COMMUNITY SERVICE, SOCIAL CHANGE, AND KNOWLEDGE OF PLACE
Faculty Leader: Amanda Holloway, Department of Gender Studies
Travel Dates: March 9-21, 2022
Class Meeting Times: Fridays at 12:30pm-2:30pm (January 28, February 11, February 25, March 4, April 15)
Course Number: 50:443:480
Program Cost: Approximately $3,900*
Students will visit NGO’s, schools, and key cultural sites, and meet with teachers, students, and community leaders in South Africa to participate in community service and engage in dialogue and shared experience on topics of racism and poverty, urban revitalization, global and regional development, and environmental degradation while focusing on the role that woman have played.
Understanding of complex issues—gender, poverty, racism, justice, environmentally‐poor housing, climate‐change, activism and desire for change—will be arrived at through reading, dialogue, hands‐on activity, and reflection. Identity and pride are strong in South Africa; this creative energy shows up in all aspects of the complex culture of over 11 national languages recognized in the constitution, but also in the strength they collectively brought toward change in their country. Whether this same creative energy can be transferred to affect needed environmental change or to others such as us will be one of the topics of discussion. Connecting between the learning activities in South Africa and Camden will be formed through group interaction, the study project, and critical analysis.
Participants will meet with NGO Executives, principals of public education, and community leaders in South Africa to engage in dialogue and shared experience on topics of racism and poverty, global and regional identities, and environmental/climate change. We will build shared experience through community activities undertaken with local NGOs; connect with teachers and students in their classrooms and schools; visit key cultural places. Cultural exchanges will be facilitated through specific civic engagement such as greening and environmental education through the Amy Beihl Foundation, afterschool program activities with Ons Plek, visits to various primary schools; site visits to places like the People’s Environmental Centre (an urban gardens project), Constitutional Court (the new justice center), and Robben Island (prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 27 years); and informal dinners with local educators and leaders.
Students enrolled in the course should be prepared to meet both in person and online, to participate in field experiences on campus or in the surrounding community that involve the application of principles and methodologies.
Program Cost Includes:
- Airfare
- Housing
- International health insurance
- Some meals and excursions
Program Cost Does Not Include:
- Passport, visa, or airport entrance or exit fees (if applicable)
- Vaccinations
- Remaining meals
*Program cost is approximate and subject to change. Program cost is in addition to tuition.