Beginning this semester, the Center for Global Studies and Engagement (CGSE) is launching a new Global Program in Cameroon. The program is in partnership with the School for International Training (SIT) and is based in the African country’s capital city of Yaoundé, where students will stay with local families for an immersive experience. The courses offered focus on development, modernization and social change in Cameroon and the Global South. The program also offers classes within French studies. Students will also choose to complete a relevant independent study or internship.
To complement their coursework, students will have the opportunity to travel within the country to gain a deeper understanding of Cameroon’s culture, social issues, and history. Described in its program brochure as “a microcosm of the continent’s major climates and geographic zones,” Cameroon’s ethnic, cultural and geographical diversity provides an ideal space for Dickinson students to broaden their understanding of Africa. While there are several partner programs for students offered in Africa, the Cameroon program is the only full-fledged Dickinson Global program on the continent.
Associate Provost and CGSE Director Sam Brandauer ‘95, herself an alumna of the Dickinson in Cameroon program, spoke with The Dickinsonian about the program. “I think there’s a lot of misperceptions about Africa, of the diversity and complexity and importance of that continent,” said Brandauer. “Studying abroad in Cameroon gives students really important firsthand experiential learning opportunities to understand a very different perspective and culture that … really shaped how I think about my place in the world,” said Brandauer.
Dickinson students have had the chance to study in Yaoundé since 1994, but in 2018 the program was suspended in the wake of the Anglophone Crisis, a civil conflict in the country’s northwestern region, and later the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the conflict stabilized and health restrictions lifted, the U.S. Department of State advises that travel to Yaoundé is safe.
Brandauer says that the decision to partner with SIT, who have also been operating in Yaoundé for decades, was a natural conclusion. As well as providing a greater pool of students, resources and faculty, Dickinson and SIT share a “commitment to ethical reciprocal, community-engaged experiential learning in Cameroon,”said Brandauer. She hopes that the partnership will broaden the Dickinson program’s reach and make it more accessible to students across the country.
Students in the program have the option to enroll in either an English-language track or an intensive-French language track. While no language prerequisite is necessary to enroll in English language courses, students with a French background will benefit. Students on the French track will be able to enroll in a course at Université Catholique d’Afrique Centrale during the Spring semester.
Applications for the 2024-25 Academic Year or Fall 2024 Semester are open until Feb. 15, 2024; students considering studying in Cameroon are encouraged to reach out to the CGSE for more information.
