Participants will enroll in a second eight-weeks honors seminar course titled “History and Heritage in South Africa." On campus, the course will trace the origins and evolution of South African racial segregation, known as apartheid; examine the multiracial and global struggle against apartheid, 1948-1994; and consider post-apartheid efforts at racial and national reconciliation after 1994. After the end of the semester, students will take their knowledge abroad to walk in the footsteps of this history during a two-week continuation of the program in South Africa.
Learn more about History and Heritage in South Africa
Study in South Africa will take place May 11-24, 2026.*
Please note that this program includes a second eight-weeks spring semester course that will meet on campus.
*All travel dates are tentative and subject to international travel restrictions.
October 16-17, 2025
| Online "Walk-in" Hours Daily, 3:00-5:00pm |
September 19, 2025 Hutton Honors Study Abroad Fair | 12:00-2:00pm HHC Great Room |
Course Title: HON-H251: History and Heritage in South Africa
Academic Director & Instructor: Alex Lichtenstein
Syllabus Description:
The course itself asks students to trace the evolution of South African racial segregation, known as apartheid. Beginning with the discovery of gold in the 1880s, we will examine the development of both African and Afrikaner(white) nationalism in the context of an industrializing society based on migrant, the development of apartheid after 1948, the growing resistance to racial domination, the liberation of the country with the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994, and post-apartheid efforts at racial and national reconciliation. The trip will begin in Johannesburg and conclude in Cape town, with a visit to Robben island prison, a world heritage site, with many stops along the way, giving students a rich sense of the country’s diverse populations and multiple historical narratives.
This dramatic story will be greatly enhanced by travelling to South Africa in order to show students the crucial sites of history and to ask them to contemplate the process of recent heritage, commemoration, and memorialization in a still racially-divided society committed, at least rhetorically, to the process of racial reconciliation. Such a trip will help students put present and past into dialogue as they seek to understand colonialism, racism, apartheid, resistance, and their multiple and contested legacies in an African context. It will also give them some analytical tools for thinking more generally about how history and heritage can be presented to the public through museums, memorials, and other interpretive displays.
Daily excursions, including:
- Cape Town city walk
- District Six Museum
- Cape Malay cuisine cooking class
- Table Mountain and urban landscaping
- Apartheid Museum
- Voortrekker Monument
- Sophiatown and Soweto and Sharpeville
- Underground gold mine
- Theater and musical performances
- Excursions to Robben Island and Pilansberg National Park
Program participants will stay in two different hotels during their stay in South Africa, one in each of the program's host cities. Each hotel was selected in coordination with in-country partners to provide a combination of convenience, safety, and affordability for the program participants.
Program Fee - $3400*
The program fee includes domestic flights within South Africa between program host cities, airport transfers in country, accommodations, most meals, transportation to and from all excursion sites, entry fees to all museums, historical sites, and excursions, student travel insurance, and administrative fees.
*Program fee is subject to change due to unforeseeable circumstances.
IUB Tuition
If you are enrolled as a full-time student during the spring semester and enroll in HON-H251 as part of your block credits, there is no additional tuition cost to participate in History and Heritage in South Africa.
Additional Variable Costs
Variable costs are paid before and after you arrive in South Africa as you pay for roundtrip international airfare, meals not covered by the program, snacks, souvenirs, and personal expenses. You are advised to budget approximately $30 per day to cover these costs.
Note: The program fee will appear on your bursar bill and is paid directly to IU. See the program fee sheet for more details.
Scholarships
All admitted program participants are awarded an automatic HIEP Hutton Honors Study Abroad Scholarship of $500 applied directly to the program fee. No separate application is required.
Additionally, applicants to Hutton Honors Study Abroad programs may be considered for additional merit and need-based scholarships. If finances will be a barrier to participating in your study abroad experience, we invite you to apply for these awards. Please submit your application no later than your program's final application deadline.
Note: Program participants are not eligible to apply for the HIEP Grant.
Please see the IU Education Abroad Office website for more information on other available scholarships and financial aid opportunities.