Description

Academic Focus: This program is open to all majors, but may be particularly suitable to students with academic interests in Environmental Studies.

Program Information: The major goals of the Environmental Field Study Program will be to translate theories and principles taught in class into practice in the field, promoting the students' awareness of the connections and global interdependence among human and natural systems. The program will use an interdisciplinary approach to analyze and integrate the ecological, social, political, and economic aspects of the systems under study. The group will spend three weeks in Namibia and one week in Botswana. During that time, they will visit different ecosystems and use them as case studies to learn about major environmental issues of that region. Lectures, two quizzes,field research, independent projects, short papers, and workshops will be used in this field study.

Namibia: Etosha National Park, Damaraland, and the Namib Desert. Namibia is a dry place located between two deserts, the Namib desert on the west and the Kalahari on the east. The country is characterized by low population density, extensive pristine areas, and a significant presence of wildlife. The program will address issues such as wildlife in parks, people and parks, community-based conservation projects, and the role of tourism in the economy and conservation of wildlife. In addition, the students will learn about scarcity of resources and the role of local and international institutions in the protection of endangered cultures and animal species.

Botswana: Okavango Delta and the Kalahari Desert. Botswana is one of the most stable and prosperous countries in Africa. More important, it has one of the greatest wilderness areas left in the world, the Okavango Delta. The field study program will offer a rare opportunity to learn about the evolution and ecology of this biodiversity-rich ecosystem, the environmental issues associated with the contemporary human use of this system, and the ongoing initiatives to protect it. Students will also meet with and learn from local people like the San/Bushman in the Kalahari and the polers of Makwena in the Okavanko Delta.