STUDY ABROAD IN ST. LOUIS, SENEGAL

The Study Abroad Office in KU has recently launched a study program in St. Louis, Senegal in West Africa.This program can be considered as a direct outcome of the link between Kansas University and Gaston Berger University in Senegal, which has been established in 1997. The exchange experienced the beneficence of KU Chancellor Hemenway in the form of a fourth year of funding beyond the three offered by the USIA Affiliations Grant which launched it.

Isiaka Prosper Laleye, professor of philosophy and anthropology at UGB, is the coordinator of the exchange with KU.

St. Louis du Senegal, as described by the KU Study Abroad Office, is a historic French city, founded on a small island near the mouth of the Senegal river, and today straddling the mainland-to which it is connected by the famous Faidherbe Bridge- and a narrow strip of land which separates the river from the Atlantic Ocean. This town is the home of the Universite Gaston Berger, a young dynamic institution. This university is 10 years old. It is located on a spacious campus some 14 kilometers from the center of the town. The student exchange program between KU and UGB builds on an institutional relationship from UGB’s early years, and which has included a flourishing exchange of faculty in both directions.

The year long study abroad program at UGB had been designed to provide a unique and enriching opportunity for the adventurous KU student interested in studying in a French-speaking environment in the African context. The program will begin with a week long orientation program at KU, prior to departure in September. In Senegal, students will spend the first month in the capital city of Dakar, in a cross-cultural training and orientation program. The program will include lectures on Senegalese history and culture, practical sessions in shopping, taking public transport and learning the Wolof language , the most widely spoken Senegal. Students will stay with host families in Dakar, and these families will also provide a “ home base” for students who would like to make an occasional trip back to Dakar for weekends or holidays. Senegalese families are large and Senegalese hospitality is legendary, and American students frequently fine that they establish very close personal ties with their host families.

The academic program in St. Louis will offer both a common core for all KU students and the opportunity to take regular UGB courses from a wide variety of disciplines and subjects, including sociology, law and political science, literature, foreign languages, geography, math and economic, many with a specifically African focus. Students will continue with Wolof language courses in St. Louis, and will receive a total of ten hours of credit for these. In addition, participation KU students will each be expected to have an independent research project, for which they will eventually write a research paper and receive six hours of credit. French language courses may also be arranged for students who would like to continue to work on their language skills. Students will consult with their KU advisors as well as with the on-site coordinator in planning their program, and they will be expected to maintain full-time status, with a minimum of 24 hours of credit for the year (12 per semester). In addition to the formal coursework, students will have the opportunity to participate in field trips to such places as the Djoudj bird park, the Muslim holy cites of Touba and Tivaouane, and Sahelian towns and villages along the Senegal river.

Following the month-long family home-stays in Dakar, students will join their Senegalese counterparts in being housed on the campus of UGB in St. Louis. Students will share dorm rooms with a shared bathroom. The UGB dorms are organized in “villages” around a central yard, and much of student life revolves around the residence halls, which organize frequent sporting and cultural events. Virtually, all of UGB’s almost 2000 students live on campus. Student meal plans provide for regular meals in the campus cafeteria. Various snack bars and small restaurants on campus, as well as numerous nice restaurants in town, provide options for occasional changes. Participants must have Junior or Senior status, a 2.5 GPA, and five semesters of college-level French or equivalent. For more information about cost, financial aid and application procedure students can contact Office of Study Abroad, room 108 Lippincott Hall, phone 785-864-3742.