Human Rights in South Africa Trip 2009
Through Comm/Pols 268: Human Rights in South Africa, Dan Connell accompanied students in exploring the social and political situation in South Africa. The principal sites visited were Johannesburg, the country's financial hub; Durban, its main Indian Ocean port and a center of environmental activism; and Cape Town, its legislative capital.
Excursions included extensive visits to African townships, workplaces and homes; meetings with officials, activists, reporters, and others; trips to the Apartheid Museum and Robben Island Prison, as well as Table Mountain and Cape Point; and an overnight stay at a township B&B.
Pre-trip assignments were completed in four spring seminars that are required for all participants. They spent 20 days in South Africa researching political, economic and social rights, with a focus on formerly excluded communities, and drafting articles. Upon return, students spend three days on campus completing articles for potential publication.
