Cape Town, South Africa B11
Term – B 2011
Project Opportunities – IQP
Housing – Casual “backpacker” inn
Director – Professor Scott Jiusto
Preparation – 1/2 unit in A’11 & informal
spring/summer activities
Application Deadline – September 30, 2010 (before 1:00 pm)
LOCATION
Cape Town is located at the southern tip of South Africa and is one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Situated between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Table Mountain range runs through the city and down the Cape of Good Hope. It is both a very cosmopolitan city with visitors and residents from around the globe, and a city dealing with problems of poverty and rapid urban growth that many developing nations face. South Africa is a culturally diverse country still very much creating a new future for itself in the aftermath of apartheid, the system of racial discrimination that dominated social and economic life in the country until the 1990s. Cape Town offers music, art and theatre, and is home to many important historical and cultural sites. We arrive just as the wonderfully temperate summer is beginning, and travel to some of the loveliest and most interesting landscape in Southern Africa. Students can visit the African bush to see wild animals, hike along stunning terrain, go surfing, enjoy great food, meet interesting people, and work on projects in informal “squatter camp” communities that welcome WPI students to learn about their culture and contribute toward improvements in their community.
PROJECTS
Cape Town projects focus on sustainable development in these informal settlements where many people live in shacks and without adequate provision of basic services. In 2008 and 2009, we conducted an exciting set of integrated projects focused on helping one informal settlement realize the goal of transforming their squatter camp into a socially and ecologically sustainable “ecovillage.” The six 2008 project themes – buildings, water and sanitation, energy, communications, economic development and urban planning and mapping – aimed at understanding the community as it exists today and generating options for the future that benefit from synergies across domains. Students engaged with other teams on a regular basis to share insights and plan integrated solutions. For example, each team provided ideas for job creation in their respective areas, while the economic development team planned and began implementing new micro-industries and training programs (e.g., a sandbag sewing operation to support a unique, sustainable building technology). The building team included in their building designs systems researched and proposed by the energy and water and sanitation teams; the urban planning team proposed a road development strategy that could grow over time with little disruption to families, and the communications team organized co-researchers from Monwabisi Park to serve as guides, interpreters, surveyors, and to start “Endlovini TV,” a video-based, community media service.
Students have created a 200 page report and a website (www.wpi-capetown.org) describing team projects and setting forth a core redevelopment strategy: to “grow” change in small, incremental steps that maximize public and private benefits, maintain and strengthen local social networks and decision-making, create jobs, training and leadership development opportunities, and build the foundation for a healthier community going forward. This is a project center for intrepid, hardworking students eager to help “make a difference” in South Africa.
| Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses* |
Amount |
NOTE: In calculating the extra expense to participate in an off-campus project experience compare this figure to expenses incurred while living on campus: groceries or meal plan, entertainment expenses, transportation, etc. |
|
Travel to site (RT airfare) |
$ 1,500 |
|
|
Local transportation (e.g. taxis) |
$ 100 |
|
|
Dining and groceries |
$ 800 |
|
|
Weekend tourist activities & incidentals |
$ 700 |
|
|
Estimated total out-of-pocket expenses |
$ 3,100 |
|
| Expenses included on your WPI bill* |
Amount |
|
|
Housing and program expenses |
$ 1,900 |
|
|
Estimated Total expenses |
$ 5,000 |
Tuition and WPI on-campus housing not included |
|
* Subject to change due to fluctuations in exchange rate |
||
Travel Dates:
Arrive on site: Friday, October 21, 2011
Orientation meeting: Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 10:30 AM
Earliest departure time, Friday, December 16, 2011 at 2:00 PM
Depart WPI Housing: Saturday, December 17, 2011
Related Links
- Going Global at WPI
- Background Notes- South Africa Background Notes- South Africa
- Country Specific Information
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: September 27, 2011 10:56:29