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 six-week field component, in which students conduct original research utilizing the ecological and paleoanthropological sites – or the communities at these sites – for which Tanzania is known. 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. Housing arrangements – in UDSM residence halls at the beginning of the program, in tent field camps during the research component, 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 a question, write a proposal, conduct a field investigation, and present results. 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. Students start the fall semester taking a Kiswahili language course and two additional courses on human evolution and ecology at the University of Dar es Salaam.
Midway through the semester, students embark on a six-week field project at Tarangire National Park, where they will be living in an established campsite and conducting their field projects, while continuing with some of their other classwork.
For the final month of the semester, students will be back in Dar es Salaam preparing for their final papers, exams, and presentations.