This course introduces students to a country with a tragic past but
also a promising future. The primary academic objective of this
Interim is to gain firsthand knowledge and understanding of how
racial injustice has been encountered in political and industrial
contexts. Participants in this Interim not only read and study South
African history, culture, and industrial change - they also visit
South African townships, meet with leaders engaged with South
Africa's political changes, and visit a platinum mine. Students
explore - in readings, classes, and visits - South Africa's apartheid
past, the struggles for and miracle of its democratic transition, and
the political-economy of the mining industry where interactions of
politics, business, and race are poignant.
