South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights

"You cannot pick a better place to study multiculturalism and human rights. I learned so much, both inside and outside of the classroom, about myself, South Africa, and the world in general. Through the ISP, I ended up producing one of my biggest academic achievements. And I learned so much from my homestay experiences — all of the homestays showed me how cultures can be so different, but people so similar. The program was an absolutely incredible experience."

-- Chloe Barber-Smith, Tulane University

Explore issues of multiculturalism, ethnicity, and identity in the context of South Africa, from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

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South Africa is truly a multicultural society, with 11 national languages and numerous ethnic groups. While South Africans have seen tremendous change since the first multiracial elections in 1994, they anticipate a long road before achieving the stated goal of equality.

Cape Town, the program base, was one of the first South African cities to voluntarily promote racial integration. In a typical semester, students complete four homestays —each providing the opportunity to meet and interact with South Africans from different geographic and ethnic backgrounds. The strong emphasis on the homestay as experiential learning complements lectures, discussions, field-based assignments, and excursions to provide a multidisciplinary analysis of the country.

Lecturers are drawn from institutions such as:

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