I. Orientation Services:

 1. Physical orientation:

12 hours of accompanied or unaccompanied sorties held during the first 2 or 3 weeks to familiarize students with their neighborhood and their city (landmarks, markets, post, telephone, bank, transportation, restaurants and all services necessary to satisfy basic comfort and security needs).

2. Cross-cultural orientation:

One-day session (6-8 hours) introducing students to Senegalese customs and cultural values to ease personal integration (comparison of basic American and Senegalese values, group research and discussions, role play and traditional Senegalese meal etiquette).

3. Medical orientation:

How to stay healthy in Senegal, and where to go in case of need.

II. Logistics Assistance:

 1. General:

--Meeting students upon arrival
--Helping with students' physical and cultural needs throughout their stay in Senegal
--Ensuring on-going communications (fax, mail, e-mail) with stateside institution. NO private telephone line available, but students can use public phones with purchased phone cards
--Refering students to professional medical counseling if necessary

2. Specific:

--3-day initial cultural orientation session in special setting
--Arranging students' housing with local families
--Arranging special activities, lectures, meetings, and area visits
--Setting up itineraries, providing contacts with local specialists
--Supervising several 3 to 4 day excursions (Saint Louis area, Sine Saloom)
--Setting up students' Wolof village stay
--Providing the end-of-program "Evaluation and Preparation for Re-entry" seminar
--Collaborating closely with the on-site Lewis and Clark academic advisor to design students' course work according to students' research interests and academic needs

 

Role of the Academic Advisor: The Academic Advisor works in cooperation with ACI: -- to help with course selection at the ACI Baobab Center and at the University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) if applicable -- to supervise students' academic progress in all courses -- to help design, oversee and evaluate independent projects and internships

III. Course Offerings at the ACI Baobab Center

• FL 101: Wolof Language
  
  Intensive Wolof language classes (50 hrs). Emphasis is placed on speaking and comprehension skills, orientation to Africa and cross-cultural information and training are integrated into the program. For these intensive courses, ACI uses a team approach that can involve many instructors, exposing students to a variety of accents and teaching styles.
  
  
• IS 240: Area Study: Senegal

  --Expanded Orientation Activities (EOA): Series of organized or individual visits to familiarize students with some of Dakar's major organizations working in the fields of culture, development, women's issues and environment. The purpose of these visits is to provide students early in their stay with a number of resources which may be useful in identifying an internship, preparing an independent project or preparing a research paper. Students keep a journal and share information with the group.
  --Visits & Excursions: Saint-Louis, Sine Saloum, Village Visit
  --French Instruction: Journal and Report Writing. Formal instruction in advanced French language to help students with communication skills journal keeping, reports and research papers. (1 1/2 hour per week for 12 weeks). Average of one-page creative writing exercise (corrected then revised) per week plus textbook assignments to fit individual needs.
  

• IS 241: Special Topics: Contemporary Senegalese Society
  
  --L'Héritage Colonial (10 hrs)
  The course will focus on the colonial past of Senegal and West Africa and its continued manifestations in today's society (the slave trade, the colonial era and decolonization). A visit to Gorée Island, the historic colonial commune and slave trade post located in Dakar's natural harbor, will be part of the course.
  --Arts et Société Sénégalaise (10 hrs)
  This course will study traditional and contemporary Senegalese art. It will explore the link between art, music and dance and the social and environmental context, and their role in society. This course includes visits to local artists “studios,” hands-on-workshops, music and dance lessons as well as a visit to the National Art History Museum.
  --La Littérature Senegalaise: "La Nouvelle" (15 hrs)
  In-depth study of Cheikh C. Sow's, Cycle de sécheresse (Hâtier-Monde Noir Poche, Paris, 1983). Focus on oral tradition, gender issues, caste system, education and cultural beliefs). This seminar based on readings and discussion is complemented by weekly Tutorat to improve students’ communication skills.

• IS 242: History of Islam (45 hrs)
  
  This course presents the history of Islam in Senegal from the 10th through the 20th centuries. It focuses primarily on the beginnings of Islam in the Senegambia region, the slave trade and islamization, the colonial conquest and Islamic resistance army of the 19th century. The course also touches on Islam under colonial rule, the era of Sufi brotherhoods and Islamic reform associations

Note: Community internships and/or auditing University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) courses are available to French Studies and Foreign Language majors. Majors are encouraged to audit at least one UCAD course.

 
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