Location:

Durban, South Africa

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Fall Semester, Spring Semester

Program Overview

Program Description:

Examine primary health care concerns from a South African perspective, exploring the roles of the South African state, the media, nongovernmental organizations, community structures, and traditional healers This program focuses on topics such as the relationship between traditional healing and state-of-the-art medicine, prenatal care, access to health care, and health education. Students consider how health policies have achieved mixed results in addressing the health care needs of the South African people.

Through the interdisciplinary coursework in this program, students examine contemporary public health issues in South Africa through a multidisciplinary lens, as well as analyze the historical, political, economic, cultural, and geographic forces that shape the history of public health interventions in South Africa. Through the Field Study Seminar, students learn to be critical consumers of medical research papers and media reports on health, to gather primary data on health issues through questioning and observation, and to conduct ethical, culturally appropriate research in preparation for the Independent Study Project (ISP). Through language study and homestays, students gain a unique window into the culture and insights into community healthcare.

Please inquire for costs: Fees include tuition, full room and board, all field trips and related fares, health and accident insurance, and other direct program expenses. Participants pay for international airfare and domestic travel to the point of departure from the USA.

Setting Description:

The program base of Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, serves as a nexus of health teaching, research, and practice in both Western and traditional healing systems. Students receive lectures from academics and leaders of nongovernment organizations (NGOs), many of whom are on the cutting edge of research and policy development in South Africa.

Additional Program Information

Scholarships:

Yes

Scholarships Description:

Please see our website for more information.