Environment and Society in Tanzania – Summer 2018 Page 2 Natural Environment
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Environment and Society in Tanzania May 14 - 30, 2018 This study abroad program is coordinated by the Northern Illinois University Study Abroad Office (SAO), in cooperation with the NIU Department of Geography at Northern Illinois University, and in collaboration with the University of North Alabama. PROGRAM DATES: The program will officially begin with departure of the group from Chicago O’Hare Airport on May 14, 2018 and will end with the return of the group from Dar es Salam, Tanzania to Chicago on May 30, 2018. PROGRAM DIRECTORS: This program will operate in conjunction with an existing program at the University of North Alabama so there will be one program director from each institution: Courtney Gallaher, from NIU and Francis Koti, from UNA. Dr. Greg Gaston (UNA) will also serve as an instructor for this program. (See Appendix A for more information) Courtney Gallaher is a jointly-appointed Assistant Professor in Geography and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at NIU. She has a background in environmental management, natural resource conservation and agriculture and has spent more than fifteen years working in Sub- Saharan Africa. She co-directed a non-profit in Kenya for more than a decade and has traveled and conducted extensive research in East Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi. Her research interests focus primarily on sustainable agriculture and food security. As a student she studied abroad in France, Senegal, Kenya and Tanzania so she has a deep appreciation for the benefits of studying abroad. Francis Koti serves as department chair for the Department of Geography at the University of North Alabama. He is an urban economic geographer, specializing in the geography of East Africa. He has led this study abroad program several times in the past and will be primarily responsible for many of the logistical arrangements (e.g. hotels, transportation). Greg Gaston is a professor of Geography at the University of North Alabama who specializes in physical geography. He has served as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Dar es Salaam and has co-lead this Tanzania program with Dr. Koti in the past. PROGRAM OVERVIEW: This two-week field course will involve travel to Tanzania to learn about and experience the landscape, natural environment and local cultures of Tanzania. Learning through lived experience and travel is not only fun, but also a rare opportunity in college education. The general purpose of this study abroad program is to provide NIU students an opportunity to diversify their educational experience through “living it and seeing it” in the Environment and Society in Tanzania – Summer 2018 Page 2 natural environment. More specifically, the program is intended to give our students a chance to broaden their knowledge of Africa by immersing themselves in the physical landscapes of Tanzanian as well as Tanzanian society and culture. Students will learn through exploring the interplay of culture, economics, politics and environment in the context of change. PROGRAM SITES: This program will take place as a study tour of Tanzania, beginning in Arusha and ending in Dar es Salaam. Students will travel throughout Tanzania, learning about the cultural and physical geography of the region (see itinerary for specific locations). Tanzania is an ideal location for learning about the East African culture and the unique physical geography of the region. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the Great Rift Valley, the Serengeti plains, the Eastern Arc Mountains and the coastal regions. Culturally, Tanzania is a melting pot of indigenous Bantu tribal cultures and Arabic culture on the coast. It is also a place where human environment conflict is very visible so it is an excellent place to learn about key issues in managing our environment. PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: One of the attractions of this program is the diversity of experiences students will be exposed to. Here are some of the highlights of the program: Ngorongoro Crater and National Park—Students will drive down into an extinct volcano crater to learn about the geology of the Rift Valley. They will go on safari inside the crater to learn about the wildlife of East Africa and environmental impacts of the tourist industry. Lake Natron is a salt and soda lake in northern Tanzania. Students will visit the lake and surroundings to learn about the geomorphology of the regions. They will stay in a tented camp run by the Maasai and will have the opportunity to learn about Maasai culture and the ecotourism industry. Oldupai Gorge is one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world. Remains of many of the earliest human species have been excavated from this site. The famous anthropologists, Louis and Mary Leakey, did most of their work there. Students Environment and Society in Tanzania – Summer 2018 Page 3 will tour the gorge to learn about the key archeological finds as well as the geology of the region which aided the preservation of these remains. University of Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s main public university. Students will tour the university, attend guest lectures by UDSM faculty members and interact with UDSM undergraduate students. Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania and is an important East African city in terms of trade because of its coastal location. Students will visit urban and peri-urban areas of the city to learn about urban planning and economic development. Bagamoyo is a small town on the coast of Tanzania that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was once the most important trading port along the East African coast and was the final stop for slave caravans traveling by foot from inland Tanzania to Zanzibar. Students will visit the fort and slave museum at this site to learn about the history of the East African slave trade. Zanzibar is an island off the coast of mainland Tanganika (Tanganika + Zanzibar make up the Republic of Tanzania). Students will visit the slave museum in Stone Town where slaves were auctioned and sold to the Arab slave trade. They will learn about ecology and environmental management on the island when they snorkel the coral reefs and visit Jozani national forest. They will learn about the historical and economic importance of Zanzibar to the world’s spice trade by visiting spice plantations on the island. PROGRAM AUDIENCE: Students from all majors and colleges are welcome. The program is open to non-traditional students. Non-NIU students are also welcome to participate in this program. This program should have particular appeal to students in geography, geology, environmental studies, anthropology, sociology, education, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality studies and Black studies. Maximum enrollment is 10 students. Space is limited and qualified applicants will be accepted on a first-come-first-serve basis. INSTRUCTION METHOD: Instruction will be provided by the NIU faculty member, Courtney Gallaher, the UNA faculty members, Drs. Koti and Gaston, and by faculty from the University of Dar es Salaam. Additional instruction will take place by tour guides at various sites we visit. Most instruction will take place “in the field” in the form of brief lectures near sites we are visiting. Additional instruction may occur while we are traveling in cars or buses or at our hotels at the beginning or end of the day. ASSIGNMENTS: All students will need to complete various readings and assignments before, during and after returning from Tanzania. Pre-departure readings and lecture materials will be made available to students during the spring semester to provide exposure to fundamental concepts we will be discussing in Tanzania. While traveling in Tanzania, students will be required to: 1) take detailed notes during the informal lectures and guided tours to different places of interest; 2) keep a written journal of their experiences, activities and observations on a daily basis; and 3) make sketches and keep a photo diary of important features and aspects of the workshop. Upon return, the field materials: notes, photos, activities, will be compiled and Environment and Society in Tanzania – Summer 2018 Page 4 presented to the instructors. Depending on the level of course (undergraduate or graduate), the program materials will be presented in any of or all 6 parts listed below: 1. Field book/notes: This will include your hand written daily notes and observations, hand- drawn sketches, charts, diagrams, photos and so on. 2. Field report: This report will comprise responses to questions provided to you prior to the trip based on several selected themes and topics. You will answer the questions during the field trip, but a more detailed, well thought, typed report is expected upon return. This must include well illustrated photos, maps, charts, tables, etc. that you personally obtained during the trip. The questions you respond to in this field report will be those relevant to the two courses you enroll in for the trip. 3. Concept photo essay: You will be provided with a minimum of ten geographic concepts (per course) prior to the trip. You are to take or identify one photo from all your photos that best captures that concept in its entirety. The central operating question will be: If you were to get only one opportunity to identify or take JUST one photo that best represents any one of these concepts, (rural poverty; social distress, new economic opportunities - concept), what would it be? This forces you to stop and think about the concepts and the best way to represent them to a larger audience. 4. Pre and post test: This is a 20-item multiple choice test that will be administered before the trip, and immediately after we return. It will comprise of short straight forward conceptual questions featuring the main aspects of the courses.