Undergraduate and Graduate
Programs
For undergraduate students,
African Studies at Penn is an
interdisciplinary program that
provides a broad understanding
of the continentâs historical
and cultural diversity. A Certificate
in African Studies is available
for M.A. and Ph.D. students
matriculating in any of Pennâs
graduate programs.
Study Abroad Opportunities
Through its Office of International
Programs, the University of
Pennsylvania, in conjunction
with Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and
Swarthmore Colleges, has established
undergraduate study-abroad programs
with five African universities.
Penn serves as the lead institution
for this reciprocal academic
and cultural exchange among
African institutions and the
consortium member schools. The
African institutions involved
in this collaboration are the
UniversitŽ Gaston Berger,
Saint-Louis Du SŽnŽgal,
the University of Zimbabwe,
University of Nairobi, the University
of Dar-es-Salaam, and the University
of Ghana at Legon.
The School of Engineering and
Applied Science (SEAS) cooperates
with the School of Arts and
Sciences (SAS) to administer
a unique international program
of cultural and technological
exchange. The Technology for
Education program is designed
to respond to the needs of African
countries for Internet technology
in their educational systems
and provides Penn undergraduates
with an opportunity for first-hand
experience with different cultures.
The program has both Penn classroom
and African on-site components.
At Penn, students study African
cultures and societies while
learning to set up computer
laboratories, network them,
and connect them to the Internet.
In Africa, they train local
individuals in the use and maintenance
of computers. During the summers
of 2000 and 2001, teams of Penn
faculty and students helped
set up computer and electronics
laboratories in universities
and secondary schools in Bamako,
Mali, and Kumasi, Ghana.
Demographics Training and Research
The African Demography Program
has produced more than 40 Ph.D.s,
sponsored numerous post-doctoral
researchers, and hosted frequent
short-term visiting scholars.
The Population Studies Center
has an extensive network of
and close ties to many universities
and research institutions throughout
Africa. The demography program
offers students the opportunity
to collaborate with African
researchers in both Francophone
and Anglophone Africa. Recent
ASC activities revolve around
two major projects: The African
Census Analysis Project (ACAP)
and the Social Networks Project.
The African Census Analysis
Project
The African Census Analysis
Project is a collaborative initiative
between the University of Pennsylvania
and African institutions specializing
in demographic research and
training. This initiative is
designed to maximize the use
of African census micro-data
for academic and policy oriented
research that will be beneficial
both to African governments
and individuals interested in
African population studies.
Social Networks Projects
The role of social networks
in changing attitudes and behavior
regarding family size, family
planning, and HIV/AIDS in Kenya
and Malawi is the focus of these
projects. The Center received
funding to explore the patterning
of intrafamilial support systems
and to measure how those support
systems are sensitive to changes
in family member health status.
