Tanzania boasts some of the most famous ecological and paleoanthropological sites in the world. The grasslands and savannahs of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire National Park are host to incredible wildlife communities, with elephants, giraffes, lions, and migratory herds of wildebeest, as well as an amazing diversity of primates, birds, and reptiles. These tropical ecosystems are adjacent to the world-heritage sites of Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys made their important discoveries of early hominid remains. Add to this the cultural mix of pastoralist Maasai and Datoga tribes, along with the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers, and you have a combination of ecological, anthropological and cultural resources that is unique to northern Tanzania.
The ACM Tanzania program is designed specifically to take advantage of this unique combination of resources. It is offered each fall semester, and the focus of the program is paleontology, cultural anthropology, and savannah ecology. It combines rigorous classroom instruction at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) with six weeks of field courses and fieldwork in northern Tanzania. At the heart of the program are the individual field research projects in the natural and social sciences, which students develop, carry out, and present over the course of the semester. In the program director’s Research Methods course, taught by a visiting faculty member from an ACM college, students are guided in the development of their projects and learn the techniques that will be needed during their field research in Tarangire National Park. Courses in Kiswahili, Human Evolution, and the Ecology of the Masaai Ecosystem, taught by UDSM faculty, provide students with the background and linguistic preparation necessary for their time in the field.
The program is housed on the UDSM campus, and during the first five weeks participants live in university residence halls and have access to library, cafeteria, and other UDSM facilities. UDSM faculty also serve as advisors for their research projects, helping them to develop and refine their proposals and to evaluate their results. During the six-week fieldwork period, spent in established tent camps, students gather the data for the projects. During the last four weeks of the program, students live with host families, while they analyze, write up, and present their research findings and complete the work for their other three courses.
For more detailed information, please use the links located on the left-hand side of this page.
Quick Facts
- Term: Fall semester
- Language prerequisite: None
- Language of instruction: English (plus Kiswahili language class)
- Living arrangements: Dormitory, campsite, & host family
Application deadlines
March 15, 2011
Fall 2011 semester
If the deadline has passed and you are interested in applying, contact the ACM Office immediately. Late applications may be accepted on a space-available basis.
Related Programs
Program contacts
Emily Gaul
Program Associate
205 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 220
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312.263.5000
egaul@acm.edu
More program contacts »
Publications & Resources
Tanzania program brochure
Tanzania Student Handbook - Fall 2009