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SIT Study Abroad
A pioneer in experiential, field-based study abroad, SIT Study Abroad provides academically engaging semester and summer programs in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East for undergraduate students. "SIT Nicaragua taught me to imagine another world and begin creating it. All the conversations I had with my companeros, teachers, and homestay family seemed to end with the same question: if we don't like how things are, what are we going to do about it?" -- Mariella Castaldi, SIT Study Abroad Nicaragua Fall 2009, Oberlin College Focus on Critical Global Issues SIT Study Abroad programs examine critical global issues...
Madagascar: National Identity and Social Change
Madagascar is home to an amazing variety of cultures, due to its long history as a trading nexus and migratory destination for people from throughout Indonesia, Africa, and the Arabian peninsula. Today, the 18 clans that live in this island nation retain key elements of their heritage while also sharing a common Malagasy culture and language--giving rise to the Malagasy phrase "unity amongst diversity." Living with a family in Antananarivo, Madagascar's scenic highland capital built on the 12 sacred hills of Imerina, students gain an in-depth understanding of the domestic and external influences that have shaped Madagascar. A second homestay in Diego-Suarez,...
Madagascar: Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management
Nearly 175 million years ago, Madagascar separated from the African landmass and drifted toward its present location. Uninhabited by humans until 2,000 years ago, the island's isolated evolutionary path gave rise to unique groups of plants and animals, including more than 30 species of lemur, two-thirds of the world's chameleons, 1,000 species of orchids, an array of baobabs, and the xeric vegetation of the spiny desert. More than 80 percent of Madagascar's flora and fauna are endemic, making the island's contribution to the world's biodiversity immeasurable, and its conservation a global priority. Ever-increasing demands on Madagascar's natural resources have led...