Duke inGHANA

May 12 to June 27,2008

The Department of Cultural Anthropology and the Office of Study Abroad of Duke University will offer a six-week, two-course program on culture and life in Ghana. Located on the west coast of Africa, Ghana is a culturally and geographically diverse country, with a complex history of intercontinental trade (in gold, slaves, and cocoa), British colonialism, and Pan-African nationalist social movements. Heralded as a political and economic success story upon its independence in 1957, Ghana has since faced the challenges and undergone the hardships of a developing country on the poorest continent. In 2002, Ghana changed national party government by democratic election. Ghanaians are gracious, generous people, whom Americans like immediately, and whom more extended acquaintance reveals to be very different than ourselves, in complex and interesting ways.

The program will be based at the University of Ghana at Legon, just outside the capital city, Accra. Field trips will complement course work. The group will travel through various parts of the country, crossing from rainforest to dry savannah, visiting cities, coastal fishing towns, and rural farming villages. Students will tour and learn about the former slave forts at CapeCoast and Elmina, and museums and craft villages in and around Kumasi, capital of the former Ashanti Empire. Depending upon their interests, and in addition to their research projects, students will also have opportunities to attend a traditional festival or to visit markets, schools, museums, waterfalls, a monkey reserve, a prayer mountain, a traditional herbalist, a chief’s palace, cocoa and textile factories, clinics and other social services, the Volta River Hydroelectric Dam, Mole National Park (a game reserve), and more.

The program will be directed by a faculty member from the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Duke.

ACCOMMODATIONS

For the first ten days in Accra, students will stay in Ghanaian homes, two students to a home stay. For the remainder of theprogram, students will live in a hotel not far from the University. While traveling, they will stay in a variety of hotels andguest houses. Breakfast is included with hotel stays, but students are responsible for other meals.

COURSES AND CREDITS (Subject to committee approval)

CULANTH 100 - 01 / AAAS 102 - 01: Back to Africa: The History of an Idea. CCI, R, (SS) The “idea” of Africaoccupies a particular place within our collective imagination, and for African-Americans, it has served as a complicated and compelling idea that has motivated many efforts to migrate back “home” in physical, spiritual, or philosophical ways. This course explores the many back-to-Africa movements that have been pursued by African-American communities, since the end of slavery. We will explore the historical and political contexts of movements ranging from groups of people relocating to Liberia in the 19th century to contemporary cultural tourism of the black middle class. Special attention will be given to the relationships that arise between Africans who stayed and African-Americans who returned to their so-called “home-land”. Since we will be in Ghana, this context will be at the forefront of the analysis. A component of this class will be a research project in Accra. Professor Lee D. Baker will teach this course, which can count toward either the Cultural Anthropology or African and African-American Studies major. One course credit.

CULANTH 100.02 / AAAS 102.02 / SOCIOL 100.01: Ghanaian Culture and Politics. (CZ) (SS) CCI A comprehensive introduction to Ghana, this course focuses on cultural, social, economic, and political facets of Ghanaian life. Topics include the ethnic and language groups of Ghana, pre-colonial life, the slave trade, chieftancy, and traditional rule in Ghana, Ashanti Empire, the evolution of modern Ghana, the politics of Ghana since independence, contemporary social structure, land and economic development, traditional and modern music, oral and written West African literature, the role of women in African development, education and development, traditional and modern Ghanaian religions, current economic policy and the Twi language (the most widely spoken in southern Ghana). Taught by talented and diverse Ghanaian faculty, this course may count toward the Cultural Anthropology and African & African-American Studies majors. One course credit.

Students will be registered for both courses. No auditing or pass/fail options are permitted.

FINANCIAL AID & SCHOLARSHIPS

Duke undergraduates who receive need-based financial aid during the academic year are eligible to apply for financial aid for up to two Duke summer study abroad programs (and/or summer sessions in Durham) offering either one or two courses of credit. This aid is offered in addition to the eight basic academic year semesters of financial aid. Eligibility for aid will be determined in the same manner as academic year aid. Note: This policy does not apply to a summer abroad program taken prior to matriculation or after graduation from Duke. Applications are available on-line and must be submitted to the Office of Study Abroad no later than February 9, 2008.

Duke undergraduates currently receiving financial aid may apply for the Stephenson Pope Babcock Scholarship, which may be used for selected Duke-administered summer programs only. Preference will be given to those students wishing to attend Duke's summer Australia, Latin America, or Caribbean programs. After the parental contribution, the Babcock Scholarship will replace the loan portion of the summer financial aid package. Seniors graduating in December 2006 or May 2007 are not eligible, nor are students who have previously received Babcock awards. Summer scholarship applications are also available on-line ( ) and must be submitted to the Office of Study Abroad no later than February 09, 2008.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

An on-line application may be found by visiting Students must alsosubmit an ‘Authorization and Consent’ form ( an official transcript, a personal statement about why you would like toparticipate in the program, and an academic letter of recommendation.

For further information, please contact LD Baker or the Office of Study Abroad:

Prof. Lee D. BakerOffice of Study Abroad

Department of Cultural Anthropology2016 Campus Drive 2016 Campus Drive

205 ScienceBuildingBox 90057

Durham, NC27708-0091Durham, NC27708-0057

Phone: 919-681-3263 Phone: 919-684-2174

Fax: 919-681-8483 Fax: 919-684-3083

E-mail: Ldbaker at duke.eduE-mail:
web:

Summer program and scholarship applications, as well as financial aid information, will be accepted on a rolling admissions basis with a final deadline of February 9, 2007.

Photo Credits: Barry Williams and Lee D. Baker

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