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Study
Abroad
St. Louis, Senegal
St. Louis du Senegal is a historic French colonial city
founded on a small island near the mouth of the Senegal
river. After centuries of French contact, it served as
the point of departure for the French colonial conquest
of West Africa in the late 19th century, and then as the
capital of L'Afrique Occidentale Française until
shortly before Senegal's independence in 1960. Today it
is a lively African town, with a bustling marketplace
and a colorful fishermen's neighborhood, the site of an
annual international Jazz festival. It is also home to
Université Gaston Berger, Senegal's second largest
university. St. Louis is a half day's drive to Senegal's
capital of Dakar, and just an hour away from the Djoudj
bird sanctuary, the second largest migratory bird site
in the world.
The Université
Gaston Berger
A young and dynamic institution, the Université
Gaston Berger celebrated its tenth anniversary in February
of 2001. Located on a spacious campus some fourteen kilometers
from the center of town, the Sahelian architectural style
blends into a landscape where the occasional Fulani herdsman
and his animals cross paths with students on their way
to class. The student exchange program between KU and
UGB builds on an institutional relationship from UGB's
early years, and which has included a flourishing exchange
of faculty in both directions. The year-long study abroad
program at UGB has been designed to provide a unique and
enriching opportunity for the adventurous KU student interested
in studying in a French-speaking environment in the African
context. The on-site coordinator for the KU program at
UGB is Professor Prosper Laléyê, professor
of Philosophy and Anthropology, who has also taught and
visited KU on various occasions.
Orientation Program
The program will begin with a week-long orientation program
at KU, prior to departure in September. In Senegal, students
will spend the first month in the capital city of Dakar,
in a cross-cultural training and orientation program at
the Baobab Center of Africa Consultants International.
The Center has extensive experience in providing training
for students, diplomats, aid and development workers,
and other expatriates in Senegal. The program will include
lectures on Senegalese history and culture, practical
sessions in shopping. taking public transport, and using
local research institutions, and an intensive introduction
to the Wolof, the most widely spoken language in Senegal.
Students will stay with host Senegalese families in Dakar,
and these families will also provide a "home base"
for students who would like to make occasional trips back
to Dakar for weekends or holidays. Senegalese families
are large and their hospitality is legendary. American
students frequently find that they establish very close
personal ties with their host families.
Academic Program
The academic program in St. Louis will offer both a common
core for all KU students and the opportunity to take regular
UGB courses from a wide variety of disciplines and subjects,
including sociology, law and political science, literature,
foreign languages, geography, math and economics, many
with a specifically African focus. Students will continue
with Wolof language courses in St. Louis, and will receive
a total of ten hours of credit for those courses. In addition.
participating KU students will each be expected to have
an independent research project, for which they will eventually
write a research paper and receive six hours of credit.
French language courses may also be arranged for students
who mould liked to continue work on their language skills.
Students will consult with their KU advisors as well as
with the on-site coordinator in planning their program,
and they will be expected to maintain full-time status,
with a minimum of 24 hours of credit for the year (12
per semester). In addition to the formal coursework, students
will have the opportunity to participate in field trips
to such places as the Djoudj bird park, the Muslim holy
cites of Touba and Tivaouane, and Sahelian towns and villages
along the Senegal river.
Accommodations
Following the month-long family homestay Dakar, students
will join their Senegalese counterparts in being housed
on the campus of UGB in St. Louis. Students will share
dorm rooms with a Senegalese colleague, in suites made
up of two rooms with a shared bathroom. The UGB dorms
are organized in "villages" around a central
yard, and much of student life revolves around the residence
halls, which organize frequent sporting and cultural events.
Virtually all of UGB's almost 2000 students live on campus.
Student meal plans provide for regular meals in the campus
cafeteria. Various snack bars and small restaurants on
campus, as well as numerous nice restaurants in town,
provide options for occasional charges.
Eligibility
Participants must have Junior or Senior status, 2.5 GPA,
and five semesters of college-level French or the equivalent.
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