Senegal and The Gambia
Living Culture in West Africa: Beyond “Tradition”
Dates of instruction: August 20 through Sept 16
Program Director: Ylva Hernlund ~ Anthropology
The West African region of Senegambia, comprising the nation states of Senegal and The Gambia, has a rich and complex history – largely shared, while also divided by French and British colonial histories respectively – and continues to reflect a diverse mix of ethnicities, languages, and modes of life. This course offers students an immersion into contemporary West African life, and will seek to unsettle essentialized notions of “tradition” and “modernity.” In particular, we will focus on the work of diverse community groups engaged in negotiating often rapid change, challenging conditions, and increasingly contested ideas about “culture” and “tradition.” Through literary and ethnographic texts, lectures, and fieldtrips we will delve into regional history and culture, issues of gender, ethnicity and religion, community development, tourism, and the arts. Students will receive and employ basic training in ethnography, and will be expected to keep a journal and complete a final project.
We will spend the first portion of the trip in Dakar, Senegal, where guest lectures and fieldtrips will focus on university life, expressive arts, NGO activism, and the history of the slave trade. For the remainder of the program we will be based in the coastal community of Bakau, near the Gambian capital of Banjul. (After the program, students will need to provide for their own transportation from Banjul back to Dakar. One way Banjul to Dakar airfare is typically under $100.)
Through relationships with host families and a number of fieldtrips, students will gain an understanding of everyday life as well as insight into community projects focused on cultural preservation, human rights, conflict resolution, and gender equity.
Students will earn 5 credits in their choice of the following courses CHID 473 (I&S), SISAF 444 (I&S), or Anthropology Special Topics 469 (I&S). Participants should also check with their academic advisors to determine how these credits may apply to major requirements. Student Costs:
$ 2,000 Program fee
$ 200 IPE Fee
Additional costs include round trip travel to Senegal (After the program, students will need to provide for their own transportation from Banjul back to Dakar. One way Banjul to Dakar airfare is typically under $100, while ground travel is under $20), visa, health insurance and vaccines, meals, course materials and personal expenses. NOTE: Participants on this program are required to purchase an International Student Identity Card (see http://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?fx=istc_info) and to obtain a supply of Malarone anti-malaria medication.
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