The Dakar, Senegal program, offered through Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ affiliation with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), is based at L'Institut Superieur de Droit de Dakar (ISDD). ISDD offers degrees in Law and has a Senegalese student body. The special attraction of this program is its focus on interaction with the local population, not as folklore but in everyday life circumstances.
As a developing nation, Senegal offers a wonderful opportunity to examine the influence of European and American culture on traditional societies. It also gives the students a chance to look at their own culture from a very different point of view, to perfect their language skills in French (and learn basic Wolof) and engage fully in West African life through placement with local host families, internships with local schools and NGOs, participation in ISDD student activities and through independent exploration.