J-Term in Senegal
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Senegal Today: Culture, Society, and History (January term) January 2025
Students will take classes with UVA instructors and guest speakers. They will have the opportunity to travel around the country and document their learning through writing and a short film where we will share our experiences. Readings in literature, ethnography, history, and urban studies, along with discussions of photographs, paintings, and films, will inform daily walking tours and site visits. No previous knowledge of French is necessary. Course taught in English, for College credit, though students wishing to receive credit toward the French major or minor may do so by completing all required work in French.
Location:
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Dakar is one of the most vibrant African capitals, and the epicenter of a rich cultural scene that includes museums, dance, architecture, music and film. With its rich history, Dakar has a lot to offer to students who are eager to experience living in the African continent and expand their horizons. We will explore history Goree,
In their free time, students will have frequent opportunities to explore those places they might find most relevant to their own scholarly and professional interests. They will be invited to stop, look and listen closely as the world goes by in a place where, as in most modern metropolises today, the increasingly hurried pace of life often prevents its own inhabitants, and most visitors, from ever doing so.
Courses and Credit:
FRTR 2555: Taught in English. No pre-requisite required, 3 credits. Students from all schools of the University are encouraged to apply
FREN 3555: for French majors and minors who want to receive 3 credits toward their major/minor. While the primary language of instruction will be English, students receiving credit toward the major/minor will complete all required work in French. Students will also make daily use of their French language skills in small group discussion sections.
Accommodations:
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Our home base of the duration of our stay will be the Djoloff Hotel, a boutique hotel locates around the University Cheikh Anta Diop main campus, a short walk from the ocean. Students will share double rooms, each with en-suite bathrooms. Daily buffet breakfast, lunches and dinners is included in the fee
Our indoor classes will take place at WARC West Africa Research Center. WARC is less than 10mn drive from the Djoloff Hotel. The West African Research Center is the overseas research center for the United States-based West African Research Association. It is located in Dakar, Senegal. WARC is a center for academic exchange between American and West African scholars that encourages research on the region of West Africa.
Faculty:
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Mamadou Dia is an award-winning Senegalese film director, screenwriter, and co-founder of the production company, Joyedidi. Often based on his life growing up in West Africa, Mr. Dia’s films explore the tension between fact and fiction, realism and abstraction. His short film, Samedi Cinema, opened at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals in 2016 and received numerous accolades. Baamum Nafi (Nafi's Father), his first feature film, premiered in 2019, winning two Golden Leopards for “First Feature”, and “Filmmakers of the Present'' at the Locarno International Film Festival. It was selected for MOMA/Lincoln Center’s 2020 New Directors/New Films, the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival Talent Lab, and the 2018 Hubert Bals writing grant. Senegal chose Baamum Nafi as its Oscar entry for Best International Feature in 2021. Mamadou Dia received an MFA in Filmmaking from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2017.
Dates:
The course will run from Dec. 28-Jan. 10. See here for more details.
Costs:
Tuition and program fees generally run around $5,050-$5,452, depending on whether students are eligible for in-state tuition. The cost includes lodging, three meals a day, and site visits and entry fees. In addition to tuition and fees, students will need to cover the cost of transportation to and from Dakar, Senegal.
View the program Budget Sheet online for additional details.
Financial Aid and scholarships are available for education abroad. Application information is available at: https://educationabroad.virginia.edu/.
To Apply:
- Visit https://educationabroad.virginia.edu/
- View the Education Abroad Workshop
- Complete the program application
Program Director: Mamadou
Assistant professor of French and Media Studies
University of Virginia
Department of French
P.O. Box 400770
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Education Abroad Advisor: Yohanis Kassa
International Studies Office
208 Minor Hall
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4165
Email: studyabroad@virginia.edu
Phone: (434) 982-3010