Education Abroad

WMNST 399, The Quest for Reproductive Justice in South Africa, is a study abroad opportunity offered during Maymester. This course examines the history, aims and politics of the struggle for Reproductive Justice in contemporary South Africa. It explores the centrality of colonial reproductive violence to the conquest and colonization of the region that became South Africa, including the following themes: the ongoing effects of racialized and gendered colonial reproductive violence in contemporary South Africa; obstacles to attaining sexual and reproductive justice in contemporary South Africa; the emergence and aims of the Reproductive Justice framework; and organized community struggles underway to attain sexual and reproductive justice.

The course will provide classroom and experiential learning opportunities through numerous field trips to public health sites and leading reproductive justice community organizations, such as the South African Women’s Legal Center, a feminist law firm dedicated to reproductive justice, advocacy and education, and training, and Sisonke, a nonprofit organization dedicated to decriminalizing sex work.

In the past, students have visited loveLife, a South African non-profit organization in Langa, a township in Cape Town. This non-profit was established in 1999 as a joint initiative of leading South African non-governmental organizations, privation foundations, and the South African government.

Students will be evaluated on three criteria:

• Participation: attendance and class discussion
• Journal Entries: field trip reflections
• Research Assignment: produced in support of the South African Women’s Legal Centre