Afro-Caribbean History, Politics, and Culture in Jamaica, Summer 2023

NOTE: The Study Abroad Jamaica program is now full and no longer taking applications.

 

  • Course: Merritt College African American Studies 27 (Summer 2023), 3 Units; UC/CSU-transferrable
  • Travel dates: June 7 - June 18, 2023

 

Student Cost
$500.00 USD

Costs include roundtrip airfare from San Francisco to Jamaica, travel insurance while in Jamaica, all hotel and homestay accommodations, all breakfasts and listed hosted meals, all scheduled lectures/museum/ tour entry fees, in-country transportation, and local guide.

Cost does not include your U.S. Passport (roughly $100), tuition (for students), tips, or meals not indicated. Students MUST Plan to bring a maximum of $400 for free time activities, nights out, gifts to bring back to family, and meals not covered on this tour.

 

Payment Deadlines

  • March 27, 2023 – Application/Submission of Pre-Travel Information Forms and Jamaica Study Application. Once received, the program instructor will contact you directly with further information on trip registration and method of payment.
  • April 1, 2023 – $200.00 Non-Refundable Deposit Due
  • June 1, 2023 – Final Payment Due

 

Eligibility

This study abroad program is only open to Peralta students who have taken and passed a minimum of 1 African American Studies Course. All students must enroll in the required summer semester 3-unit course for this class (Afram 27 at Merritt College). Selected students must be in compliance with the Peralta Student Vaccination Policy.

 

Siri-Brown-Head-Shot-1

Dr. Siri Brown recently returned to the African American Studies classroom after serving as the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Success for the Peralta Community College District for over 4 years. As a passionate and committed educator for over 20 years. Dr. Brown has been teaching African American and Ethnic Studies at the community college level and as a part-time faculty at UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies. She holds an M.A. in African American Studies and Ph.D. in U.S. History with an emphasis on Early American, African American, and U.S. Women’s history from The Ohio State University. Her research centers on the racialized legal and social resistance to violence against women. She is a 2012 Fulbright recipient of a research project on the African cultural heritage of Salvador Bahia, Brazil where she focused on the role of African spirituality in the history of resistance to slavery in that region. Dr. Brown has served as Chair of Ethnic Studies and Social Sciences for 10 years. As Chair, she and the faculty in her department led the growth of enrollments, course offerings, and department expansion of full and part-time faculty. Due to her belief in expanding student experiences, she and her colleagues developed an annual study abroad program for diverse and underserved students of color at Merritt and has taken hundreds of students to Jamaica, Ghana, Cuba, and more to learn about the history and culture of the countries and globalize their understanding of the world. To expand in-depth learning experiences, Dr. Brown and her department established the Africana Studies Center at Merritt which holds an original digital and interactive curriculum on African and African American History that is bilingual and exceeds district ADA requirements. Most importantly, Dr. Brown is the great-great-granddaughter of Lula Glaspie Chatham of Carthage Texas a skilled midwife who defied racial and gender lines by traveling through the region assisting in the births and healing of both Black and white patrons. Dr. Brown comes from a long strong family line who believes in fighting for justice and building projects and institutions that express a deep love for Black people. Dr. Brown is also a mother of two sons who are recent graduates of Hampton and Howard Universities.