Study Abroad/Internships in Africa

SIT Rwanda: Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding

Examine the root causes of the 1994 genocide and Rwanda's ongoing efforts in fostering peace, unity, and reconciliation among its people as well as its subsequent efforts to promote economic reconstruction. This program examines the origins of conflict in Rwanda; the social, human, psychological, and economic impacts of genocide; and the challenges and opportunities of post-conflict restoration. Field visits to genocide memorials, museums, civil society organizations, and commissions working toward reconciliation are an essential part of the program. In addition, you will visit with private investors to explore their contributions to Rwanda’s rapid economic development. You will also learn about post-conflict reconciliation in a very different context during the program’s two-week excursion to northern Uganda.

SIT Senegal: National Identity and the Arts

Discover the enormous contribution to African arts and cultures made by Senegal, a country that has inspired centuries of poetry, music, literature, dance, and visual arts. The program examines the complex social, economic, and political issues Senegal faces and takes a critical approach to Senegalese artistic and cultural forms—from traditional aesthetic expressions to modern notions of cosmopolitanism/afropolitanism and urban identities realized in new artistic formats such as hip-hop, street art, and graffiti. You will learn not only a variety of West African art forms and what they represent but also how to create and perform them.

SIT Kenya: Urbanization, Health, and Human Rights

Examine how rapid urbanization is transforming access to and equity in healthcare and how tropical environments, social class, and culture shape health outcomes. This program examines health and human rights in Kenya through a complex constellation of urban issues including housing, urban infrastructures, land tenure, informal settlements, food (in)security in the city, and evictions. You will examine Kenya’s healthcare challenges, practices, and systems, in both rural and urban contexts, together with analyses of locally informed debates surrounding human rights.

SIT South Africa: Multiculturalism and Human Rights

Explore issues of multiculturalism, ethnicity, and identity in the context of South Africa from historical and contemporary perspectives. This program focuses on South Africa’s ethnic diversity. In a typical semester, students complete four home-stays, each providing the opportunity to meet and interact with South Africans from different geographic and ethnic backgrounds. The strong emphasis on the home stay as experiential learning complements lectures, discussions, field-based assignments, and excursions to provide a multidisciplinary analysis of the country.

ProWorld: International Service Internships

ProWorld offers one- to six-month internship placements in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We provide students and recent graduates with hands-on internships in key functional areas such as education and teaching, clinical/public health, and environment management as well as institutional areas like microfinance, community development, journalism, and NGO management. ProWorld participants gain work experience within the context of international development, and our program has improved the lives of thousands of community members worldwide.