Cape Town
South Africa provides an extraordinary physical, historical, and cultural environment for this program. Its physical and geographical features are strikingly diverse, and its cities and towns offer a fascinating mix of people and cultures. Visitors quickly observe the juxtaposition and complexity of its First and Third World elements, and the country�s struggle with political/social/economic/racial issues in a post-apartheid era. It is a county in transition with a host of developmental challenges.

University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town was established in 1829 and services nearly 20,000 students. Most students are participating in undergraduate study while the rest are pursing honors, masters, or doctoral degrees. The student breakdown includes a 50-50 split of gender with 51 percent being white and 49 percent being non-white (coloured, African, or Indian). There are six faculties: Commerce, Engineering, Science, Humanities, Law, and Medicine.


Facilities
The main University of Cape Town campus is divided into three sections. Upper campus is located further up the mountain and houses the majority of academic buildings. Jamieson Hall, a large church structure, falls at the center of upper campus with 100 steps leading to it, referred to as Jammie steps. Surrounding Jamieson Hall are all the other academic buildings. Upper campus itself is quite compact with three levels of buildings and many stairs. Middle campus houses the law school, some residence, and athletic fields. Lower campus includes the majority of residence halls, health services, additional athletic fields, and the pool.

UCT has three other campuses located further from the main campus. The Breakwater campus is located downtown Cape Town and houses mostly the Graduate School of Business. The Hiddingh campus is also located downtown in a different area. It houses theatre classes, some commerce, and various other arts. The medical school campuses are located on main road towards downtown.


Internet Access and Computer Labs
There are several computer labs on campus, but ultimately there are not enough computers for the students. Some labs are restricted for certain faculties, majors, and classes. The network uses a Novell System and you will receive a username and password upon arrival. The computers use a range of Windows versions and make sure you have some diskettes as that is the most common hardware for saving. All computer-related issues are controlled by Information and Communication Technology Services. Here are some of the public labs:

Knowledge Commons: The Knowledge Commons is located across from the library and has the most updated technology. This means it’s the busiest lab on campus. However, it does have the cheapest printing prices. There are three computers available only for printing purposes. Less people are in the lab on Saturday morning.

Baxter Lab: This lab is located in Baxter Dormitory in Lower Campus. It is the easiest access when living off-campus. There are around 40 computers, but it’s not unusual for only half of them to be working. This lab uses some older hardware and only diskettes can be used to save.

Southside Lab: Another relatively large lab open to students located in the Leslie Social Science Building. This lab has higher printing prices and is often busy.

International Office: The International Office has four computers available for some quick email checks or instant messaging. There is not printing and hours aren’t very good, but if you’re on your way up to campus and have some spare time, these computers are often open.

Library: The library has a number of computers which are available for library research and some internet research. The library also has some of the only internet ports for laptops. These are located in cubicles in the Science section, on pillars in the Commerce section, and on various tables in the recent periodicals section. There are various other places where you can plug into an electrical outlet.

NGO Library: Located in the Environment and Geographical Studies department, this little library has four internet ports that are usually open.
Library and Document Services:

The UCT library is relatively large and has a good range of books, although the selection is somewhat outdated. You should not have difficulty doing research on various projects. The library is broken up based on the faculties, commerce, science, and humanities. Located in the basement is the African Studies Library which houses a variety of rare and updated books regarding Africa. It’s quite a collection, but you must request the books and then keep them within the area. Government publications area uses a similar system, but some documents may be removed. You will likely be restricted to checking out only six books at a time for only one week. Several professors make use of the reserve system which has its own desk located on the main floor. Hint: You can access previous exams to study from at the Reserves Desk.

Making copies is quite common on campus. Money for printing and copying can be added at Document Services located a floor down from the library. There are several copiers in the document services area.