Last summer I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. At the beginning of my sophomore year I knew I wanted to study abroad, but I didn’t know where I wanted to go or what kind of program I wanted to do. The only thing I did know was that I wanted to go abroad during the summer because I didn’t want to miss an entire semester at school. After meeting with a study abroad adviser I made a list of potential programs and cities and decided on Cape Town, South Africa.
The program was called Summer Community Development and Social Justice: Theory and Practice and not only did it really interest me, but it also tied in really well with a lot of my Global Health classes. The program ran for 7 weeks and was meant to immerse us in the history and cultural realities of South Africa. Monday through Thursday we would have Poverty and Development class at the University of Cape Town for about three hours and focused on South Africa’s course of development. We also had a series of guest lecturers including members of the African National Congress and former inmates at Robben Island. We also took field trips to Parliament, Robben Island, a local township called Mitchell’s Plain, and a historic neighborhood called Bo Kaap. We were able to look at critical issues facing Cape Town from social, historical, cultural, political, and economic perspectives which allowed us to gain a strong understanding of the city and nation.
Read the full post from WashU 360: Between Two Oceans