South Africa, with its diversity of geographies and race, and with its rich history, provides the perfect platform to discuss how place and history create story and identity. During the prep course and travel, students will be able to experience those dichotomies and see how they play out in cultural contexts and in the stories that emerge. Our hope is that students will be able to point out the nuanced and overt ways in which media and other storymakers control the rhetoric in South Africa. As an example: How did/does the world view Apartheid versus South Africans? Does a Western technological lens change the rhetoric?

The spring semester is devoted to the detailed study of South Africa with particular attention paid to its oral traditions and modern storytelling. We will explore the culture, history, and people of this diverse region, looking specifically at the ways in which their stories have been told in various modes throughout history, as well as with new media technologies today.

Traveling abroad in May 2019, faculty and students will visit sites integral to the identities of South Africans in the cities of Cape Town and Johannesburg, as well as on safari. The class will visit Table Mountain National Park, the Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, sights that highlight apartheid and Nelson Mandela, and a game reserve. By traveling to these places and listening to South African storytellers, the ways in which digital media and oral traditions converge to create a sense of identity through storytelling will be brought to life. *

This course may be most appropriate for students interested in Communication, Multimedia Storytelling, South Africa, and South African culture.

The academic course associated with this program is COM 398 and 399: South Africa: People, Culture, Stories for 4 total credits. It will be taught by Dr. Daina Nathaniel.

This is an OPEN program.
The travel component of this course will run for approximately 10-14 days in May.
*all itinerary items are tentative and subject to change