Academics
Get introduced to South Africa’s rich and complex history through courses that are grounded in the experience of living and learning in a dynamic society in transition.
Students often find that by the end of the semester, the combination of academic course work and internships in Cape Town’s diverse communities have enabled them to become participants rather than observers in the new South Africa.
Courses
HNRS 390: Literary Responses to Apartheid (Fall 2027, 3 credits)
Professor: Nadia Yaqub
In various times and places, societies have deployed various methods of separation in order to handle disparities in wealth and power between different ethnic, religious, and/or racial communities. Instances of such policies include the Jim Crow laws of the U.S. South, Jewish ghettoes in Europe, border regimes that prevent the free flow of people as well as more subtle forms of institutional racism that sustain poverty for some communities. Apartheid is one of the most violent of such methods. The term apartheid was coined in South Africa. Defined by the United Nations as “inhuman acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one racial group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them,” apartheid has since been deployed in other contexts, most notably by Israel in its treatment of Palestinians. South Africa formally dismantled the legal bases for apartheid in the early 1990s although social and economic problems related to the legacy of apartheid persist. Israel, on the other hand, has intensified its system of oppression. In this course, we will examine how Palestinians and South Africans have addressed apartheid and its effects in their literature. We will study works written from the mid-20th century through the present. Among the themes we will discuss are:
- The functions of narrative literature
- Postcolonial literature
- Resistance literature
- Apartheid and gender in literature
- Points of view: Perpetrators, victims, and narrating agency
- Narrating apartheid’s effects on the body
- Narrating relationships across the apartheid divide
- Narrating apartheid’s environmental effects
By studying Palestinian and South African literature of apartheid together, students will come to understand how diverse cultures use narrative to respond to, process, and overcome conditions of oppression, including the economic and political conditions that apartheid creates; how apartheid has shaped cultures variously in different global contexts.
HNRS 390: Socio-Spatial Dynamics of Post Urbanism in South Africa: Reflections on Contemporary South Africa (3 credits)
Professor: Rike Sitas
IDEAs in Action: FC-Power
As the world transitions to an irreparable urban future, its focal point has moved into the global South cities of Asia and Africa, which combined will account for 86% of all growth in the world’s urban population over the next four decades. This unprecedented increase will be detrimental to socio-economic and environmental urban development. Thus, this course will aid students to have a comprehensive understanding of postcolonial urbanism in the South African context which cannot be understood with 20th century concepts and epistemologies. Through a combination of guided learning in small group seminars, experimentation in various spaces of urban practice and independent assignments and presentations, the programme provides a truly unique opportunity to ground students in the realities, theories, and practice of cities of South Africa.
HNRS 393: Internship (6 Credits)
IDEAs in Action: HI-INTERN
The internship component of the Honors Semester in Cape Town is designed to provide participants with valuable educational experiences in a cross-cultural context and contribute to the social well-being of Cape Town and South Africa. Internship placements combined with academic coursework allow students to engage more actively with South African society and make connections between theory and practice. On this program, you will work four days a week with a non-government or government agency that best suits your interests and skills. Internships are available but not limited to the following fields: Public Health, Education, Children’s Rights, Public Policy, Conflict Resolution, Legal Advocacy, and Human Rights, Development Agencies, Media and Journalism, Environmental Conservation and Ecology, City Planning, Gender-based Programs, the Arts, and more. Placements are based on students’ interests, career goals, previous coursework, and skills.
HNRS 388: Reflective Practice (2 credits)
Professor: Aika Swai
The reflections course is designed to enable students to integrate their study abroad experience into their broader future goals and development through reflection, skills development activities and peer-peer learning. At the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of who they are, developed their ability to navigate diverse communities and gained valuable tools to help them navigate their future.
