Pitzer in Southern Africa Semester Program

Core Course: Continuity and Change

The course combines lectures, readings, discussions, and extensive writing with the more experiential components of family stays study trips, and field assignments. The course is designed to provide students with a broad overview of the region and each of the countries where the program operates. Major elements of the core course include the fieldbook, homestays, and study trips. These along with service-learning projects and a series of lectures given by university faculty and specialists, provide a comprehensive look into the history, politics, culture, religion, and important current issues. For Pitzer students, this course will satisfy Pitzer’s Social Responsibility Praxis (SRX) requirement.

Intensive Language

The College values language learning. Understanding the local language honors the host community, connects students with locals, and open windows into the host culture. Students will study intensive Setswana during the first month of the program in Botswana. The course emphasizes proficiency in speaking and listening through a highly communicative, interactive language curriculum.

Independent Study

The Independent Study Project is a chance for students to explore in-depth an aspect of Botswana or South Africa in which they are particularly interested. The weeks allotted for the project come at the end of the program allowing students to travel and do research independently as well as draw upon the cultural knowledge and information they have acquired throughout the semester. Students begin formalizing ideas for their projects during the second month of the program. These proposals are then discussed and refined in consultations and advising sessions with program staff and experts in the student’s field of interest. During the actual project period, students function independently, with program staff and advisers available for assistance when needed.

Host families serve as important co-educators in the program, not only for language and culture learning but also to allow students to further explore ideas and issues that are presented in lectures and readings. Host families allow students to experience first-hand the concept and life of Ubuntu, an important cultural value of the region, embraced in local greetings that proclaim, “I am well if you are well,” and “My destiny is intricately intertwined with yours.” 

Students have two main homestays on the program. One in Botswana and another in South Africa. Homes have all that students need but may be more modest than homes in the U.S. Students often consider family stays to be the most meaningful dimension of the program. During the ISP at the end of the semester, students will work with the program director to find suitable housing near their ISP location.

To better understand important local and regional issues, students participate in study trips while in each country. 

In Botswana study trips have involved visits to cultural and historic sites to study wildlife conversation, environmental issues, and tourism. Past trips have included:

• Victoria Falls
• Chobe National Park
• Smaller villages to experience rural development and the linguistic diversity of the country

In South Africa, students have visited:

• Cape Town
• Soweto
• The Apartheid Museum, the Voortrekker Monument, and Freedom Park to study race relations, reconciliation, and post-Apartheid South Africa

Locations vary from semester to semester.

How to Apply

Application Steps and Deadlines for Pitzer College Students

Application Steps for Non-Pitzer Students

Before You Go

Passport: Everyone on the program needs a passport. Check the expiration date. If you do not have a passport valid for six months after your planned return from study abroad, then you will need to renew your passport.

Orientation: After students apply and are accepted into the program, they will participate in a program orientation before leaving for Botswana and South Africa. Orientations are required and designed to ensure students get the most out of the study abroad experience. They provide cultural context, health and safety information, and academic guidelines. At orientation, students will receive details specific to the program including program dates, flight arrangements, immunization documents, safety guidelines, and the handbook.

Visas: Typically, students traveling with a U.S. passport will receive their 90-day visa for Botswana upon arrival at the airport. They then receive their 90-day South African visa during the transition between the countries. Students will receive additional details a few weeks before leaving for their program. However, the visa process can change at any time, students can stay up to date by regularly checking the State Department for Botswana and for South Africa.