King Shaka and his legacy, freedom struggles that brought Nelson Mandela to power, and literature of renowned authors such as Zakes Mda and Nobel-prize winner Nadine Gordimer. All classes are taught by South African scholars. Dr. Carton will direct field research. Students live on the University of Natal campus with other South African and international undergraduates. There will be field trips to museums, battlefields where Zulu warriors defeated British soldiers, and Iron Age archeological digs.
Students also visit urban townships, rural homesteads and cooperatives, as well as nature reserves.
Communities are now embracing a sense of shared citizenship in a land where citizenship was not always shared by all. This course focuses on the policy analyses of broadening local access to basic services such as healthcare, education and legal redress. Class lectures, selected readings, and writing exercises will require students to assess the policies of community development in South Africa and beyond. This course is split into two sections. The first three weeks are devoted to a review of the foundations of Zulu language, culture and customs.