Ghana: Summer Seminar in Ghana: Exploring Culture, History, and International Development
July 15 – August 12, 2016
(Summer Session II)
This four-week program introduces students to the history, culture, and contemporary issues of Ghana, a rapidly developing nation of 40 million on Africa's West Coast. Students can take courses that will satisfy requirements for BC Upper Tier General Education, BC General Education Intercultural Competency, as well as an Africana Studies Seminar. This study abroad experience will help equip participants for careers in international marketing, international relations, sustainability, international development, and global studies education. Students have noted that this program is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be immersed in a high impact Afrocentric study abroad learning experience.
Ghana's ancient Asante culture, peaceful democratic atmosphere, and steady economic growth make it an ideal African country for American students to visit. The program explores trans-Atlantic history and culture, including the Atlantic slave trade, as well as issues surrounding pan-African identity, anti-colonial struggles, and globalization and its manifestations in the art and literature of Ghana. The program begins in the vibrant and cosmopolitan capital city, Accra, where lectures and readings will be complemented by visits to cultural and historic sites such as the DuBois Center, the National Museum, and the National Art Center. After an initial three-day introduction to the historical and cultural contexts of Ghana, the participants will travel to Kumasi, the home of the Asante cultural region.
For two weeks, participants will be immersed in the study and practice of Ghanaian history and Asante culture through music and dance workshops and lectures with Ghanaian and Brooklyn College professors at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on subjects ranging from development economics, contemporary politics, gender studies, and Ghanaian art history. After the lectures and site visits, students will participate in a four-day service-learning component based in a peri-urban village that will include hands-on teaching and learning activities. Visits to kente weaving and craft villages, as well as traditional Asante cultural events will highlight our stay in the region.
Finally, after our stay in the Kumasi "Garden City," students will travel to Cape Coast and visit the Kakum Canopy walk and coastal slave forts. During the month abroad, students will stay in shared accommodations in hostels on or near the university campuses. A four-day homestay in the community of Besease may be arranged. The program includes two meals a day, which will usually be taken in the hotel restaurant or on the university campus. Individual research projects can be arranged.
This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students, all majors.
Program Dates
July 15 – August 12, 2016
Program Fee
$1,678 (includes CISI health/travel insurance, program-related transportation in Ghana, excursions, housing and some meals)
Program Fee Payment Schedule:
- Nonrefundable Deposit Due With Application — $300
- Second Payment Due: Friday, April 8, 2016 — $689
- Final Payment Due: Friday, May 6, 2016 — $689
Additional Costs
- Brooklyn College tuition and fees for three or six credits.
- Out-of-pocket costs ($922 estimated minimum) for visa, required vaccinations, personal expenses, laundry, Internet/phone, and out-of-pocket meals.
- $1,500 for international round-trip airfare to Ghana.
Courses and Credits
Undergraduates will be registered for two classes, a total of six credits, while graduate students will be registered for three credits, all selecting from the courses listed below. Final course offerings will be dependent on course enrollment.
- AFST 3135/CORC 3211: Black Political Identity in a Transnational Context
- AFST 3290: Special Topics in Literature, Culture, and the Arts
- AFST 4410: Seminar in Social Sciences
- AFST 7040X: Summer Seminar in Africa (graduate students only)
Financial Aid / Scholarships
Financial aid may apply, and alternative loans are available. Scholarships that apply to this program are: Furman and SASA, among others (see Scholarship Opportunities).
How to Apply
- Complete and submit the IEGE Notification of Study Abroad/Brooklyn College Study Abroad Application.
- A $300 nonrefundable deposit is due with your application. Students will pay directly at the Brooklyn College Bursar's Office and must attach their paid receipt to their application when submitting to IEGE. Applications will not be accepted or considered complete without a receipt. Please note this deposit of $300 will only be returned if you are not accepted to the program.
- Contact the program director to express your interest in joining the program.
Application Deadline
Contact IEGE or the program director.
More Information
Lynda Day (Program Director)
Department of Africana Studies
3105 James Hall
P: 718.951.5597
International Education & Global Engagement
1108 Boylan Hall
P: 718.951.5189
Cancellation and Refund Policies
Please read and understand the IEGE Cancellation and Refund Policies Information and note that a participant wishing to cancel their program participation must send written notification to IEGE to officially withdraw. Program withdrawal will be official from the time and date that the written communication was received by IEGE.
All information listed above is subject to change at any time.
Page last modified on June 1, 2016.
