International School 2013: Environment, Development and Sustainability in Africa
Monday 24 June 2013 to Wednesday 17 July 2013
The International School 2013 promises to be a rich and exciting experience for all those who join us!
In the 3 weeks that you are with us, you will:
- Earn credits towards your degree.
- Attend courses on African and Environmental Studies presented by two of the top experts in their fields.
- Cover a wide range of topics relating to humanity and the environment in Africa.
- Explore local eco-systems.
- Meet people who live off the environment and find out how they do it.
- See some of the most breathtaking and inaccessible regions of South Africa.
- Experience the vibrant atmosphere of the South African National Arts Festival.
- View African wildlife in the bush - as it was meant to be seen!
Course Overview
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(The International Office will provide transport from PE Airport to Grahamstown)
Welcome, Orientation and Getting to Know Other Participants: Tuesday 25 June
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Weekends also allow the option of visiting one of the many game reserves in this area. Some of the game reserves in the area are:
The coastal towns in this region also offer stunning sights:
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Seminar Programme (Week 1: Wednesday 26 June – Tuesday 2 July) |
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Literature & Environment week. Using literature as a window, this module looks at the History, Environment and Politics of human settlement in the Eastern Cape, with special focus on the Karoo, the Camdeboo Region, the nearby coastline and the area surrounding Grahamstown. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to engage in insightful seminars and take part in walking tours in the fascinating areas around Grahamstown. For this module, you will be evaluated on your participation in seminars and on an essay to be handed in at the end of the module. This module will focus on three areas: 1. Rocks, Paint and Words The Grahamstown area is wonderfully rich in geological remnants from the very earliest times, including extensive fossil remains and, more recently, San rock art. Not only has this geology affected, even determined, the human history of the region in numerous ways: it has also spawned a rich vein of writing. This section will explore mostly poetry, especially that of Guy Butler, Robert Berold and Don Maclennan. 2. Littoral/Literal Zones The coastline is a borderline of exploration and discovery which is also now particularly under ecological threat. This section explores some of the literature of the coast, including early shipwreck narratives, the discovery of the prehistoric coelacanth, and the estuarine literature of the Port Elizabeth area, in which environmental degradation is an area of focus. 3. African Elephants The Eastern Cape is one of the few areas of the country where elephants remain in any numbers, especially at Addo Game Reserve. Animals, and the geography of animal distribution and culture, has been a key element in all human activities, from the earliest hunter-gatherers and Nguni pastoralists, via white imperial hunters, to contemporary conservationists. We dip into some indigenous folklore, nineteenth-century hunting accounts, and current tales and game-ranger memoirs.
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Seminar Programme (Week 2: Wednesday 3 July – Tuesday 9 July) |
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Development and Sustainability in Africa Week The Eastern Cape is a region of extreme climate variability. The amaXhosa people used regional migration as mitigation strategy to cope with this harsh environment. This module will explore an emerging history of socio-ecological sustainability. The course spans the pre-colonial livelihood practices in the Eastern Cape to the climate change challenges of the present day. Participants will start by planting indigenous trees with a youth programme of the Makana Region Centre of Expertise to offset air travel carbon. Daily fieldwork will be conducted on foot or by bicycle to minimize environmental impact. In this week of the School, each day will open with a participant-led seminar on comparative environmental history and change. The themes of forests, grasslands, water, agriculture and biodiversity conservation will then be explored through encounters with local evidence of social-ecological change. The rest of the day will be spent outdoors exploring indigenous knowledge practices. These practices have all but disappeared with the advent of modernity but are being recovered and enhanced through a Stepping-up to Sustainability Programme at the Environmental Learning Research Centre (ELRC) of Rhodes University. The ELRC is looking at innovations in water, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity, transport and waste disposal in Africa. Participants will be asked to do a practical assignment on an area of interest. This week aims to prepare participants to travel to, and work together in, a rural area for the final week of the programme.
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The field-trip will be to:
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www.travelgrahamstown.co.za/listing-details/356/Makana-Tourism |
VENUE
Most of the course will be hosted in the brand new Environmental Learning Research Centre on Rhodes University Campus. This venue offers a comfortable and environmentally sensitive learning atmosphere for our visiting students. Students will also get a chance to go on walking tours of the Grahamstown and the surrounding wilderness to enrich their understanding of the coursework being taught in seminars. During the fieldtrip, students will stay in comfortable lodges and Bed-and-Breakfast accommodation.
APPLICATION FORM
Download the application form here: RUIS 2013 Application Form
