Day & Time:  Mondays @ 6pm - 7:30 PM 
Credit-related Details:  ZULU (Zulu in Residence)
RSVP to:  mbeje@sas.upenn.edu(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail)

Credit: 0.5 CU

Location: W.E.B. Du Bois College House | Seminar Room A 

Join the Zulu in Residence Program Community (PC) to learn (about) the language and culture of the Zulu people of South Africa in the comfort of a much relaxed environment of the Du Bois College House!  
 
You can join the Zulu in Residence PC for credit (0.5 CU) and/or just for fun to engage with members of the PC. If you are interested in earning credit for the PC, it is listed as ZULU 0800 680.  You can only sign up for credit during the Course Selection Period; so, keep in mind the deadline for Fall course selections!

Program Description
 

Du Bois College House is committed to advancing the legacy of Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois through programs that share knowledge and experience of people of African descent.  The Zulu in Residence program will expose students to the language and culture of the Zulu people of South Africa in a semi-formal and relaxed setting in Du Bois College House.  The program is designed to impart basic communicative skills and cultural nuances embedded in the use of the Zulu language. Unlike students of other world languages and cultures such as European languages which are easily accessible through various media and speech communities in this country, students interested in African languages and creoles spoken in the African diaspora face the challenge of cultural distance due to lack of exposure to these languages and cultures in their immediate environments.  The program will bridge this cultural gap by engaging students through movies, songs, pertinent museum experience, and cultural activities available on the internet. Students will also engage in hands-on activities to make and experience Zulu cultural products, e.g. Zulu food.  The program also will provide a space for students to make conscious linguistic and cultural comparisons between Zulu and other dialects of English and/or creoles spoken by people of African descent in the diaspora, e.g. features of Ebonics (African American Vernacular) that are similar to those of Zulu as well as some loan words from African languages into language varieties of the African diaspora such as “kata” (Jamaican Patois) and “inkatha” (Zulu) for a roll of cloth on top of the head to cushion the skull from the weight of a head load.  Students will perceive language varieties of the African diaspora as systematic and logical dialects with features that can be traced to African language systems.  There will also be discussions of the influence of the African diaspora on cultures in Africa, e.g. African-American influence on Zulu music.

Please note: students interested in this course community do not have to apply for this particular community; however, you will need to indicate Du Bois College House as your top housing interest when completing the housing application. 

Opportunities:  Zulu in Residence participants will be eligible to apply for the Fulbright-Hays Zulu Group Project Abroad (GPA) in South Africa during the summer.  For more details on the Fulbright-Hays Zulu GPA, reach out to Dr. Audrey Mbeje, Director of the Fulbright-Hays Zulu GPA in South Africa.