Study Abroad in Stellenbosch: Courses
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Most courses meet for 45 contact hours and are recommended for 3 semester credits (shown in parentheses) although 4 and 2-credit courses are also available. All courses listed are taught in English. These courses are just a selection of those offered on the AIFS programs at the Stellenbosch University. Courses may change at the discretion of the university.
General Education Program Courses
These courses were designed by Stellenbosch University to give international students an introduction to, and understanding of, South Africa. Students may choose up to two General Education courses as well as the 9-credit Global Service Learning course and can also select courses from the Full Curriculum.Afrikaans: Language and Culture 104/204 (3) | Afrikaans for Beginners
Art 106/206 (4) | Photography: Short Course in Digital Photography and Picture Framing
Education and Social Justice 214/314 (3) | Equity, Leadership and Transformation in the Global Classroom
Genetics: Sustainable Agriculture XXX (2) | Community Gardening for Improved Living
Geography / Environmental Studies 314/414 (3) | Disaster Risk Management (Spring Only)
The number of disasters and their associated losses are rising globally, and the potential for disasters is increasing with climate change. On the African continent, the risk of disasters reflects interrelated developmental challenges such as rapid urban growth, informality, weak governance and poor planning. Disasters in turn, undermine development at all scales, indicating an urgent need to reduce their frequency and impact.
This module focuses on the concept of disaster risk reduction, illustrating why it should form an integral part of contemporary development planning. It introduces key concepts related to developmental risk reduction and management giving special attention to contemporary urban issues. Demonstrating how disaster risk reduction is incorporated into various contemporary global agendas it then shifts to focusing more explicitly on African risk and development, illustrating the importance of strengthening urban risk management on our rapidly developing continent. The fundamentals of disaster risk management are explained, introducing some of the tools currently used in reducing disaster risk. Finally, emerging new issues are explored with a specific focus on the implications of climate change for human development.
Global Health 214/314 (3) | Understanding HIV in South Africa: A Health and Social Justice Perspective
History 114/214 (3) | An Overview of South African History
Political Science/International Relations 312/412 (3) | Gender and Identity in Africa
Political Science/International Relations 322/422 (3) | Transitional Justice in Africa
Sociology 311/411 (3) | Politics and Cultural Change in Contemporary South Africa
Xhosa: Language and Culture 114/214 (3) | Xhosa for Beginners
Full Curriculum Program (Mainstream Classes)
Each semester a series of English elective courses are offered in Stellenbosch. These change every semester but below is a list of courses AIFS students have taken in the past. Information on the new courses for your semester can be obtained from the AIFS Resident Director.
Faculty of Agri-Sciences
Agriculture; Agronomy; Aquaculture; Biochemistry; Conservation Ecology; Epidemiology; Farming; Food Sciences and Policy; Geography and Environmental Studies; Plant Genetics; Soil Sciences; Viticulture and Wine Biotechnology
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Ancient Cultures; Art History; Drama; Ethnomusicology; Fine Arts; History; International Studies (Political Science); Languages (African languages, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Latin, Sign Language, Spanish); Literature; Music; Philosophy; Psychology; Sociology; Social Anthropology; Theatre Arts, Visual Studies
Faculty of Economic and Management Services
Business; Business Ethics; Computer Science; Economics; Entrepreneurship; Industrial Psychology; Information Systems; Logistics / Quantitative Management; Marketing; Mathematics; Operations Research; Project Management
Faculty of Science
Anatomy; Applied Mathematics; Biochemistry; Biodiversity and Ecology; Biology; Botany; Chemistry; Earth Sciences Genetics; Geology; Microbiology; Physics; Sport Science; Zoology
Faculty of Theology
Biblical Hebrew; Ecclesiology; Missiology; Old and New Testament; Practical Theology; Systematic Theology
Below is a selection of courses which have been taken by international students at Stellenbosch University. There are many more courses available and the AIFS Admissions Officer and AIFS Resident Director can advise you of your options related to your field of study or interest.
Biodiversity and Ecology 214/314 (4) (January to June only) | Principles of Ecology
Biology 144/244 (4) (July to November only) | Biodiversity and Ecology
Biometry 242/342 (2) (July to November only) | Applications in Biometry
Conservation Ecology 212/312 (3) (January to June only) | Conserving Nature
Conservation Ecology 344/444 (4) (July to November only) | Conservation in Social-Ecological Systems
Economics 114/214 or 144/244 (3) | Macro and Microeconomics
English 314/414 (2) (January to June only) | African-American Experiences
English 348/448 (2) (July to November only) | Exploring South Africanness in Recent Fiction
Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management 214/314 (4) (January to June only) | Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Forest Science 212/312 (4) (January to June only) | Natural Forest Ecosystems
Geo-Environmental Science 124/224 (4) (January to June only) | Introduction to Human-Environmental Systems
Geo-Environmental Studies 214/314 (4) (January to June only) | Geographical Information Systems
History 214/314 (3) (January to June only) | Key Processes in the Making of Western History
History 318/418 (3) (January to June only) | Wars, Decolonization and Globalization
Old and New Testament 114/214 (4) (January to June only) | Introduction to the Old and New Testament
Old and New Testament 144/244(4) (July to November only) | Narrative Literature in the Bible
Philosophy 244/344 (4) (July to November only) | Subdisciplines in Philosophy
Political Science 114/214 (3) (January to June only) | Introduction to Political Science
Political Science 144/244 (3) (July to November only) | International Relations and African Politics
Psychology 114/214 (3) (January to June only) | Psychology as a Science
Psychology 144/244 (3) (July to November only) | Psychology in Context
Social Anthropology 252/352 (2) (July to November only) | South African Anthropology
Social Anthropology 324/424 (3) (January to June only) | Culture, Power and Identity
Sociology 212/312 (2) (January to June only) | Poverty, Inequality and Development
Sociology 222/322 (2) (January to June only) | Race
Socio-Informatics 114/214 (3) (January to June only) | The Knowledge Economy and Society
Soil Science 114/214 (4) (January to June only) | Principles of Soil Science
Transport and Logistics Systems 144/244 (3) (July to November only) | Introduction to Transport and Logistics Systems
Global Service Program
Students interested in the Global Service Learning Program must indicate this with their application. Admission is by selection only. Please see the Academics Overview page for details on admission requirements for this program.
Global Service Learning Course (9)
Global Service Learning is an experiential learning program offered by the Global Engagement Centre of Stellenbosch University and presented in collaboration with a local primary school. It comprises 90 class hours and 45 hours of on-site community engagement. The program is situated at the intersection between international education, community engagement, and development education. Using a transdisciplinary approach grounded in complexity theory, it primarily aims to a) harness students’ critical self-reflective capacity to engage with contemporary global issues in a local context, and b) use the community engagement vehicle critically as a tool for social impact.
This program challenges modernist, reductionist notions of development, investigating alternative possibilities in human-centered development, epistemic decolonization, social justice, deep ecology and aesthetic experience.
The aim of this transdisciplinary program is to expose students to a number of different concepts, academic fields and methodologies and based on their academic and practical experience students will be able to construct, articulate, and defend an intellectual stance on the role of educational systems in constructing shared global futures.
Download PDF with full program details on all AIFS South Africa programs!
Download PDF with full program details on all AIFS South Africa, Stellenbosch programs!