CIEE Arts and Sciences Program in Cape Town, South Africa

  South Africa

• Cape Town: 
Cape Town (Kaapstad)

Term: Academic Year, Fall, Spring, Throughout the year 
Dates: Fall 18 weeks: mid-July-mid-November; Spring 18 weeks: late Jan-mid-June; Academic Year 48 weeks: mid-July-mid-June; Calendar Year 44 weeks: late Jan-mid-November

Description: The CIEE Study Center at the University of Cape Town provides students with a range of academic and intellectual experiences that enable them to reflect upon the complexities and challenges facing the new South Africa. Through integration in local communities, students become participants in, rather than mere observers of, this dynamic and evolving environment. Through this process, students gain a comprehensive understanding of social relations within South Africa.

Academic Program
The rich academic program, established in 1998, allows students to pursue their own academic studies while providing first-hand knowledge of contemporary South African society. Students are required to enroll in at least one course with specific African content or one that offers a distinctive African perspective in their area of interest. Alternatively, students can enroll in the independent study option. Courses may be taken in all University of Cape Town faculties excluding Health Sciences.

Students participate in the cultural program and are strongly encouraged to take part in community service. Students should develop a program that complements the requirements of their home institution and meets their own personal needs.

Academic Culture
CIEE students are taught alongside University of Cape Town (UCT) undergraduates and are required to undertake a full program of courses, including all assignments and written examinations. Teaching methods at the University normally involve a mixture of lectures, tutorials, seminars, and, in the sciences, laboratory classes.

The system is geared toward the scholar who is motivated, self-sufficient, and deeply interested in the subject matter. Participants may notice striking differences between their home educational system and the UCT system. The University allows students greater responsibility and initiative in a less structured environment. Courses may involve relatively few contact hours each week, since they are intended as a starting point and focus for a great deal of individual study.

Class sizes are very big at UCT. They range from 100-300 people. UCT has both class lectures and tutorials (sections). The sizes of the tutorials are much smaller, ranging from 20-40 students. Students generally do not have to buy books for their classes, as many lecturers provide a course reader. This reader has all the reference materials for the class.

The CIEE Study Center follows the University's calendar with an additional period of time for orientation at the beginning of the semester. The South African academic year runs from early February through late November with two semesters. Many University of Cape Town courses are yearlong courses and run from the U.S. spring through the U.S. fall semester. Students on the academic or calendar year program have a break between semesters; they can remain in or move into off-campus housing. Meals are not included during this time.

Highlights:

• Wide range of course offerings at the University of Cape Town in commerce, engineering, humanities, and science
• Community service and involvement through a township homestay, CIEE and UCT community service programs, and independent study opportunities
  
• Opportunity to live and interact with and study alongside African students in a society in transition
  
• Extensive local excursions focus on South Africa's rich cultural heritage

The program covers the cost of participants' membership in up to three social, sport, or cultural clubs at the University of Cape Town. Many students have found that cultural immersion is made easier when they join a club or society on the UCT campus.

The comprehensive cultural program developed by CIEE consists of visits to local theater, music, and dance productions; museum tours; and rural cooperatives. Events and activities are chosen to provide students with a good overview of the diversity in South Africa.

A three-day homestay with a local family in the coloured community of Ocean View is also included in the cultural program. This exposes CIEE students to positive images of previously disadvantaged groups of people in South Africa, including the coloured and Muslim communities.

Immersion
CIEE SOLmates
SOLmates (Student Orientation Leaders) are a dedicated group of UCT students who assist CIEE students during orientation and throughout the semester. Through ongoing interaction with these local students, CIEE participants are able to meet local South African and international students and learn first-hand about student life in Cape Town. These local students, recruited and trained by CIEE, are an important part of the CIEE student experience. SOLmates assist with cultural excursions and live with CIEE students in the off-campus houses and apartments, providing a reliable local peer network and helping CIEE students to integrate into the local student community.

Volunteering
The Community Service Program provides students with volunteer opportunities in the historically disadvantaged communities around Cape Town. Past activities have included tutoring in local schools, assisting at the Red Cross Childrens Hospital, working on AIDS and HIV projects, caring for children with mental problems.

Habitat for Humanity
CIEE has entered into a partnership with Habitat for Humanity which allows students to participate in building a CIEE-sponsored house in a previously disadvantaged community on the Cape Peninsula.

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Experience Required: yes