Itinerary/Syllabus

2013 Itinerary

The first few days we will be flying half way around the world to South Africa (usually through London or Dakar Senegal), and landing in one of the most beautiful cities in the world—Cape Town. This is our destination for the first week. The second week we will travel to the mountainous region of vineyards, Stellenbosch, to complete a work project in the township of Mfuleni. During the third week we will drive along the Garden Route, following the coastline, and stopping at the beach at Plettenburg Bay, before our destination of the National Theatre Festival in Grahamstown. In our fourth and final week we will ride in open-air jeeps to see the lions on safari and the elephants at Addo National Park before flying back to the states.

Depart Seattle mid-June and return mid-July

Week 1:

• Meet at Dr. Segall's house for send-off to South Africa
• Group flight on British Airways with overnight in London
• Walking Tour of Cape Town, including Muslim Cape Malay district and tour of Women’s AIDS initiative project
• Boat trip to Robbin Island for a tour of the prison where Nelson Mandela spent nearly a decade
• Walking tour of the lime quarries and the penguins on the island
• Hike to the tip of South Africa and have lunch on a sandy beach, surrounded by rocky cliffs. Be ready to guard all snacks from roving baboons!
• Listen to a guest speaker narrate what life was like under Apartheid, especially when the area of District Six was bulldozed, and tour the Museum commemorating this region
• Visit the South African History Museum, which exposes the legacy of colonization, slavery, Apartheid, and resistance moments
• Choose either the South African Art Museum or Parliament or Holocaust Museum, which compares the history of Apartheid and WWII Germany, and ends with survivor stories of Jews that fled to South Africa
• Go to the orphanage at Mama Rosie’s in Khayaletshia and hear how she began the orphanage and started the clinic for AIDS orphans

Week 2:

• Travel to Stellenbosch University, meet South African college students, and participate in drumming lessons, scavenger hunts, and outdoor braais (barbecues)
• Build eight houses for Xhosa and Zulu families in Mfuleni Township with Habitat for Humanity
• Debrief in charming cafe in quaint village with Dr Segall, and visit trendy internet cafes to record and discuss experiences

Week 3:

• Drive the gorgeous Garden Route, along the ocean, and travel across the country in a private bus
• Spend the day at Plettenberg Bay and walk along the ocean, write poetry in your journals, and have class at the fire-side in the International Youth Hostel by the sea
• Walking Tour of the African markets and open-air African dance competitions
• Attend several African theatre performances and an African jazz concert
• Hear South African poets and novelists and politicians speak of their vision of writing and reconciliation at the South African Writer’s Festival
• Learn about the Nelson Mandela President's Fund from a guest speaker

Week 4:

• See herds of elephants and travel to Addo National Park
• Go to the Lion Reserve and hold baby lions for that classic photo
• Tour a private safari reserve with open air jeeps to view the lions and giraffes
• Sleep in grass huts and debrief our South Africa trip by the open air fire
• Travel back to Cape Town and then across the world to Seattle on British Airways
  

 

2013 Syllabus

Students will take:

English 3001: South Africa Studies Orientation (3 credits) in the spring before the program. We will watch South African films, ranging from documentaries to District Nine, to get culturally oriented to the history and challenges of South Africa. We will read a South African novel before leaving and we will also discuss vaccinations, packing, syllabus, cross-cultural challenges etc.

English 3382: South African Literature and Theater. We will read three South African novels, several poems and a play. Classes will be held in the mornings before we leave for our activities. There will be a short essay on the novel of your choice and a final exam on the readings and on the plays that we see at the performance festival.

English 4953: Travel Writing. This creative writing course asks you to respond to your experiences, to describe your surroundings, and to creatively imagine the perspectives of people. You will write poetry, creative narratives, and a journal. Students will conference with me about revising a short essay and creative piece for the South Africa Class Blog that we will create together.