NOTE: SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, like COVID-19, SIT may have to modify programs. Visit the SIT website for more details.
Discover historical and contemporary multiculturalism, ethnicity, and identity in South Africa.
WHY STUDY HUMAN RIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA?
South Africa has made great strides in righting the wrongs of apartheid, but significant challenges remain. Cape Town’s population in the mid-20th century reached approximately a half million, of which whites were less than 15 percent. Economic hardship and racial discrimination designed policies that favored whites, creating economic and cultural differences that steadily split the nation along racial lines. Immigrants, blacks, and other groups struggled to define their identity and respond to discrimination. Afrikaner nationalism grew stronger in Cape Town and across South Africa, leading to a growing right-wing movement. Starting from your base in Cape Town, you’ll learn about how race relations continue to be shaped by a range of contested histories, politics, and social welfare programs. Journey to key sites such as the Steve Biko Centre, where you will study the Black Consciousness Movement, and Robben Island, the prison that held the late South African President Nelson Mandela. Experience South Africa through the eyes of four diverse homestay families in city and rural locations.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Learn about multiculturalism in Johannesburg and Cape Town, including Langa and Bo Kaap.
- Study race, racial construction and mobilization, human rights, land dispossessions, and resettlements.
- Experience four homestays with isiXhosa- and Afrikaans-speaking families.
Please visit the SIT Study Abroad website for details on the program courses (including syllabi), educational excursions, and housing.
KEY TOPICS OF STUDY
- Apartheid’s history and how it continues to impact South Africa
- Social change in education, language use, land, and party politics
- Critical identity markers beyond race: gender, sexuality, and class
- The three cultural contexts of Xhosa, Coloured, and Afrikaner
- The political, economic, and social structure of future South Africa
MONEY MATTERS
Be sure to discuss how study abroad costs are handled at your school with your study abroad advisor.
SIT tuition and room and board fees include the following:
- All educational costs, including educational excursions
- All accommodations and meals for the full program duration
- Transportation to and from the airport, and on all educational excursions
- Health and accident insurance
SCHOLARSHIPS
- SIT awards nearly $1.6 million in scholarships and grants annually.
- All scholarships and grants are need-based.
- Awards generally range from $500 to $5,000 for semester programs.
- Contact the financial aid and/or study abroad office(s) at your college or university to learn if your school’s scholarships and grants and federal and state aid programs can be applied to an SIT Study Abroad program.
CONTACT SIT STUDY ABROAD
