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.
Understand the challenges and successes of transforming education and explore its role in the rapidly changing social and political contexts of South Africa.
WHY STUDY IN SOUTH AFRICA?
From the student uprisings against apartheid to contemporary campus life, educational institutions in South Africa have long been sites of social struggle and political organization, as well as centers of formal education. In this context, witness the vital role education has played in the development of a country. Visit classrooms in the cities of Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town, and the majestic mountains of rural KwaZulu-Natal. Develop your professional skills during a weeklong practicum, and an educational transformation and leadership workshop. Stay with local families and witness the day-to-day challenges of their lives. Study the Zulu language and culture and interact with nongovernmental organizations, academics, and community leaders crafting education policy. As part of the program, you will integrate theory and practice with field research as you take excursions to key historic, natural, and cultural sites in both urban and rural settings, including the oldest game reserve in Africa, the sites of apartheid-era massacres and riots, and the Phoenix Settlement, home of the late Mohandas Gandhi.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Develop deep, multidimensional insights into education across South Africa.
- Network with NGOs and public officials shaping policy and attend lectures.
- Explore Zulu language and culture while living with two homestay families.
- Observe lions, leopards, and elephants at the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve.
Please visit the
SIT Study Abroad website for details on the
program courses (including syllabi), educational excursions, and housing.
KEY TOPICS
- Diverse perspectives on education in urban and rural contexts
- Legacy of apartheid in the educational system and current challenges
- Education policy and how education affects the country’s development
- South Africa’s political system, crime rate, and overall condition
- Issues of gender, sexuality, and HIV/AIDS in the context of education
- Multicultural learning and the “demise” of outcomes-based education
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.
- 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.
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CONTACT SIT STUDY ABROAD
South Africa: Education and Social Change
More than 10 years into democracy, South Africa continues to struggle with the legacy of apartheid. From the Soweto uprisings to contemporary campus life, educational institutions in South Africa have long been sites of social struggle and political organization as well as centers of learning and formal education.
It is widely recognized by both government and civil society in South Africa that education has a vital role in the development of the country. Yet vast challenges remain in curricular reform, pedagogy, and educational delivery before education will be able to play its vital and progressive role in social transformation.
In this program, students will explore the history of education in South Africa, examine the challenges and successes of educational transformation since the 1994 elections, and analyze potential paths for the future.
Coursework
IEDP 3000:
Educational and Social Justice Seminar (4 credits/60 class hours)
An examination of education in South Africa in the historical and contemporary contexts to offer students a multisided and holistic appreciation of pertinent issues. Lectures and discussions combine with field study, visits to schools, NGOs, local communities, and government offices.
PRAC 3000:
Education Practicum (4 credits/60 class hours)
An examination of educational issues firsthand through practicum experiences in both rural and urban KwaZulu Natal. The Zululand rural homestay will coincide of a one-week practicum and observation of nearby educational institutions. Urban practicum experiences in Durban may include an observation exercise in the adult educational sector, as well as participation in a weekend youth camp, where students will serve as camp counselors.
Educational Excursions:
May include the Apartheid and Hector Pieterson Museums in Johannesburg and Soweto; primary, secondary, and tertiary schools as well as adult educational centers in urban and rural KwaZulu Natal; and the office and project sites of governmental and nongovernmental educational organizations.
Duration:
Six weeks (early June to mid July)
Student Eligibility:
At least one semester of college-level work at the time of application and good academic standing with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5.
Prerequisites:
None.
