The University is offering a new “Bucknell in” study abroad program next semester in Ghana, Africa. The course, entitled “Migrations: From Africa to America and the (Re) Making of Community,” will allow students to understand the experiences of African people before, during, and after the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its present-day effects for African descendants in North America.

Approximately 45 percent of University students partake in an off-campus study experience, one that gives students new global and cultural perspectives that translate into study and life. The spring 2016 trip to Ghana is one of those opportunities for personal and educational enrichment.

“Bucknell in Ghana is the first Bucknell semester program outside of Europe and therefore provides a completely different perspective on culture and global learning,” Dr. Stephen Kodjo Appiah-Padi, Director of the Office of Global & Off-campus Education, said. 

“Because it is directly attached to a local university in Ghana, students on this program have the chance of attending classes with other international and local students for deeper immersion into the African culture,” Appiah-Padi said.

The program includes a weekend homestay with an African family, field trips that enhance course material, and other potential instances for cultural awareness. Potential field trips may include the National Museum of Ghana, Makola Market, The W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture, and the Kakum National Park, among a variety of others.

“The idea is to give students the opportunity to know more about Ghanaian culture. This, as well as the field trips and attendance at cultural events, should get students to further experience African life in Ghana,” Appiah-Padi said. 

Although the course does involve some traveling, Bucknell in Ghana will be based at the University of Cape Coast, which provides some of the best educational opportunities in Ghana.

While this Bucknell in Ghana program is open to all University students, it will probably be best suited for majors/minors in Africana Studies or those interested in learning about international relations/development, education, or other humanities from an African lens.