Windhoek - Augsburg College
Overview
Augsburg College is a private liberal arts college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It organized its first travel seminar to Southern Africa and Namibia in 1990 and began an undergraduate semester program in Namibia in 1994. At that time they acquired an office and guesthouse in Windhoek. Augsburg was the first U.S. educational organization to have a permanent presence in Namibia.
The program begins and ends with a traveling seminar to South Africa. You will visit Johannesburg for the first week and Cape Town in the last. Namibia won it’s independence from South Africa in 1990 after decades of apartheid. Through coursework, home stays and traveling, the program examines crucial issues from the perspectives of new democracies of southern Africa.
Namibia & Windhoek
The Namibian landscape consists primarily of highlands, with a central plateau running north to south, bordered by the Namib Desert and coastal plains to the west. The population is sparse, but highly diverse including the indigenous Africans, descendants of white settlers, and the “Coloureds” who are of mixed descendants. English is the official language but you will hear over 11 different languages including Afrikaans, and several European languages. Namibia was the first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip.
The capital city of Windhoek is a modern city located in the geographical center of the country. The city reflects the German colonial influence as well as the impact of apartheid and South African occupation. It is surrounded by hills, trees, gardens and greens that provide a contrast to the aridity of much of Namibia. Its climate is dry but pleasant, with an average high temperature ranging from 68 to 86 degrees.
Courses
The program is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. The semester program consist of four, 4-credit courses, or three, 4-credit courses and either an internship or an independent study, see below for SU course numbers. For course descriptions, please see the Augsburg website. All courses are taught in English. For internships and independent study, you will need to find a professor to sponsor you who is on-campus and in the department that you expect to receive credit in.
| Augsburg Course Number and Title | SU Course Number | SU credits |
|---|---|---|
| PSC353 – Political & Social Change in South Africa | PSC 380 | 4 |
| HST327- Racism & Resistance in Southern African and the U.S. | HST 380 | 4 |
| INS312 – The Development Process – Southern Africa | PSC 300 | 4 |
| REL346 – Religion & Social Change in Southern Africa | REL 300 | 4 |
| Internship | Varies | 4 |
| Independent Study | Varies | 4 |
Travel
Travel is not included in the cost of the program, but is arranged by Augsburg College and their travel agency. You are responsible for getting to Namibia by the program start date. You will receive more information upon acceptance. Current cost of airfare from New York is approximately $2000.
Living arrangements
You live in dormitory-style in a large house in Windhoek West for most of the semester. For the South Africa travel portion, modest hotels and guest houses will serve as your accommodation. The program also includes an eight-day urban homestay in Katatura, Windhoek; a 10-day homestay with a rural family in northern Namibia; and a short homestay with an urban family in Soweto, Johannesburg.
Visa
A study visa is required for your semester in Namibia. Additional information will be provided by Augsburg upon acceptance. The current cost is $150.
Cost & Aid
You will pay SU tuition and can apply all SU financial aid except Work Study. A Program fee of $3500 (spring 08) includes room and board, local travel, and medical/emergency insurance. It does not include your round-trip airfare, nor personal effects and incidentals. For personal effects and incidentals, students should plan to spend $1100 - $2200. SU Abroad merit-based scholarships are available for this program. ESF students may be charged a supplemental fee for attendance.
How to apply
Applying to this program is a two-part process. Turn in all parts of the application to the SU Abroad office by Oct 10 for the spring semester and March 15 for the fall semester. Please note that this is a small and competitive program which may fill up before the due date.
Part 1: Syracuse University
- SU Abroad application online at http://suabroad.syr.edu
- $60 application fee payable to Syracuse University
- Academic Recommendation
- Study Abroad Approval form - signed by the Dean’s office of your home college
- Download Augsburg's application at: http://www.augsburg.edu/global/apapplic.html
- Official transcript - 3.0 cumulative GPA required
- Augsburg’s Study Abroad Approval form – signed by SU Abroad
- Two letters of Recommendation
For more information contact:
Deb Goddard – dsgoddar@syr.edu – 443-2528
Ginny Pellam-Montalbano - gapellam@syr.edu - 443-9417
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