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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 May 2016
People who have tasted only their mother’s soup have no basis to say that it is the best.
—African Proverb
Despite economic uncertainty and political instability in many regions of the world, U.S. students continue to study abroad in increasing numbers. Recently released data indicate that in academic year 2000-2001, the number of undergraduates who participated in study-abroad programs increased by 7 percent over the previous year. Yet, only 1 percent of U.S. undergraduates study abroad during their college tenures. Of this 1 percent, just under 3 percent participate in Africa-based programs.
1. Open Doors 2003, Institute for International Education, press release, November 18, 2002.
2. Open Doors 1992, Institute for International Education, 1992.
3. Open Doors 2003, press release.
4. See Larry Bowman et al. ’s report in this issue.
5. Open Doors 2003, press release.
6. Open Doors 1986, Institute for International Education, 1987.
7. There are, of course, a number of U.S institutions that take study abroad very seriously. For example, the most recent complete edition of Open Doors for academic year 1999–2000 reports that at more than 30 liberal arts colleges in the United States, more than half of the students study abroad during their undergraduate tenures. Among major universities, mere are examples of campuses that have made study abroad central to their undergraduate missions. Michigan State University, for example, has a target of 40 percent of undergraduates studying abroad for the class of 2010.
8. Open Doors 2003, press release.
9. Ibid.
10. Open Doors, Institute for International Education, 1977.
11. Because of the political situation in Zimbabwe, all North American programs in Zimbabwe were suspended during the 2001-2002 academic year.
12. The author could find no empirical data on the impact of language on the selection or development of programs in Africa.
13. The most recent statistics available from 1999-2000 show the following number of students in francophone West and Central Africa: Senegal, 180; Mali, 82; Cameroon, 53; Madagascar, 48; Benin, 29; Côte d’Ivoire, 22; Niger, 22; and Burkina Faso, 3.
14. Only 388 U.S. undergraduates studied in Egypt last year in spite of the privileged position of Egypt in the K-12 curriculum. Of course, these numbers reflect real security concerns. Last year, Morocco hosted 132 students and Tunisia hosted 9.
15. Of the former Portuguese colonies, only Mozambique hosted students (12) last year.
16. Reported in Pires, Mark et al., “Study Abroad in Africa: A Survey,” African Issues 18, nos. 1 & 2 (2000): 7 Google Scholar.
17. Ibid.
18. Calculated from the National Consortium for Study in Africa online searchable database of African programs. See http://www.isp.msu.edu/ncsa.
19. For detailed information on the disciplinary focus of U.S. programs in Africa, see Pires et al., 9.
21. In 1996, NCSA sponsored a workshop that brought together directors of 17 leading U.S. African studies programs and senior administrators of the study abroad offices at these institutions. We were shocked to learn that at only three of the 17 institutions had the two individuals representing their respective offices actually met each other before attending the NCSA meeting.
22. These guidelines have been distributed widely to African studies programs and study abroad offices. In addition, they were published in African Issues 18, nos. 1 & 2 (2000): 36-37.
23. To their credit, some U.S. liberal arts colleges with exchange programs at African universities regularly provide funds for students from partner universities to study at their campuses for a semester or an academic year.
24. For more evidence of African university perspectives on the benefits (and problems) of hosting U.S. undergraduates, see John Metzler, “Strengthening Reciprocity in Study Abroad Programs in Africa”; Ranga Zinyemba, “African Perspectives on Programs for North American Students: The Experience of the University of Zimbabwe”; Penina Mlama, “African Perspectives on Programs for North American Students: The Experience of the University of Dar-es-Salaam”; Dolphyne, Florence Abena, “African Perspectives on Programs for North American Students: The Experience of the University of Ghana-Legon,” all in African Issues 18, nos. 1 & 2 (2000)Google Scholar.
