Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

Summer study abroad in Tanzania is a centerpiece of African Studies at SFS. The Georgetown program provides a well-rounded introduction to the region. Students study Kiswahili with faculty from the University of Dar es Salaam and environmental studies at St. Augustine University in Mwanza. They are able to travel across the country, visiting historical and archaeological sites in Zanzibar, the Ngorongoro Wildlife Preserve, and Lake Victoria during the eight-week program.

A centerpiece of African Studies at Georgetown

SFS faculty accompany students on the trip in an advisory and teaching capacity. In recent years, Professors Lahra Smith and Scott Taylor have led the program. Last year 9 students enrolled, one of whom is Edwina Lebbie (SFS '08), a student born and raised in Africa who relished the opportunity to study Tanzanian politics with Tanzanian politicians.

Like most students who return from abroad, the most valuable insights Lebbie gathered from the program came largely from outside the classroom. "We received our tools from the lectures, but the real learning occurred out in the market, or trying to order dinner, or even watching the evening news and discussing the war in Iraq from other perspectives. These were the real learning experiences for me because they involved human interaction."