languages including English, Afrikaans, Sesotho, Setswana, Xhosa and Zulu
Major religion:
Christianity, Islam, indigenous beliefs
Life expectancy:
45 years (men), 51 years (women)
Monetary unit:
1 Rand = 100 cents
Main exports:
Gold, diamonds, metals and minerals, cars, machinery
GNI per capita:
US $2,780 (World Bank, 2003)
Internet domain:
.za ; Internet users: 3.1 million (2002)
International dialing code:
+27
Time Zone:
GMT+2h00
Area:
1.22m sq km (470,693 sq miles) i.e. slightly less than twice the size of Texas; CA = 155,959 sq mi. (403,934 sq km)
Highest point:
Njesuthi 3,408 m
Coastline:
2,798 km
The country can be divided into three geographical areas. The central plateau – called the highveld, the narrow coastal plains – called the lowveld, and the desert area of the Kalahari Basin. Although the country has several rivers, its lack of big arterial rivers and lakes has resulted in water shortages as the growth in water usage threatens to outpace the actual supply of water.
The two major ocean currents found offshore affect the temperature of the seasons. The cold Benguela current causes moderate temperatures on the West Coast, and on the central plateau the altitude tends to keep the average temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius.
In general, the dry season runs from June through August although along the southern cape region, including Cape Town, temperatures are the opposite of the rest of the country.
South Africa shares its land borders with more countries than any other in Africa (6).
The main resources are gold, diamonds, platinum, chromium, vanadium, manganese, uranium, iron ore and coal. These minerals make up about 60% of the entire export.
http://www.xe.com/pca/ -- $1=R5.90 (January 25, 2005)
South Africa does produce one-fifth of the goods and merchandize of the entire African continent. It is also the largest agricultural exporter of all African countries.
These laws prevented black workers from striking, barred them from the military, and pass laws restricted the freedom of movement. Then in 1913, the Natives Land Act set aside 7.5% of the total land for blacks. Blacks were prevented from owning, renting or even living outside this small area.
The 1948 elections brought about the policy of apartheid, literally the state of being apart.
In 1978, the Homeland policy (based on the Natives Land Act) divided blacks into one of 10 tribal groups, regardless of where they had been born, and they were made citizens of the Homelands. Blacks lost all rights in South Africa and could not leave the Homelands without a pass and clear permission.
Eleven (11) official languages in South Africa: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.