• Check In: June 30 (Cape Town) after 2 p.m.
• First Day of Class: TBA
• Last Day of Class: July 26
• Check Out: July 27 (Johannesburg)

Using two different study centers, we will explore South African history and its visual arts and wildlife through a combination of lectures, discussions, and field trips. The program begins in Cape Town, South Africa’s cultural capital, where we will focus on the country’s early history, colonial settlement, and the apartheid and post-apartheid eras. We will have several guest lectures and evening movies. Field trips will include visits to Robben Island, the District Six Museum, Table Mountain, and Kirstenbosch Gardens. For the last week we are on safari at Edeni Game Reserve where we will see the natural wonders of the wildlife there and learn about the issues of wildlife management. We will also have a full-day field trip to Kruger Park, South Africa’s finest national park.

Note that program beings in Cape Town and ends at the Edeni Game Reserve. Transportation from Edeni to the Johannesburg airport will be provided. Enrolled students should not purchase airline tickets yet. Specific instructions for purchasing your flight will be available in the Program Specific Guide.

What Students Have to Say

The trip to South Africa was the greatest adventure I have ever been on. While in Cape Town we learned about the country’s social ills, the political injustice, economic inequality and the HIV/AIDS crisis. I may not paint a beautiful picture of Cape Town, but you can’t imagine how magnificent this place without going there. As a class, we traveled to see wildlife along the coast, enjoyed a wine tasting adventure on the weekend, and went to Kirstenbosch garden to learn about native plants and birds. After three weeks in Cape Town we flew to Edeni reserve in the eastern part of South Africa. During our week there we saw the big five (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalo) as well as cheetahs, giraffes, and antelope. Seeing these animals in person is stunning and I can’t wait till I am able to go back.
Mark Dosch - South Africa: Identity, Culture, and Nature
South Africa 2004

The experience I had in South Africa was a phenomenal one. The summer abroad program at UC Davis gives everyone a well rounded view of what it is like to live in Africa. Half of our time was spent in the city of Cape Town taking in local culture and history, and the other half was spent in the African bush. While people on vacation pay to go on a safari, we were able to camp in the wilderness of Africa. This was a priceless experience for me and helped me because I realized what I was meant to do for the rest of my life.
Danielle Tufts - South Africa: Identity, Culture, and Nature
South Africa 2004

Other programs of similar interest:

• Culture and Development in an African Nation
• Australia: Urban to Outback
• The Last Empire of Islam

Courses

This program carries a total of 8 units. Enrolled students must take both courses listed. Auditing is not an option. Graduate course option available. Please email eschlemmer@ucdavis.edu for details.

• History 115C (4 units)
  History of Southern Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Botswana from 1500 to the Present
  Introductory survey of the history of Southern Africa, including South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, and Botswana from 1500 to the present.
  GE credit: ArtHum, Div, Wrt
• Nature and Culture 198 (4 units)
  Directed Group Study
  GE credit: none

Course Requirements

Sample syllabus. A detailed syllabus will be availble in your Program Specific Guide.

Required Texts

• Worden, Nigel. The Making of Modern South Africa. ISBN 0631216618
• Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir Boy. 0684848287
• Harvey, Robert. The Fall of Apartheid: the Inside Story from Smuts to Mbeki. 1403915741
• Stuart, Chris. Southern, Central, and East African Mammals. 088359028x
• Sinclair, Hockey, and Tarboton. Birds of Southern Africa. 0691096821
• Reader of selected works on South African history (provided by Summer Abroad).
• Lonely Planet Cape Town (provided by Summer Abroad)
• Lonely Planet South Africa & Lesotho (provided by Summer Abroad)

Field Trips and Activities - subject to change

While in Cape Town we'll be visiting a wide range of natural and historical sites, which will include

• Kirstenbosch Garden-one of the pre-eminent botanical gardens in the world
• Robben Island-site of the prison when Nelson Mandela spent 17 years
• Table Mountain-Cape Town's dramatic backdrop and a unique ecosystem
• District Six Museum-a museum that commemorates Cape Town's vibrant mixed neighborhood that was demolished during the apartheid era
• Cape Point National Park-a park located at the tip of the Cape of Good Hope that is home to elands, boteboks, ostriches, baboons, and the rare Cape mountain zebra
• Boulders Reserve-a breeding site for the South African penguin
• The Stellenbosch wine district-one of the premiere wine-producing regions of South Africa
• Cape Town Townships-the enclaves where Africans were forced to live during the apartheid era

The week in Edeni is essentially one long field trip. On some days we will get up before sunrise so that we can be on the land rovers early to watch the animals as they start their days; these rides generally last about three hours and then we return to the bush camp for brunch. In the late afternoon we will also have a game drive and after sunset, we will do some spotlighting for noctural creatures before returning to the camp for dinner. Additionally, we will do several trips outside Edeni Reserve, including

• An all-day visit to Kruger Park, the gem of the South African National Park system
• A visit to Maholoholo, an animal rehabilitation center
• A visit to a cultural village

Accommodations

Cape Town: University of Cape Town
In Cape Town, you will stay in a dorm of the University of Cape Town. All rooms are doubles and have two beds, bookshelves, desks, chests of drawers, a wardrobe, and a sink. There are no clothes hangers, so be prepared to buy some when you get there if you need them. Bathrooms are shared, dorm-style.
You will have access to the University Recreation Hall, Tennis and Swimming Pool, Library and Computer Labs.

Edeni Game Reserve
Edeni Bush Lodge is a basic camp where you will stay two persons per deluxe tent. Each tent is furnished with two twin-size beds, cupboards, en-suite shower, basin and toilet and a viewing deck. These tents do not have electricity but have solar heating for water and solar power for neon lights. There is a swimming pool and lodge on-site.

Meals

Cape Town: University of Cape Town
All meals are included. There is also a small kitchen on each floor of the dorms if you would like to prepare a meal or snack for yourself.

Edeni Game Reserve
All meals are provided.

Fees

Fees for UC Davis Summer Abroad include the Program Fee, Course Fee, and Accommodations and Activities Fee. The Accommodations and Activities Fee covers lodging, selected meals (if included), transportation to Edeni Game Reserve (one-way air and bus transfer to the Edeni), selected field trips, group accidental death & dismemberment and emergency health insurance, select publications, and additional program specific costs. Airfare is not included. All fees are subject to change.