The program is divided into three main components:

1. Morning instruction, seminars and lectures to help prepare for the afternoon on-site or cultural visits
2. Afternoon on-site visits in different spheres of Senegalese society: cultural, corporate, healthcare and the media
3. Cultural Excursions within the country

The Dakar program fulfills students’ Experiential Learning (EL) Core requirements.

This EL course is a one-credit laboratory class taken in Senegal, which is associated with one mandatory course taken in the Spring semester preceding the trip.

Once you arrive in Senegal, and to fulfill your EL requirement, you will write a daily personal journal. You will also submit two progress reflections to your program director at the end of weeks 1 & 2. In these progress reflections, you will respond to “prompt” questions circulated to you in advance, grounding your answers in the content of your journal. You will finally submit a culminating reflection to be uploaded as an artifact on P@N upon return at Nazareth.

You will also prepare afternoon on-site visits by attending morning instruction, lectures and seminars in Dakar. You will have two one-on-one meetings with your program Director, Dr. Mireille Le Breton, and two hour-long debriefing sessions as a group, where we will share information about the experiences we have lived.

Please consult with Dr. Mireille Le Breton for more information.

Students will register for one mandatory course in the Spring semester preceding the trip:

• FRN204 "Introduction to African and Caribbean Literatures, Cultures and Societies"
• LIT315 "Images of Women in Francophone Cinema"

and for one mandatory, one-credit laboratory course during Summer A:

• FRN204L*EL
• WGS LIT315L*EL

Prerequisites

Students are strongly encouraged to have taken the following French classes before going to Senegal: FRN101 & FRN102 or FRN 201. Students who have taken no French courses at Nazareth should meet with Dr. Le Breton to receive specific assignments in preparation of their trip.

Tentative Trip Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at Leopold Sédar Senghor International airport in Dakar.

Days 2-4: Cultural and corporate visits as well as seminars and lectures in Dakar, capital of Senegal. Meet with business leaders and health professionals. Visit of Gorée Island, and the "House of Slaves", that bears witness to the horrors of slavery. Accommodations at University of Cheick Anta Diop (UCAD).

Days 5-7: Drive North to the Lompoul desertic region, then to the former capital of Senegal: Saint Louis. Meet with a historian and attend a poetry recital. Accommodations in a hotel.

Day 8: Visit the National Bird Sanctuary in Djoudj, in the Senegal river Delta, which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Days 9-11: Cultural and corporate visits as well as seminars and lectures in Dakar.

Days 12-14: Central Senegal, including the village of Ndem, and the pilgrimage site of Touba.

Days 15-16: Cultural and corporate visits as well as seminars and lectures in Dakar.

Day 17: Excursions to Lake Retba "le lac rose" and the Bandia Reservation

Days 18-19: Atlantic coast and Southern Senegal: Visits of Saly Portudal and the village of Joal. Visit of the foundation "Léopold Sédar Senghor" and literary and cultural explorations.

Day 20: Dakar: participation in an international Arts conference at the University of Checik Anta Diop.

Day 21: Depart Dakar to Rochester.

From exploring the variety and richness of the literature, history, and culture of different regions in Senegal, to meeting with business leaders (corporate and NGO), healthcare specialists and media experts, you will leave with a deep and nuanced understanding of Senegalese society.

The program cost, which covers accommodations, baggage handling fees, meals, ground transportation, and all educational lectures and visits, will be approximately $2,500 plus airfare.

The $2,500 program cost does not include tuition or auditing costs. The audit fee is typically one-third of the tuition charge for the course plus applicable fees.

Travel insurance and Immunization are required.

*Please note: All costs quoted are subject to change.

"As of July 1, 2013, a valid passport, visa, and evidence of yellow-fever vaccination are required for entry into Senegal. A meningitis vaccination is highly recommended if the traveler is arriving from or has recently traveled to an endemic area. Travelers unable to provide proof of vaccinations may be required to pay for and receive vaccinations at the Dakar airport."

For more information regarding the visa application, please click here.

• Information about Senegal
• Information about Dakar
• “Village des Arts”
• Université Cheikh Anta Diop
• Interview with Dr. Babacar Fall