Study Abroad with DIAS | Academic Program

Being Senegalese, I thought the DIAS program would not teach me anything new about Senegal. However, I was proven wrong. I believe DIAS is the best study abroad program in Senegal because of many factors. I will choose three reasons.

Firstly, DIAS does not have a "one size fits all" model like many other study abroad programs. In other words, the program does not recycle goals and procedures from previous years. Instead, DIAS centers its students and makes sure their time in Senegal is useful in furthering their academic and personal interests. Being a heritage learner, I was accommodated accordingly with more classroom hours and an advanced wolof instructor.

Second, DIAS' African Studies courses are unlike any I could find in my home university. The professors were all Africanists with doctorates in their field. I learned about Africa, from Africans and with African texts and sources. I always left class stunned at how far my professors had pushed me intellectually.

Third, DIAS provides a comprehensive study abroad experience in Senegal. DIAS makes sure its students do not engage with Senegal in a superficial way. The program places students in internships all around Dakar, places students in local families for home stays and the students take courses with local Senegalese students from the University of Chiekh Anta Diop. From the beginning, students are not Americans in Senegal but residents within Senegal.

I would do the program all over again in a heartbeat. I am very pleased with my experience and would highly recommend the program to any student, regardless of their academic background.

If you are interested in an experience where your perception of the world is challenged then this program is perfect. The academic environment provided by DIAS promotes an immersion approach to both French and Wolof languages as well as other interesting courses. Most specifically these other courses allow for the opportunity to learn in a classroom in which you can engage in conversation with other Senegalese students, providing a unique entry into African Studies, and other related disciplines. In regards to the housing situation, the host families that DIAS provides are amazing. Personally, I am still in contact with my host family as they were and are people that are very welcoming and hospitable. Being in a new country that is so different from our Western way of life, having a host family that is understanding and helpful makes the world of a difference. If you are interested in travelling this program is also a fit. DIAS does a great job in balancing the class schedule and the experiential learning that is done through the field trips. The field trips to other places in Senegal allow you to become closer to not only the other American students in your program but to also establish true friendships with the Senegalese peers. Altogether, this program was very formative for me and I apply a lesson I learned via this program in my everyday life.