Study Abroad in South Africa: Democracy, Development, Diplomacy—and Lions

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Schar School students walk with the lions at the Ukutula Conservation Center and Biobank. Photos provided

In the days before the 2025 fall semester began, graduate students from the Schar School of Policy and Governmentat George Mason University ventured some 8,000 miles away from the Arlington, Virginia, campus to South Africa to take part in an academically rigorous study-abroad programhosted in partnership with the University of Pretoria.

Democracy, Development, and Diplomacy is a three-credit "global intensive" course set against the backdrop of South Africa's first coalition government since 1994. The program challenged students to critically evaluate how domestic politics intersect with development strategies, regional security, and international diplomacy.

The course provided demanding case studies in governance adaptation and policy implementation, deepening students' understanding of democratic transitions and international relations in practice.

"Study-abroad programs like this are invaluable to our students," said Michal Malur, the Schar School's director of external programswho served as part of the course leadership. "They strengthen résumés, expand global networks, and give students a perspective that simply cannot be gained in the classroom alone."

Former Associate Dean Thys van Schaik, who has curated the program itinerary for two decades, once again led this year's initiative. He emphasized that courses such as Democracy, Development, and Diplomacy play a vital role in advancing the mission of higher education.

"Study abroad transforms education. It's not just about what students learn in lectures, it's about how they live the lessons, experience the world firsthand and carry those insights into their careers and lives," said van Schaik.

Academic sessions were held in Cape Town, Pretoria, and Johannesburg. Highlights included a panel on coalition governance and South Africa's 2024 political transformation; briefings at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on foreign policy and global security; and an in-depth exploration of constitutional design and legitimacy at Constitutional Hill, guided by judicial and academic experts.

Students also engaged in focused discussions on conservation, restorative justice, and biodefense with specialists at leading research institutes, reinforcing the connection between theoretical frameworks and real-world challenges.

"We weren't just reading about democratic transitions," said biodefense master's student Kate Groves, "we were hearing directly from policymakers."

German Acosta, a public administration master's student, added that "the combination of site visits and lectures gave me a broader global perspective."

The program's experiential learning extended beyond the classroom and involved the local wildlife. In addition to spotting whales off the scenic coast of Cape Good Hope, a visit to the Ukutula Conservation Center and Biobank, a cutting-edge educational research hub for mammal and predator conservation, students engaged-safely and ethically-with a pride of lions. The lions are part of the center's reproductive research on species that are keystones to African ecosystems.

Schar School students met dignitaries at South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria.

For more information on the Schar School's study-abroad offerings, visit abroad.gmu.edu. Ben Main is a master of international security student in the Schar School.