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Posted Hello guys! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2012/13
Hello guys! My name is Christopher Crump, and I'm a senior at the University of Minnesota majoring in Spanish & Portuguese Studies. Previously, I had the honor of studying abroad in Brazil, taking a series of literature courses in the Portuguese language. Through this experience, I was able to analyze the racial stratification of the Brazilian society and how these racial stratification affected the Afro-Brazilians. However, I must say that I am especially honored to have the opportunity to go back to the mother land and learn about my South African brothers and sisters through shared experiences of pain, racism,...
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Posted Welcome to our course BLOG! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2012/13
Welcome to our class BLOG. I invite parents, family, and friends to comment and read along while we are away in Cape Town, South Africa. This BLOG is our collective story to share with our loved ones back home - a glimpse into our journey, our new learning, and transformations. Tracing the footsteps of social change in South Africa is not an easy task. Though the path to revolution and social justice takes cultural, economic, and socio-political strides, our aim in this course is more existential in nature - a journey towards giving meaning to life and for living...
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Posted The Journey of their Lives to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2011/12
Hello friends and family. As I'm sure you've read, the chains of head and heart have been disrupted for all the students. Oie....my plan is working!It's been a challenging week for all. South Africa, if you were to ask me, is a mirror image of our comfortable United States; however, the mirror is convex...or concave...however you see it. In Cape Town we get to see the bent edges, which show us the extreme conditions of both happiness and sadness. Race, class, poverty, healing, beauty, charm, hunger, economics, wildlife, diversity, and so much more, explode in front of the students so...
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Posted Phase One: Educo Africa Retreat to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2011/12
What an amazing opportunity for us all to arrive in the Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Mountains to see the sunset and leave the same peaceful space with a sunrise! I am thrilled that Mark Gamble (Educo Africa Director and amazing friend) and I took the time to make this a reality for this year's class. The Educo staff provided us an experience not many can say they've had - to sleep and live in the "bush" of South Africa for three days, reflect on our relationship to each other, the earth, and our entry into this amazing nation. I am proud...
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Posted Welcome to our BLOG! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2011/12
Welcome to our class BLOG. I invite parents, family, and friends to comment and read along while we are away in Cape Town, South Africa. This BLOG is our collective story to share with our loved ones back home - a glimpse into our journey, our new learning, and transformations. This seminar is a journey...really...to change ourselves! We'll do this by "tracing the footsteps of social change" in South Africa since the time of Apartheid. Tracing the footsteps of social change in South Africa is not an easy task. The aim is not merely to "follow" the footsteps of South...
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Posted Flipmode! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2010/11
Busta Rhymes and his infamous "Flipmode Squad" crew has always found pride in taking the proverbial hip-hop phraseology and ideologies, and "flipping them on ya!" That has been our experience the past two days. It's safe to say I "flipped" it on the students. We're in the "flipmode." A very confusing, scary, and eye opening place but with some hope in the heart (and a truly open-mind), a wonderful place. It wasn't necessarily my intent to have such a laissez-faire beginning with a sharp turn towards "reality" but it worked that way thanks to the holidays. It only made sense...
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Posted Post-NYE The Work Begins! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2010/11
The students are wonderful and since the holiday season is coming to a close, so is the party lifestyle they've already become accustom to in Cape Town. We begin our "work" today with class recitation beginning within the hour. I sense that students, overall, are now dealing with some lessons of "familiarity" and sensitivity to privileges attached to us all as Americans. As most people know who have been to South Africa before, there is LITTLE difference between the infrastructure of Cape Town and those of the most beautiful American cities we know well. One must remember that Cape Town...
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Posted Howzit! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2010/11
Hello friends, family, and loved ones of all the students on this global seminar! Two things come to mind tonight: (1) I'm ecstatic to be back in my second home of Cape Town and (2) even more thrilled (and thankful) to be sharing my second home with such a great group of students. I've had a covenant to my own South African family for years - to bring a group of students to Cape Town. That promise has come to fruition after an extraordinary amount of work - for me, the Learning Abroad Center, my best of friends here, and...
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Posted Welcome to our BLOG! to EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2010/11
Tracing the footsteps of social change in South Africa is not an easy task. The aim is not merely to "follow" the footsteps of South Africans, yet seek out the wisdom they gained during their long-walk in overcoming Apartheid. One way to do this is by first looking at their history and stories, followed by a close examination at how South Africans view community, their lessons on living together, forgiving one-another, and moving forward. Cape Town, South Africa is a medley of sheer natural splendor, beautiful weather, and astounding bio-diversity. From "Table Mountain" dwarfing the city center and the sunny...
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