Academics
Learning objectives
The ACM Tanzania: Ecology and Human Origins program aims to help students learn about the centrality, the methods, and the rewards of field work for knowledge in both the social and natural sciences.
Designed for majors in the natural and social sciences, the program combines field research with cultural immersion in East Africa and has three overall learning goals:
- To deepen knowledge of ecological, human evolutionary, and behavioral issues through extensive field inquiry at unique sites, first-hand experience, and coursework;
- To develop an understanding of Tanzanian society, and cross-cultural literacy through cultural immersion; and
- To develop a working knowledge of Kiswahili sufficient to speak with local people and read newspapers and other materials.
Photo courtesy of Ethan Mamer.
At the heart of the program is the field practicum, in which students engage in guided independent and collaborative field work utilizing the ecological and paleoanthropological sites – or the communities at these sites – for which Tanzania is known. The goal is for students to gain first-hand practical experience in framing answerable questions, identifying testable hypotheses, finding appropriate data, analyzing and presenting results, and working in a community of field inquiry. Courses in Kiswahili, research methods, the ecology of East Africa, and human origins, taught by ACM and University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) faculty, prepare students for the field component; beginning at UDSM when students first arrive, the courses continue throughout the semester. Living arrangements – in UDSM residence halls at the beginning of the program, in tent camps while in the field, and with host families in Dar es Salaam toward the end of the program – provide students with a range of immersive experiences in both urban and rural areas. The program concludes with students’ presentation of their research projects to members of the academic community in Dar es Salaam.
At the end of the program, students should be able to frame an answerable question, write a proposal, conduct a field investigation, present results, and develop individual work within a community of inquiry. In addition, they should have a working command of Kiswahili adequate for daily interactions with Tanzanians and an understanding of contemporary Tanzania.
Academic overview
The Tanzania Program is a fall semester program for well-prepared, motivated students seeking to study and conduct field work in the natural and social sciences. The program is both physically and academically challenging, and is intended for well-qualified students with strong recommendations from faculty. After an orientation period, students begin the program taking the director's research methods course and a Kiswahili language course. Two additional courses on human evolution and ecology at the University of Dar es Salaam begin several weeks later.
Midway through the semester, students embark on a six-week field practicum at Tarangire National Park, where they spend two weeks visiting major field sites in northern Tanzania’s Rift Valley, along with four weeks at a permanent tent camp where each student’s days are divided among planning, data-gathering on site, data-assessment, and collaborative assistance to other projects.
For the final month of the semester, students will be back in Dar es Salaam preparing for their final papers, exams, and presentations.
Program credit
All students who complete an ACM off-campus study program receive a grade report which lists their courses, credits, and grades; ACM recommends 16 semester credits for the Tanzania program. Most colleges accept this grade report as an official academic document. If a college requires an official academic transcript, ACM can arrange to have a transcript issued through Beloit College for a $350 processing fee. To request an official transcript, students must make a formal request through ACM.