| Tentative Itinerary | Program Fees and Registration/Financial Aid | Registration Form, Dates and Deadlines | Special Ghana Project | Summer in Ghana Photos |
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:
The Department of Africana Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, University
at Albany, State University of New York is offering its fourth summer program
in Ghana, West Africa. This year's program will also go to Kenya, East Africa
as well as make a stop in Ethiopia. This summer program is scheduled
for July 2 through August 3, 2004. The program is
offered to undergraduate and graduate students and/or to any person wishing to
participate and is not limited to students from the University at Albany.
This program is conceptualized to achieve
the following objectives:
A video which chronicles the Summer 2002 Program in Ghana, is also available for viewing in the University at Albany's Interactive Media Center at the Video Reserve desk . If you would like to review these videos, they are under course number AAS 370.
The Summer 2004 Program is sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies. Undergraduate students can register for three (3) credit hours (AAS 498 or AAS 499). Graduate students can register for four (4)credit hours (AAS 598 or AAS 599). Students will be required to complete an academic paper under the supervision of the program coordinators.
Non-students who wish to receive credit hours and a Certificate of Participation will have to register for one of these courses through the University at Albany’s non-degree program. This summer program is also opened to persons not requiring credit hours nor the Certificate of Participation.
Courses in Ghanian history and culture as well as exposure to the Twi (Akan) language will be offered at the University of Ghana at Legon in Accra. There will be a series of trips to various educational, historical and cultural sites including Kumasi, Bonwire, Akosombo, Cape Coast and Elmina among other sites. There will be visits to, and research done at the W.E.B. DuBois Library/Home and the George Padmore Library as well.
The Kenyan trip will expose participating students to Kenyan culture, the swahili language, East African safari excursion and a visit to The Department of Africana Studies' Save Africa From AIDS campaign(SAFA) Kenyan orphans project.
Faculty Coordinators:
Summer in Ghana Facilities:
Students and other participants will be housed at hotels or at the Universities of Ghana, Science and Technology and Cape Coast. All breakfasts and dinners are included in the program fee. Students and other participants will have full access to the Universities’ facilities and resources. Participants may experience Ghanaian life by staying with families in Accra (for a week).
The summer program's cost is $4,000.00. This cost covers the following:
University at Albany’s tuition fees for course credits are excluded from the summer program’s cost.
Additional CostsProgram participants should prepare for additional costs related to domestic transportation to and from the John F. Kennedy Airport, New York City, local transportation in Ghana and additional meals. These expenses average between $80.00 to $85.00 per student per week in Ghana.
US Passport and Execution Fees: $60.00
US Passport Renewal: $40.00.
For persons born outside the US (Form DSP-11) the Passport fee is $160.00.
Processing time is about 2 months. You should have your passport in hand by
May 28, 2004.
Immunizations (Check your health insurance)
Individuals wishing to participate in this summer program must submit their applications to the Department of Africana Studies by March 12, 2004. Contact the Department of Africana Studies at the address noted above (or contact Ms. Marcy Casavant at africana@albany.edu.) The application must be submitted with a deposit of $150.00, $100.00 of which is non-refundable. The outstanding balance is due on or before May 14, 2004. All checks must be made payable to the University Auxiliary Services and forwarded to the Department of Africana Studies at the address noted above.
Download Registration Form (Adobe Acrobat Version)
Download Registration Form (Word Version)
Kpetoe, a village in the Volta Region in Ghana, is located on the Ghana-Togo border. It is about 30 minutes drive from the regional capital, Ho. Most of Kpetoe's roughly 1,000 inhabitants are well-known for the region's craft industry, particularly, Kente weaving which is claimed to have started at the village and not at Bonwire in Ashanti as generally believed elsewhere in the country.
Although noted for one of the country's main craft industry products, Kente, which constitutes the nation's cultural symbol, Kpetoe lacks such basic amenities as potable water, electricity, a public place of convenience, and good and well-equipped schools. The group of students from Albany, Cornell, and Columbia Universities who participated in the Summer 2001 Study Program in Ghana visited the village to study rural living conditions in the country could not believe this. At a welcoming durbar organized by the villagers they appealed to the group for assistance in their quest for these amenities. Before the group ended the visit members promised to assist them on their return to the United States. It is important to know that the group has been working hard since its return to raise funds to meet the cost for the provision of water, electricity and school supplies for the good people of Kpetoe. The group is now welcoming financial support. Your support is urgently welcome in this noble venture.
If you care to help us support the Kpetoe Villagers, please contact Dr. Kwadwo Sarfoh of theDepartment of Africana Studies, University at Albany at ksarfoh@albany.edu or 518-442-4725.
Department of Africana Studies Home Page