Explore South African History in Cape Town this J-term

Do you always ask “Why”? Are you a curious student who likes to ask the big questions? Then study abroad in the January in Cape Town program! Cape Town is a place of contrast and contradictions; a place of spectacular natural beauty and devastating social inequalities.

During J-term, you’ll take the innovative From Rhodes to Mandela and from Apartheid to AIDS course! This course offers you a meaningful opportunity to see beneath the shiny veneer of touristic representations of the city and to learn more about the culturally diverse people who live and work in this fascinating city. 

Through in-class lectures, debates, activities, film screenings, and field trips, you’ll gain firsthand insights into South Africa’s troubling past and grow your capacity to understand how the past informs the present and what effective activism looks like. Discover the anti-apartheid movement, the successful post-apartheid civil society movement, and the free antiretroviral drugs provided to people living with HIV and AIDS – you’ll come away inspired and ignited.

Of course, no visit to Cape Town would be complete without field trips, which may include visits to local communities like the Bo-kaap and Langa, the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for an open-air concert, and local sporting events like rugby or cricket. There will also be a walking tour of historic sites in the Cape Town Central Business District and tours at local museums such as the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art to ensure you experience the full flavor of the city, its people, heritage, and culture.

Whatever your field of study may be, From Rhodes to Mandela from Apartheid to AIDS will reshape your understanding of South African history and give you a new appreciation for this diverse and complicated country. Amandla!

Learn more!