SMCM-Arcadia in Southern Africa

SMCM students have the opportunity to spend a semester in Namibia and South Africa with this all-inclusive program, two countries with unique histories of struggling against colonialization, apartheid, the fight for liberation, and ethnic and racial tensions. This program examines how people can organize themselves towards positive social change and the triumph of the human spirit.

The program is based primarily in a study center in Windhoek, a modern city in Namibia. However, the program is unique; it offers built-in excursions to rural and city homestays across Namibia and South Africa, including the Etosha Game National Reserve, Namib Desert, Walvis Bay, Atlantic Coast, and the Eastern Cape, and week-long seminars in Capetown and Johannesburg – all included in the program fee.

This program is built around an important theme: Decolonizing the Mind. The goal of this program is to present an opportunity for students to study and deconstruct environmental and racial injustices felt today by examining the legacies of apartheid and colonization. Students take four courses, worth four credits each. All students participate in the core course, Racism and Resistance in Southern Africa and the U.S., and choose three electives from among offerings on sustainability, political and social change, or religion.

To promote well-being, students also have the option of adding a 1-credit yoga module to their course list. Among the elective options, the program also offers a for-credit internship working with a local organization, or the option to conduct an independent research project. Peruse the program course list here. During the program, students have a chance to meet with members of the African National Congress and opposition parties, religious leaders, feminist and human rights activists, USAID representatives, and students and professors from the University of Namibia.

Students live at the study center in Windhoek for the majority of the program, which is a ten-minute walk from the downtown area. Students also participate in city and rural homestays, as well as their week-long travel seminars during the semester. To view the study center and check out housing and facilities, watch this video. All meals are included in this program fee, and are provided at the study center.

The students on this program are supported by local staff at the study center, which serves as the main residence and school for this program. Student life is integrated into the entire program, including academics, since each course includes community engagement – and often travel seminars – to experience more of the local culture. This is a small, specialized program with a high level of on-site support and a close-knit academic community.