ACM Tanzania - Studies in Human Evolution and Ecology

  Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam

Term: Fall 
Dates: Fall semester (July-December)

Description: 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 Masaai 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 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 and Endulen/Laetoli. Courses in Swahili, 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.

Highlights: Courses
*Kiswahili

    Early acquisition of language skills is critically important for students becoming acclimated to a culture so different from their own. Students therefore begin Intensive Kiswahili shortly after arriving in Dar es Salaam. Taught by professors from the Kiswahili Department, this language course features intensive classroom study (four hours per day) for the first four weeks, plus homework and occasional field trips. In the second month, students continue to meet regularly to improve their conversational, grammar and vocabulary skills as they learn the fundamentals of Tanzania's national language.

*Human Evolution

    This course will be taught by archaeology faculty at the University of Dar es Salaam. It will cover the basic principles of evolution, hominid development, and the particular evidence of human evolution in Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli. The course begins at the University of Dar es Salaam, continues with field trips in the Northern Region of Tanzania, and concludes with exams and papers in the final weeks of the program.

*Ecology of the Maasai Ecosytem

    This course, taught by zoology faculty at the University of Dar es Salaam, examines the fundamental elements of ecology, drawing its examples from Tanzanian ecosystems, especially those of the Serengeti Plain and Ngorongoro Crater.

*Methods Course and Field Project

    In Dar es Salaam, the Methods Course covers research methods and project preparation, including development and creation of a project proposal. Students will also receive general information about contemporary Tanzanian society and culture.

*Field Project

    In the field, students conduct individual projects in human ecology, biology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, zoology or sociocultural anthropology. Topics depend on student interest and faculty expertise. In some cases, students work within the existing projects of Tanzanian or visiting experts. Upon their return to Dar es Salaam, students analyze their data, write final reports, give public presentations, and create museum displays or posters for local distribution. The photo album has pictures from the field sites and of wildlife in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Inquire for more information

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of 20

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

ACM - Associated Colleges of the Midwest's Mission Statement: The Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a consortium of residential liberal arts colleges, aims to strengthen its member colleges as leaders, and exemplars, in liberal arts education through significant, innovative, and sustainable collaborations. One key component of ACM is to provide exemplary liberal arts learning through a wide variety of off-campus study programs.

Year Founded: 1958