The mini-term in Senegal is an interdisciplinary program involving a variety of departments and programs: Africana Studies, History, Modern Languages and Literatures, Sociology, Anthropology, Women's and Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Films Studies. Students will learn about Senegal, the westernmost point in Africa ( 500 kilometers of Atlantic coastline), a crossroad between the Middle East (Islam was introduced in Senegal as early as the 11th century) and Europe (former capital of French West Africa).

Course of Study
Part of the firsthand experience before students go to Senegal involves a visit to Harlem (116 Street, also known as Little Senegal for its Senegalese restaurants and art crafts shops) and the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan, as well as evening Senegalese film screenings at Union in the spring. The course of study in Senegal includes a series of lectures at the West African Research Center in Dakar on Senegal/African cinema, arts, literature and healthcare and a one-week guided tour in select fields including:

• Toubab Dialaw (a fishing village on the Atlantic cost with its astonishing "Sobo Bade" arts center set up by the Haitian poet-playwright Gérard Ghenet)
• Saint Louis (former French West African capital that became the first European fortified town in Africa in the 18th century)
• Goree Island (with its Slave House, a poignant reminder of Goreé's role as the center of West African slave trade, built by the Dutch in 1776, its church the picturesque ruins of Fort Nassau)
• Lac Rose (a UNESCO World Heritage Site and glorious rose-colored lake made famous for the Paris-Dakar rally of which it constitutes the ultimate stage)
• The Reserve de Bandia (a wildlife reserve with species including buffaloes, giraffes, gazelles, birds, monkeys, rhinos, turtles and warthogs).

The three week study-abroad program gives students an opportunity to be observers or volunteers (in a hospital, clinic or laboratory), orphan care, women's organizations, the environment (eco-village), urban planning, teaching in a school, computer literacy. Each student will keep a daily journal/report discussing their experience with Senegal with a focus on the impact of globalization, poverty and AIDS, the quality of life, religion as well as an examination of women’s issues and the culture (music, literature, art).

Pre-requisites
None

Accommodations
Students reside with host families in Dakar for two weeks and in different hotels for one week during excursions.

Calendar
(For specific dates, contact the International Programs Office, Old Chapel, Third Floor.)

• January: Application deadline is the third Friday of winter term.
• February: Accepted students must select "commit" or "decline" at the International Programs online application site to confirm participation 
• Mid-June: Mini-Term begins
• Beginning of July: Mini-term ends

For More Information
Students may contact Professor Cheikh Ndiaye.