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Off-Campus Study in Dakar, Florence, and Paris with Wells College wells.edu

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Dakar Courses Offerings

These courses are offered by various departments and institutes at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), or at the West African Research Center (WARC).

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The mission of the Wells College Program is to introduce students to the history, culture, and language of West and Francophone Africa through courses and life with host families, in order to improve their proficiency in French while obtaining some knowledge of Wolof.  By utilizing the resources and courses offered by our partners including the Université Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), and the West African Research Center (WARC), Wells is able to offer a comprehensive list of courses in an integrated learning environment that maximizes academic and cultural learning.

The Université Cheikh Anta Diop offers French courses through the Institut de Français pour Etrangers (IFE) and opportunities to enroll in regular university courses (taught in French) in history, African or Afro-American literature, political science, sociology, archeology, religion, and geography.  

Sample courses:
  1. Languages & Linguistics
    1. French Composition
    2. French Grammar
    3. Stylistics and advanced composition
    4. Translation I (French to English)
    5. Translation II (English to French)
    6. Wolof
  2. Literature
    1. Introduction to African literatures
    2. African Tales in oral literature
    3. Literature from English speaking Africa
    4. Literature of French speaking Africa
    5. Literature of the West Indies
    6. West African oral tradition
  3. History
    1. Education in Sénégal from 1850 to 1920
    2. History of Islam in Black Africa
    3. History of Islam in Senegal from the 10th to the 20th Century
    4. La Sénégambie (1900-1960)
    5. Unité des religions africaines
    6. Sénégal: Twenty years of crisis (1920 to 1940)
  4. Philosophy & Religion
    1. African Philosophy
    2. History of Muslim thought
    3. Islamic Philosophy
  5. Sociology & present-day West African Society
    1. Gender and Development
    2. Conflicts Resolution
    3. African Political systems
    4. Rural Sociology
    5. Urban Sociology
  6. Arts
    1. African Art History
    2. African dance
    3. Traditional African instruments
    4. African Film with Focus on Senegalese Cinema

“I could not have asked for a better program for studying in Dakar. The Wells program was perfect “melange” of independence and group activities and voyages. I will never, ever forget the experiences I had both living and studying in Dakar, experiences of which will continue to impact me throughout the rest of my life.” —S.R., University of New Hampshire

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“I could not have asked for a better program for studying in Dakar. The Wells program was perfect “melange” of independence and group activities and voyages. I will never, ever forget the experiences I had both living and studying in Dakar, experiences of which will continue to impact me throughout the rest of my life.” —S.R., University of New Hampshire