This website is a guide for African American studies students who have an interest in studying abroad. You can get more information by visiting the EAP website or by talking to an advisor in 160 Stephens.
The African American Studies department encourages its students to take advantage of the opportunity to complete some portion of their undergraduate study through the University's Education Abroad Program. African American Studies majors can broaden their horizons by studying African art and music in Ghana, Black Cinema in South Africa, or even literature and political ideology of the Caribbean in Barbados. Because all courses taken through EAP are accepted as UC courses, with careful planning students may spend as much as a year of study in a foreign university with no loss of time in completing their degrees.
Studying abroad provides a great opportunity for African American Studies majors to understand their course work in a broader context. By exposing yourself to a variety of different cultures and experiences you have a better framework with which to critique and contribute to academic topics of interest. Furthermore, there are a variety of African American Studies related courses offered at foreign universities that are not available at Berkeley.
Study abroad programs are available for students of many class levels. Your choice of when to study abroad depends on your personal progress in the major and the type of coursework that you hope to study while abroad. To determine what is the best time period for you consult with your major advisor at the African American Studies office in 664A Barrows Hall.
African American Studies students have the opportunity to take up to half of their major elective courses while studying abroad. There are a variety of countries and locations at which students can find applicable coursework. In many cases, the major will also accept relevant coursework even when it is not directly comparable to the content of a course offered at Berkeley . If you are looking to fulfill a substantial amount of electives while studying abroad there are some countries that have greater opportunity for doing so than others. At the University of the West Indies students can gain a unique perspective while pursuing Caribbean and African studies. In France , French speaking students can study modern day and historical Africa . There is a wide variety of opportunities at the University of Ghana in Legon for students to study religion, dance, and politics of Africa as well as the music and literature of the Black diaspora. Also, in South Africa and the UK students can find courses covering African literature and cinema as well as some covering African-American issues. By no means are these the only options for African American Studies students.
In order to find out more about specific program and country options please visit http://eap.ucop.edu/
The Coursefinder database includes descriptions of all courses taken by UC students while on EAP programs. It does not however include all courses offered by the host university.
The Program Wizard helps you to find programs that may be interesting to you by allowing you to search programs based on personal preferences such as language, length of time, country, and major.
If you want to do a significant part of your major abroad, you should complete the lower-division preparation for the major and at least some of the upper-division requirements before you go. You should also complete all, or most, of your general education requirements. This way you'll have maximum flexibility in the courses you do abroad. Major and minor elective courses can be fulfilled while abroad. Students should consult their academic advisor for further information.
The African American Studies department also encourages students to take advantage of research, internship, and fieldwork opportunities while abroad. In many cases it is possible to count this work for major credit. Please consult with your major advisor before departing to discuss this opportunity.
Study on EAP can be comparable to the cost of study at UC. In some cases, it is less. EAP participants pay UC fees and continue to receive UC financial aid while abroad. Furthermore, EAP students are eligible for special grants and scholarships from UC, the host country, and other sources