Marquette University South Africa Service Learning Program

  South Africa

• Cape Town: 
Cape Town (Kaapstad)

Term: Fall, Spring 
Dates: Fall Semester (Sept.-Dec.); Spring Semester (Jan.-June)

Description: The Marquette University South Africa Service Learning Program allows students to pursue the dual path of academic coursework and real-world learning. While students attend weekly classes at the University of Western Cape, a school which played a key role in ending apartheid, they also work part time at local non-profit organizations. From educational organizations to health awareness organizations, these non-profits placements are arranged for students by the program director and allow students to truly become a part of the community they are studying. In this single program, interested students can integrate rigorous academic studies with direct immersion in another culture, gain rare insight into the leadership paradigms and qualities needed for a more peaceful world, and become a catalyst for positive change.

Highlights: With Marquette in South Africa, students will study with South African professors who are experts in their fields at the Leadership Academy of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre and the University of the Western Cape (UWC). These two institutions have long been dedicated to building peace in South Africa and have been key in guiding the country from a legacy of violence to a cooperative peace.

Students take two mandatory courses while in the program: 1) Theology of Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Justice & 2) Leaders in Grassroots Organizations: Community Development and Social Analysis. They also take two elective courses from UWC, which offers a wide variety of disciplines.

Along with those courses, students do part time service learning work at local non-profit organizations. These service placements are organized by the program director, and students are allowed to pick from among their top preferences. Past placements have included educational programs, an HIV awareness organization, and a grassroots radio station.

Housing: Students live in a communal house arranged by the program. Transportation is provided to and from classes and service learning placements.

Duration/Deadlines:
* Fall Semester: September December/ Application Deadline: October 1st
* Spring Semester: January June / Application Deadline: March 1st

Requirements: (Language of instruction is English)
- 2.75 GPA
- Course work in African history or equivalent

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: 14,000

Experience Required: yes

2.75 GPA

This Program is open to American Participants.

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Re-Entry Debriefing at Home

Year Founded: 1881