International Human Rights Exchange Program (IHRE)

  South Africa

Johannesburg

Term: Fall 
Dates: June-November

Description: IHRE is co-administrated by Bard College (NY) and University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). IHRE is an international, interdisciplinary semester program dedicated to the critical study of all aspects of theories and practices of human rights in the liberal arts tradition. The IHRE international student body consists of approximately equal numbers of North American and African students--though typically many other nationalities are also included. IHRE's faculty is also international. Students in the IHRE program take a full semester of four courses and participate in classroom discussions, attend lectures, and perform fieldwork. Students may accumulate 16 credits, to be issued by Bard College (for North American students) and Wits (for African students).

Based on the premise that the College should transmit in living form an intellectual and artistic heritage, the student should: Develop a genuine interest in things intellectual and artistic sufficient to motivate continuing self-education in several diverse fields; Make a substantial start in formulating ethical standards as well as intellectual or artistic standards in his or her fields of concentration and have some understanding of the crucial role of standards in intellectual or artistic work; Show ability, in more than one field, to attack an intellectual or artistic problem, translate it into workable terms, organize procedures, locate and use relevant material, synthesize findings, and produce a creditable result whatever his or her major; Master the materials, techniques, and methods necessary for beginning independent work and making independent judgments; Develop the knowledge and confidence necessary to acquire new materials, techniques, and methods and have a reasonable grasp of the extent of his or her field, its history, its relations to other fields, and its place in the culture; Have some grasp of the history of mankind and of the broad lines of intellectual and artistic development and achievement.

Highlights: The program brings approximately 25 US students and 25 South African students together in seminar style discourse about human rights. Students select four of six two-credit seminars, which last six-to-seven weeks each. Sample subjects include Human Rights and Gender, Human Rights and Development, Politics of International Human Rights, and HIV/AIDS and Human Rights. The thematic seminars are co-taught by faculty from North America and Africa. IHRE students also have the option of engaging in a semester-long practicum (internship) with a human rights-related NGO, agency, or community organization. Practicums involve a significant amount of work at the hosting organization, while at the same time, students engage in supplementary academic work under the guidance of a mentor at Wits. U.S. students earn four credits for the combined academic-practical experience. Students may replace the internship with another regular course offered at Wits.

Cost in US$: $19,000

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to World Wide Participants.

Participants Travel to South Africa in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Resume
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Job and Internship Network

Bard College's Mission Statement: The Institute for International Liberal Education was formed at Bard in 1998. Its mission is to advance the theory and practice of international liberal arts education. We believe that in the post-Cold War era international educational partnerships must be based on mutuality and equality, and that it is important for international exchange to occur at the undergraduate level. Our long-term partnerships are characterized by the exchange of students, faculty, and curricular elements. Comprehensive exchanges afford the best possibility for the participants, both in and out of the classroom, to enter into direct, sustained dialogue on intellectual and cultural issuesprecisely the kind of international dialogue that is needed to respond to the global challenges of the 21st century. Unlike the unilateral "exchanges" of the past, substantive academic partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding enrich learning and teaching for all the students and faculty involved. The IILE does not seek to export American models and methods. Rather, our aim is to create dynamic relationships through which we and our partner institutions can learn from each others' ideas and experience. The Institute's projects are located in regions undergoing rapid political and economic transformation (currently Russia, East Central Europe, and South Africa). Our partners are leading universities with an interest in educational reform.

Year Founded: 1860