AAAS FSP Accra
Accra, GhanaThis program is offered once every two years
ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
The Department of African and African American Studies (AAAS) offers a foreign study program in Accra, Ghana. Courses are taught on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon, with faculty and lecturers drawn from the University and elsewhere in Ghana, and a Dartmouth faculty member affiliated with AAAS.
Accra is Ghana's capital and largest city, with an estimated population of 4 million. Accra stretches along the Atlantic Ocean and is home to Ghana's central financial district, glittering beaches, historic monuments, museums, traditional markets and lively nightlife. Ghana's importance in the African Diaspora is immense. People from this region represent a significant percentage of those forcibly brought to the "New World." This resulted in a connected mélange of cultures linking this part of West Africa to African-descended communities in the U.S. and other parts of the Americas. Ghana is also an important site for homage and return in the African Diaspora because of its unique historical position as the first sub-Saharan African nation to receive independence and because of the Pan-African advocacy of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president.
Enrollment Information
About 16 students are selected for the program.
For more information about applying for this program, see our webpage on How to Apply & our FAQs under section 2 (How to Apply: Application)
THE STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCE
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Faculty Director
Curriculum
AAAS | 87.9 | 90:
African Popular Culture in Ghana
AAAS | 87.07 | 90:
Globalization and the African Continent
AAAS | 87.08 | 90:
Indigenous Slavery in Ghana and West Africa
Prerequisites
Selection Criteria: Preference will be given to students who have taken at least one African Studies course.
Faculty Director
Curriculum
AAAS | 87.9 | 90:
African Popular Culture in Ghana
AAAS | 87.07 | 90:
Globalization and the African Continent
AAAS | 87.08 | 90:
Indigenous Slavery in Ghana and West Africa
Prerequisites
Selection Criteria: Preference will be given to students who have taken at least one African Studies course.
STUDENT LIFE
In the AAAS program, students live in homestay families for the full duration of the program. The homestay living arrangement is an integral and required component of this program. A homestay experience often offers several benefits, including improved language skills (especially in foreign language environments), deep cultural insights, integration into the local community, the opportunity to experience daily life like a local, and the chance to build meaningful relationships.
Students use public transportation to commute to campus from homestays in the greater Accra region. The program typically includes multiple day trips and excursions to the Ashanti and Central region of Ghana. Classroom learning is integrated with research conducted in the community and local archives as well as visits to important historical and cultural sites in Accra and throughout Ghana. Students will have the opportunity to participate in community engagement activities during the term.
For more information, please see the department website.
Financing Your Program
Tuition and Fees
The fees charged by the College for a Dartmouth-sponsored off-campus term of study include regular tuition charges for a term at Dartmouth, service fees, as well as the specific costs established for each off-campus study locale. In many programs, the room and board costs tend to be higher than for a term in Hanover. You can view a budget sheet for each program by clicking on the appropriate term under "Financing Your Program". The cost of transportation to and from the site is the responsibility of the student.
Financial Aid
In order that all qualified Dartmouth undergraduate students may have the opportunity to take part in off-campus programs, the College endeavors to adjust its normal financial aid awards for students already receiving aid. Tuition and expected family contribution for Dartmouth's off-campus programs are the same as for an on-campus term.
Students are responsible for purchasing their own plane tickets and, in many cases, meals. Often, families find that they owe less for billable items for study away terms but will instead use more of their expected family contribution towards indirect costs such as the flight and meals. For help sorting out who pays what and how, contacting the Financial Aid office is often advisable.
Financing your program | Financial Aid | Scholarships | Budgeting & Costs