South Africa: Culture and Resistance

Discover Cape Town through an immersive experience exploring the history, culture, and communities that make South Africa unique.

• Live and learn in Cape Town while exploring its rich history, culture, and communities.
• Discover how identity, traditions, and resistance have shaped South African society.
• Visit iconic sites including Robben Island, Table Mountain, the Castle of Good Hope, and the !Khwa Ttu San Culture and Education Centre.
• Connect with local communities through neighborhood tours, cultural experiences, and firsthand observation.
• Learn how to explore and understand culture through real-world sociological research.

During a spring course at RIT, you'll build a foundation in South Africa's history, culture, and the legacy of apartheid while learning how researchers explore the experiences and perspectives of different communities. You'll examine how history, identity, and resistance have shaped South African society and develop skills to ask meaningful questions about culture and everyday life. In May, you'll travel to Cape Town to apply what you've learned while exploring the city through immersive cultural experiences and your own research concept.

With its incredible diversity, complex history, and vibrant communities, Cape Town offers a unique setting to understand how culture shapes people’s lives. While staying on the University of Cape Town campus, you'll experience daily life in South Africa while visiting places that tell the story of the country’s past and present. From reflecting on the history of apartheid at Robben Island to exploring Indigenous heritage at the !Khwa Ttu San Culture and Education Centre, you'll gain new perspectives through meaningful encounters with people, places, and traditions. Neighborhood tours, cultural excursions, and local experiences will help you see Cape Town beyond the typical tourist perspective and better understand the communities that make the city unique.

Sites you'll visit in Cape Town may include:

• Walk through Robben Island and learn about the struggle against apartheid.
• Take in views from Table Mountain and explore Cape Town’s unique geography.
• Visit the Castle of Good Hope and the !Khwa Ttu San Culture and Education Centre to learn about South Africa’s diverse heritage.

Learn more at South African Film Screening and Reception - Tuesday, Sept. 29th, 7-8 pm, MAGIC lobby

Program Term: Spring course, travel to South Africa in May
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Travel Dates: May 22-June 3, 2027
Credits: 3

Course Details

• SOIS 301 - Research in a Cultural Context (3 credits)
  Students will be enrolled in the course in spring 2027, with travel to South Africa taking place in May. The course will meet on Tuesdays from 4:00 to 5:15 pm during the Spring 2027 semester.

No pre-reqs. Program is open to all undergraduate majors, 2.5 GPA or above, all year levels. No foreign language skills are required - the program is taught in English.

Course may count towards: General Education credit, Global Perspective, or Free Elective. Applicants should discuss with their academic advisor how the course will count towards their degree program.

Application deadline: Sunday, October 18th, 2026

Faculty Leaders

Dr. Makini Beck
Assistant Professor


Dr. Phillippa Thiuri
AVP for Academic Access and Success
Diversity and Inclusion

Program Cost & Financial Aid

Program Cost: A student budget worksheet outlining program costs will be available here soon.

Financial Aid:
Financial aid may cover some program costs. As you review the budget worksheet, please remember that it does not include your RIT financial aid or scholarships, which may cover some of the program costs. The purpose of the budget worksheet is to show all the costs associated with your study abroad program, which will help your RIT Financial Aid Assistant Director determine how your aid and scholarships may be applied. 

To understand how your financial aid and scholarships may apply to your program costs:

• Make an appointment with your financial aid assistant director (call Financial Aid at 585-475-2186) and mention that you are calling for a study abroad appointment
• Upload a copy of your budget worksheet(s) via the Financial Aid upload portal at https://join.rit.edu/register/FA_upload (at least 48 hours prior to your scheduled meeting so they have time to prepare) 
  • Please rename the file name of your budget worksheet before uploading it to the Financial Aid portal based on the instructions provided in the portal (adding your name and student ID)

To find out the name of your financial aid assistant director for your degree program visit: https://www.rit.edu/admissions/aid/contact#counseling-team

We recommend you meet with Financial Aid before the application deadline so you understand how your aid will apply. The RIT financial aid office is located in Bausch and Lomb Center (Bldg. 77), 2nd floor, 2125.

Scholarships:

• RIT Education Abroad Travel Grants ($500-$1,000)
  All students with pending applications in the RIT Study Abroad Compass for this program will be automatically considered for an RIT Education Abroad Travel Grant. You will be informed of your scholarship status shortly after the application deadline. Scholarships are awarded based on financial need, as determined by financial aid and your FAFSA on file.

• Additional Scholarships
  RIT scholarships and national scholarships for study abroad are good options to explore for scholarship funding. Make sure you check scholarship eligibility requirements and note scholarship deadlines. 

To Apply

1) Start an application in the Compass (RIT's study abroad application system)
Once you login to the Compass you will need to complete some profile/registration questions, then use the “Search Programs” tab to search for “South Africa Culture Resistance” to complete an application.

2) Watch this video, which goes over all important application steps for RIT Faculty-Led Programs

Contact

Makini Beck
Assistant Professor, Individualized Education
mzbind@rit.edu

Phillippa Thiuri
AVP for Academic Access and Success
pthiuri@saunders.rit.edu