Course Descriptions & Bios,
2017 Summer Study Abroad in Cape Town

Founded in 1652, Cape Town, South Africa, is affectionately called “the Mother City.” Once home to many leaders of the anti-apartheid movement and only 6 miles from Robben Island, the infamous penitentiary where Nelson Mandela was held, Cape Town today is a thriving egalitarian multicultural metropolis. It is considered one of the most beautiful urban areas in the world, with the backdrop of flat-topped Table Mountain juxtaposed by the sweep of the Atlantic Ocean. The setting, combined with its complex history and culture, makes Cape Town an ideal base for your Study Abroad experience.

Each student in the program will be required to take the following two courses (students who have already completed one or both of the courses will have the option of taking an NRM or RELS 49 independent studies course for 3 units credit): Religious Studies 1: Introduction to Religious Study taught by Eric Thompson, and Natural Resources 12: Introduction to Environmental Conservation taught by Joel Neuberg.

Religious Studies 1: Introduction to Religious Study; taught by Eric Thompson

3 units; transfers to CSU/UC; Grade or P/NP

This course introduces the study of religion as a critical, academic discipline. It will explore the meaning, origins and function of religion, and illustrate these by drawing on myths, rituals, symbols, and beliefs from cultures all over the globe and through human history.  

In this South African permutation, the examples of religious phenomena studied will emphasize what is available locally: Indigenous shamanic practices of the San peoples of the Kalahari Desert, as well as the centuries-old Catholic, Reformed Protestant, and Jewish immigrant and colonial communities; since the oldest artifacts made by human beings ever found were found here, a large part of the course will trace scholarly attempts to reconstruct the origin and evolution of religion over the last 100,000 years.

Eric Thompson has taught Religion at SRJC since 1990, and has been a full time member of the Philosophy, Humanities and Religion Department since 2001. His current research interest is focused on the evolution of religion in the human species. He has vast experience in traveling, as well as in knowledge of religions related to world history, cultures, and languages. His primary passions are ancient religious literature, the arts (especially theatre), and encountering the natural world. In addition to teaching Religious Studies, Myth and ancient Hebrew at the college, he also teaches, directs and acts in local theatres, goes backpacking, and rides a bicycle for transportation.

Natural Resources 12: Introduction to Environmental Conservation; taught by Joel Neuberg

3 units; transfers to CSU/UC; Grade or P/NP.

This is an introductory course in the management and conservation of natural resources as related to the basic needs of society: food, shelter, water, forage, minerals, recreation, and wilderness. Includes an examination of how economic interests and cultural values affect the management of the earth’s renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Studying Conservation of Natural Resources in South Africa, approximately equal in land area, population and coastline to the combined states of California, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona, will allow us to compare how different societies have met the challenges of utilizing and conserving the resources available to them. Field trips to parks, wildlife preserves and the Kalahari Desert provide an opportunity to observe how humans have interacted with desert, forest, and coastal environments and what the prospects are for sustaining their and our societies.

SRJC adjunct librarian and instructor in the Agriculture/Natural Resources Department, Joel Neuberg has worked in National, State and Regional Parks, National Forests and BLM wilderness areas in the Western U.S. as well as in agricultural cooperatives in Niger, West Africa, and Israel. He is particularly interested in the global nature of resource management issues, and has traveled to dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. A founding member of the Alliance for the Study of the Holocaust at Sonoma State University, Joel has volunteered with the Peace Corps and the Student Conservation Association. His hobbies include backpacking, cross-country skiing, reading, walking, and travel.

Both instructors will incorporate field trips in their teachings. Examples of field trips include:
•    Museum visits and tours, such as to the District Six Museum, Jewish Museum, and St. George’s Cathedral
•    Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds and Boulder’s Beach penguin colony
•    Lynedoch Eco Village and Stellenbosch Winery
•    Aerial tramway to Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
•    Garden Route multi-day excursion that includes private game reserve, Wilderness National Park, and elephant bushwalk
•    Kalahari multi-day excursion that includes Augrabies Falls National Park and Riemvasmaak Community Conservatory
•    Franschhoek Bastille Festival and Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve