Student Diversity Events

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[PAST EVENT] Cape Town Study Abroad Information Session

February 7, 2020
12pm
Location
Boswell Hall (formerly Morton Hall), Room 102
100 Ukrop Way
Williamsburg, VA 23185Map this location
Access & Features
  • Open to the public
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town, South Africa

Learn about this summer's program in Cape Town, South Africa.

Students will earn 6 W&M credits including:

 LING 406: Language in Society (3 credits): In this course, we will take an interdisciplinary approach to answer key questions: 1) what role does language play in society; 2) how does society affect the way people use language; and 3) how does language affect society? We will start with a basic review of what language is and then we will move onto answering the three questions above using a variety of sources. We will study how language has social, expressive, and referential functions that allow us to produce cooperative conversations. South Africa will be our case study, which is a microcosm for linguistic diversity. There are eleven official languages, and many more unofficial, in South Africa to address the linguistic needs of such a diverse population; the history of language use in South Africa is rooted in its indigenous population, its settlers, and its enslaved populations, a tripartite system that has relegated language to specific spheres serving specific social purposes. In this course, we will study the history of the languages used in Cape Town (Afrikaans, Xhosa, and English) and the intersection of racial representation and identity. For example, Afrikaans is a language used by the whites and is seen as an oppressive language by blacks. Xhosa speakers find pride in their language, but see English as the language of opportunity.

A second 3 credit course will be offered by local faculty, that will tie in directly with the service-learning possibilities that exist on this program. Past service-learning experiences have included tutoring to learners of various ages in several local townships.

Excursions are likely to include an excursion to Table Mountain, Robben Island, Simon’s Town, District Six Museum, and other excursions to places of cultural and historical significance.   To learn more, please visit the Cape Town program page here. Reves Summer Scholarships still available for new applicants, please email [[mldestafney,Molly DeStafney]] for more information!





Contact

[[mldestafney,Molly DeStafney]]