The City: Accra, Ghana
Ghana offers rich and varied opportunities for study in a safe and secure African friendly environment. Ghana is located on the Gulf of Guinea along the west coast of Africa. It borders Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east and the Gulf of Guinea to the south. Ghana was the first country on the African continent to gain independence after colonization. Having been occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British, Ghana still maintains much of the culture from these countries. Castles dot the landscape, and forts and palaces are still in use in many parts of the country.
Ghana is secure and has a stable government. The cost of living is low compared to living expenses in the United States, and therefore will allow students greater travel opportunities for their dollars. The official language is English, although many other indigenous languages are spoken. Transportation throughout the city and the region is readily available and very inexpensive. From Ghana, students may also easily keep in touch with family, friends, and the university via the numerous Internet cafes and international telephones. The climate is tropical and varies from a warm dry coastal belt in the southeast and a hot humid southwest corner to a hot dry northern savannah. The southern part of the country, where the University of Ghana is located, has four seasons, two wet seasons (May - June and September - November) as well as two dry seasons (July - August and December - April). In the capital city of Accra, average temperatures range from 72 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit year round.
The Program: Summer Program in Accra
Students will be exposed to many aspects of Ghanaian and West African cultures and explore historical and cultural sites, including the departure point for the Middle Passage and W.E.B. DuBois Museum. This three-credit program is based in Accra, Ghana’s political capital, and includes visits to Elmina, site of the first European slave-trading post in sub-Saharan Africa. Ghana is also home to Cape Coast Castle, one of the remaining legacies of the infamous Atlantic slave trade. Here students will participate in guided tours. In addition, its second largest city and cultural capital, Kumasi, offers students a first-hand experience of the world famous Ashanti kingdom and its crafts.
Academics
Eligibility
This program is open to any U.S. undergraduate or graduate student. Preference is given to Marquette students.
Language
Courses are taught in English
Orientation
Students will attend an orientation prior to departure
Courses offered
The program offers three credits in history at the undergraduate or graduate level. The course is designed to immerse students in the history and cultures of West Africa. It is organized around pre-colonial African history and civilization; the slave trade and colonialism; continuity, change and new syntheses in African cultures, music, art, religions and belief systems; development policy and modernization processes; urbanization and urban life and economy; formal and informal and traditional and modern education systems; governance and political ideology; and sex-gender roles. Field trips take students out of the classroom into the museums, and streets, of Accra and other cities.
The course is interdisciplinary in approach and gives students the tools they need to analyze and understand the complexities of modern Africa. It is designed primarily for students in history, anthropology, sociology, humanities, economics and geography but is also expected to appeal to those (including educators) with broader interests in the African experience.
Course organization and content:
The course comprises:
1. Required and suggested readings
2. Four pre-trip lectures and meetings and one post-trip class
3. Video presentation and discussion as part of pre-trip orientation
4. Lectures and field trips in Ghana
5. Post-field study reviews and discussions of one hour each
6. Informal contacts with students and local populations
Lectures: The core of this course is a series of lectures by notable Ghanaian university faculty members on their respective areas of expertise.
Course Requirements
Undergraduate credit:
1. Satisfy all pre-trip assignments from April–May
(attendance at predeparture lectures, discussions and audiovisual program)
2. Readings: Two required readings and one additional reading from suggested readings
3. Log of field trip: Students are required to keep a daily log of their field trips and experiences as a basis for discussions with fellow students and as a source of data for essays
4. Essays: Students are required to complete a research paper on a specific theme (to be discussed with the course coordinator). This paper will draw on the substance of the readings and lectures and material from the field trips and personal research (minimum: 10 typed double-spaced pages).
Graduate credit:
1. Satisfy all pre-trip assignments from April–May
(attendance at predeparture lectures, discussions and audiovisual program)
2. Readings: Required readings and additional readings (minimum of three) from suggested readings
3. Essays: Students are required to complete one major research essay exploring a specific theme (discussed and approved in advance by the course coordinator or, when applicable, a faculty person from the student's department) drawn from the list of themes elaborated in the course outline and drawing upon material from the course texts, lectures, field studies and research. The essay will seek to critically apply the theories in that area and seek to make a contribution based on the student's experiences and empirical observations on the study trip.
Housing
Students stay in hotels, which are basic double-occupancy accommodations.
Dates
This is a short-term faculty-led summer program.
| Summer 2012 | |
| Program begins | May 21 |
| Program ends | June 9 |
Visa & travel
Students are required to have a tourist visa to enter Ghana. OIE will facilitate the visa application process.
Students participating in this program are expected to make their own flight arrangements. You must wait until you have been officially accepted to the program by Gonzaga before purchasing airline tickets. Student Universe (www.studentuniverse.com) and STA Travel (www.statravel.com) are two travel agencies that can often help students find flexible, discounted tickets.
COSTS
| Tuition | Program Fee* | Meals | Books | Passport/Visa | Other** | Total |
| $2,040 | $3,800 | $200 | $300 | $165 | $500 | $7,005 |
*The program fee includes housing/hotel accomodation, academic field trips, airfare, most meals, arrival, departure transfers between the airport and hotel in Ghana, and sickness/accident and emergency medical evacuation insurance. Students must submit their passport to OIE five weeks before the departure date.
**Other costs include estimated personal expenses and the required yellow fever vaccination.
Billing: Program fee includes airfare, visa fee, housing, group meals, excursions and transportation in Ghana. Marquette scholarships and/or grants, federal financial aid, private loans and grants may apply. Please contact Financial Aid for more information.
Please note: all cost and financial information are provided to the best of our knowledge and should be considered as approximate estimates only.
Program Type
This is a Marquette faculty-led program, so most financial aid and scholarships apply. To learn more about how the program will affect your specific aid package, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Office of International Education
