• Description

  The goal of this program is to provide students with an introduction to basic health care issues in Botswana. Through coursework focusing on pre-professional health care issues, a community health practicum, direct enrollment in University of Botswana public and environmental health courses, and a rich and challenging social environment, students gain a holistic appreciation and understanding of health and health care, and obstacles to achieving it in Botswana. Additionally, the program aims to equip students with basic Setswana language speaking skills.

  Academic Program
  The Community Public Health program is designed to provide students with a focused look at public and environmental health issues in Botswana. At the CIEE Study Center at the University of Botswana in Gaborone, students have the opportunity to become fully integrated into the campus community. Students on this program enroll in a combination of required CIEE courses and regular university courses at the University of Botswana. The CIEE Community Health Practicum includes both an urban community service practicum in and around Gaborone as well as a weeklong experience living and volunteering in a rural village. Students gain a holistic appreciation and understanding of health and healthcare and obstacles to achieving it in Botswana. Additionally, the program aims at equipping students with basic Setswana speaking skills. Students may only participate in this program for one semester but may continue their studies for a second semester by participating in the CIEE Arts and Sciences program in Gaborone.

  Academic Culture
  Students are required to undertake a full program of courses and complete all prescribed assignments and written examinations. University classes normally involve a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, and laboratories.

  Students often notice striking differences between their home educational system and that of the University of Botswana. The University's academic environment is part of the challenge of studying in Botswana. Following the British model, this system offers a less structured environment that requires students to take greater responsibility and initiative. Professors expect a great deal of individual study.

  Learning by rote is the model most often used in classes. This entails professors reading from notes or books, with the expectation that students copy word for word their recitation. Most University classes are very large, thus making classroom interaction with the professor very rare. For example, lectures may involve as many as 100 students, while tutorials and seminars have smaller class sizes, ranging from 15 to 25 students. The system is geared toward the serious student who is motivated and self-sufficient. CIEE courses are small and interactive and reflect a combination of U.S. and Botswana academic cultures.

  This semester program includes one week of orientation, fourteen teaching weeks, a one week mid-semester break, and two weeks of examinations.

  The CIEE Study Center follows the University of Botswana academic calendar, with additional time for orientation at the start of the semester. The fall semester runs from late July to early December and the spring from early January to early May.

• Highlights

• Understand contemporary health issues by participating in a community health practicum in urban and rural health clinics
  
• Take an innovative course that examines HIV/AIDS and other community health issues in Botswana; directly enroll in university courses focusing on public and environmental health
  
• Learn firsthand about rural public health issues and the relationship between modern and traditional medicine through a multi-day stay in a rural village

Cultural Activities
Students participate in a variety of local and regional excursions. These may include trips to the Gaborone Game Reserve, the National Museum, the Kolobeng Ruins (the remains of David Livingstone's 1840 mission), the Jwaneng diamond mine, and the Kalahari Desert. A multi-day safari to the Okavango River Delta is a highlight of the program each semester. This program includes additional activities with a specific public and environmental health focus.

There are numerous options for community engagement. These may include a Work-Camp Association in which on-campus groups build houses during a two-week program; UB Human Rights Organization; SAHA (Students Against HIV/AIDS); Princess Marina Hospital, which is ideal for students in the health sciences; and the United Nations.