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Study Abroad with CIEE in Australia Study in Australia
wollongong—arts + sciences

Study Abroad with CIEE in the Caribbean Study in Bonaire
bonaire—tropical marine ecology

Study Abroad with CIEE in China Study in China
shanghai—advanced chinese studies

Study Abroad with CIEE in China Study in China
shanghai—business, language, + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Germany Study in Germany
berlin—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy Study in Italy
naples—liberal arts

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy Study in Italy
naples—classical studies

Study Abroad with CIEE in Peru Study in Peru
lima—business + society

Study Abroad with CIEE in Peru Study in Peru
lima—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Sweden Study in Sweden
uppsala—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Taiwan Study in Taiwan
taipei—chinese language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Vietnam Study in Vietnam
ho chi minh—language + culture

Academic Program

At the CIEE Study Center at the University of Botswana in Gaborone students have the opportunity to become fully integrated into the campus community. In addition to developing their Setswana language skills, participants benefit from unique academic courses in various disciplines that focus on Botswana and Southern Africa. Through CIEE-coordinated volunteer opportunities and excursions, students take important steps towards becoming members of the local community. And through specialized courses and integrated extracurricular activities, students are also able to gain a greater understanding of contemporary Botswana culture and its role in Southern Africa.

In addition to regular University of Botswana classes, during their second semester, academic year students can intern with an organization that they choose from a list of companies selected and screened by CIEE.

Public Health
Beginning in fall 2010, CIEE will offer a new Public Health track to semester and academic year students. This track is designed to provide students with a focused look at public and environmental health issues in Botswana. It is based on the popular summer Community Public Health program at the CIEE Study Center at the University of Botswana. Students may only participate in the track for one semester.

Courses include the CIEE Setswana Language and Culture Practicum, the CIEE Core Course: Public and Environmental Health Issues in Botswana, and the CIEE Community Health Practicum. In addition, students must take a University of Botswana Setswana Language course and two University elective courses, one of which must be realted to Public or Environmental Health.

What You'll Learn

The goals of the Arts and Sciences program are threefold: to help students gain understanding of contemporary Botswana; to help them understand Botswana in the context of the Southern African region; and to give them opportunities to explore diverse African perspectives through direct matriculation in University of Botswana courses. In addition to coursework, these goals are achieved through a variety of community engagement and field-based research opportunities.

Academic Culture

Students choose from courses in any faculties and departments for which they have the necessary prerequisites. They are required to undertake a full program of courses and complete all prescribed assignments and written examinations. University classes normally involves a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, and laboratories.

Students will notice striking differences between their home educational system and that of the University of Botswana. The University’s academic environment is part of the challenge of studying in Botswana. Following the British model, this system offers a less structured environment that requires students to take greater responsibility and initiative. Professors expect a great deal of individual study.

Learning by rote is the model most often used in classes. This entails professors reading from notes or books, with the expectation that students copy word for word their recitation. Most University classes are very large, thus making classroom interaction with the professor very rare. For example, lectures may involve as many as 100 students, while tutorials and seminars have smaller class sizes, ranging from 15 to 25 students. The system is geared toward the serious student who is motivated and self-sufficient.

For semester participants, the program includes one week of orientation, fourteen teaching weeks, a one week mid-semester break, and two weeks of examinations. For academic year participants, the program includes one week of orientation, followed by two semesters; there is a break of approximately four weeks between the fall and spring semesters. Students are responsible for housing costs and meals during this break.

The CIEE Study Center follows the University of Botswana academic calendar, with additional time for orientation at the start of the semester. The fall semester runs from late July to December and the spring from early January to early May.

Nature of Classes

CIEE students are taught alongside University of Botswana undergraduates. The Language and Culture Practicum is for CIEE students only.

CIEE Language Commitment

At all program locations where English is not the primary language, CIEE encourages participants to use the local language whenever possible.

Internship

This program does not currently offer an internship. For a list of programs that do, visit Search for a Program and search for "internships" under "what do you want to study."

Grading System

Most courses at the University of Botswana utilize a continuous assessment model that includes written assignments, projects, research exercises, essays, and written and oral examinations. Courses are assessed on a percentage scale, a letter grade (A–F), and a grade point.

Program Requirements

Students enroll in a Setswana language course, the CIEE Language and Culture Practicum, and four regular University courses, one of which must have a focus on Botswana or Southern Africa.

Academic year students may undertake an internship during their second semester on the program in lieu of one regular University course.

Students enrolled in the Public Health Track, beginning in fall 2010, take the following required CIEE courses: the Language and Culture Practicum, the core course: Public and Environmental Health Issues in Botswana, and the Community Health Practicum. In addition, they are required to take a University of Botswana Setswana Language course and two University of Botswana elective courses, one of which must be in public and environmental health.

Credit Description

Total recommended credit for the semester is 16 semester/24 quarter hours and 32 semester/48 quarter hours for the academic year.

Contact hours for courses are 45 hours with recommended credit of 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours, unless otherwise indicated.

Courses

Required Courses

Setswana Language Instruction I
This course includes an introduction to the culture and history of Setswana and provides training in basic use of the language, such as essential expressions and self-expression. It also introduces students to some of the basic structures of the language. Contact hours: 30. Recommended credit: 2 semester/3 quarter hours.

AFST 1001 BOTS
CIEE Setswana Language and Culture Practicum
This course is designed to help students practice and interact in Setswana during visits to local historical and cultural sites, while engaged in various community-based learning projects. This is a task-based course and requires students to take the lead to complete tasks or research projects of personal interest. This course also serves as a language clinic, so that students can have all of their questions related to Setswana learning answered. Contact hours: 30. Recommended credit: 2 semester/3 quarter hours. Coordinator: Batsirai Chidzodzo, CIEE Resident Director

CIEE Internship

INSH 3003 BOTS
Internship
Academic year students may undertake an internship during their second semester. Students choose from a series of pre-screened internship opportunities with a nongovernmental organization that may be involved in community development, public health, social welfare, women’s rights, environmental protection, or education. Students record their experiences in a journal, which is evaluated weekly during the internship, and complete a final research paper that includes what they have learned during their experience at the organization. Evaluation is by the internship supervisor and the Resident Director. Pre-approval must be obtained for participation from the Resident Director and the home institution advisor. Contact hours: 135. Recommended credit: 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours.

University of Botswana Courses
Students may select from a variety of courses available in the following faculties. This is a sample list of courses offered:

African Languages and Literature
Politics and Southern African Poetry
Postcolonial Theory and African Literature
Rites of Passage: A Study of Social Dramas
Theory of Humor in Africa

Business and Economics
Agricultural Policy and Rural Development
Economics of Botswana and Southern Africa
Entrepreneurship and New Business
International Business
Tour Operations Management

Education
Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood Education
Contemporary Issues in Teacher Education in Botswana
Rural Development and Rural Extension

Engineering and Technology
Design for Sustainable Development
Digital Cartography
Engineering Materials
Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics
Infrastructure Planning and Management
Topographical and Cadastral Surveying
Water Engineering

English
Botswana Literature
Currents of Thought in the Literature of the African Diaspora: African-American Literature
Gender Issues in African Literature

Environmental Health and Environmental Science
Environmental Issues
Introduction to Environmental Health
Sustainable Development
Tourism I: Principles and Practices
Urbanization in the Developing World

History
African Diaspora in the Caribbean and the Americas
African Diaspora in the Islamic World and Asia
From Slavery to Colonialism in West Africa
Historiography of Botswana
Modern Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone West Africa
Research Project: Field Work and Preliminary Report
The Roots of Crisis in Modern Central Africa
Trade and Politics in Central African Kingdoms

Media Studies
Gender, Sex, and Ethnicity in the Media
Imaging Africa
Media in Botswana

Political Science and Administrative Studies
Africa in World Politics
Contemporary Africa
Politics and Management of Natural Resources
Politics in Botswana
Politics of Poverty in Southern Africa
Politics of Southern Africa
Public Administration in Botswana

Public and Envrionmental Health
Adolescent Health and Development
Community Mental Health Nursing
Control of Communicable Diseases
Demographic Aspects of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Demographic Dimensions of Poverty
Gender, Reproductive Health, and Development
Occupational Health, Safety, and Hygiene
Primary Healthcare: Individuals, Groups, and Community
Traditional and Alternative Medical Systems

Science
Animal Diversity
Applications of Thermodynamic and Electrochemistry
Dynamics of Savanna Ecosystems
Geology of Africa
Geology of Botswana
Parasitology for Health Sciences
Physical Organic Chemistry
Quantum Mechanics
Wetlands Ecology and Management
Wildlife Biology of Southern Africa

This course listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract between CIEE and any applicant, student, institution, or other party. The courses, as described, may be subject to changes as a result ofongoing curricular revisions, assignment of lecturers and teaching staff, and program development. Courses may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. Syllabi for the CIEE courses listed above are available upon request.


CIEE Study Center Syllabi
To view the most recent syllabi for courses taught by CIEE at our Study Centers, visit our syllabi site.

Faculty

With the exception of the CIEE Language and Culture Practicum, all courses are taught by University of Botswana faculty.

Cultural Activities

Cultural Activities and Field Trips
Students participate in a variety of local and regional excursions. These may include trips to the Gaborone Game Reserve, the National Museum, the Kolobeng Ruins (the remains of David Livingstone’s 1840 mission), the Jwaneng diamond mine, and the Kalahari Desert. A multi-day safari to the Okavango River Delta is a highlight of the program each semester.

There are numerous options for community engagement. These may include a Work-Camp Association in which on-campus groups builds houses during a two-week program; UB Human Rights Organization; SAHA (Students Against HIV/AIDS); Princess Marina Hospital, which is ideal for students in the health sciences; and the United Nations.

Immersion

Immersion in the local culture is a priority at CIEE Study Centers around the world.CIEE participants make the most of their program through CIEE-guided excursions, field study and internship programs, volunteering, conversation exchanges, homestays, and special events. The opportunities will vary depending on location. read on to learn more about this program.