Accra, Ghana
This is exciting opportunity will allow you to learn about the history of Accra, the capital of Ghana, and the diverse culture of the Ghanaian people in West Africa. Accra is a coastal city on the Atlantic and you will visit the Cape Coast Castle, the WEB Du Bois Center, and the University of Ghana in Legon. We will have guest speakers from the University of Ghana. You will also have a field visit to Accra’s biggest open-air market, the Makola market. We will hold reflection sessions every day. You will submit a three-page reflective essay on your experience on what you learned and experienced at the end of the program. There will be plenty of time to sample Accra’s restaurants, its music scene and explore.
All students are welcome!
You must enroll in BST 101 ( Black Cultural Identity: Past and Present).
Estimated Cost: $2,000
- This includes airfare; ground transportation between Iona and the airport, as well as in Accra; lodging; several group meals; all shows, excursions, and museum admissions.
Preparations for the trip will start in Fall 2024. You will receive orientation about the trip and materials to introduce yourself into Ghanaian culture and history a week before departure.
Course Overview: BST 101 (Black Cultural IDENTITY: Past and PRESENT)
Professors
Drs. Derese G Kassa ( Sociology) and Sharon Williams (Religious Studies) will be co-convening BST 101 course.
This course will meet during the Spring 2025 semester on Tuesday and Thursday from 2-3:18 p.m.
“BST 101: Black Cultural Identity: Past and Present” is an interdisciplinary course and an overview of the global black experience through an examination of the origins, culture, and politics of the modern world that informed ideas of black social thought, political protests, and social change. It covers the historical and heritage of people of African descent throughout the diaspora, but in particular those in the Caribbean and North America. It also dwells on the the social forces that have shaped contemporary black life in North America.
Ghana, a former colony and slave trading post between Africa and the Americas, furnished the first generation of Pan-African leaders, intellectuals and artists that articulated and profoundly shaped Africa’s ideals of independence, unity and solidarity. After independence, Ghana also became the literal and intellectual home of many African American scholars, artists, writers and philosophers. It is a vibrant democracy viewed as an anchor of stability and peace in west Africa. Our study abroad will be a deeper dive into this role that Ghana played in the history and identity of Black people all across the globe.
REQUIREMENTS
- Complete online Study Abroad application by October 31, 2024;
- Pay $500 program deposit by November 15, 2024*;
- *Study Abroad Office will ensure you are registered for the course after your program deposit is paid.
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5;
- Students under any active form of academic of disciplinary probation at the time of departure will not be permitted to participate in the program.
Everyone is welcome to apply to this program!
The Iona IDEAS Grant
This program in Ghana became possible thanks to the generous support of the US Department of State’s “Increase and Diversity Study Abroad Programs” (IDEAS) grant. Dr. Derese G Kassa and Mrs. Dayna Richardson won the 2024 IDEAS grant to launch the Iona Black Humanities Immersion in Ghana (IBHIG) initiative.
Click here for more details about the IDEAS grant.
CONTACTS
Derese G Kassa, Ph.D.
Email: dkassa@iona.edu
Sharon Kimberly Williams, D.Litt.
Email: swilliams@iona.edu
Study Abroad Office
Email: studyabroad@iona.edu