Winter 2023 expedition-style study abroad program in Tanzania open to all students
UB study abroad heads to Northern Tanzania this winter to explore sustainable development and resource management. The program is directed by UB architecture professor Christopher Romano.
Published September 14, 2022
This winter, students from across the School of Architecture and Planning have the opportunity to explore sustainable development on the ground in Northern Tanzania through an expedition-style study abroad program.
The two-week program is an intensive experiential learning opportunity that will take students across the remote and extreme physical environments of rural Northern Tanzania. It runs from January 4-24, 2023, with travel between January 7 and January 19, including 12 nights in-country. Registration is open through Oct. 1, 2022!
Following the direction of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, the theoretical focus will explore the interconnectedness of an individual to their physical environment and how this delicate balance contributes to sensibilities of health, security, and well-being at the scale of the individual as well as the community.
The journey will begin in Arusha, followed by a short flight to Mwanza where students will pack into a convoy of Jeeps to traverse from Mwanza, to Shinyanga, Musoma, Tarime, Mugumu, and lastly safaris at the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites). At each locale, students will engage with NGOs, vocational training centers, colleges/universities, naturalist guides, and a Maasai tribe who live and work within these vulnerable environments.
The course is directed by Christopher Romano, UB assistant professor of architecture, and will be supported by a diverse team of faculty and consultants providing interdisciplinary expertise in the areas of architecture, planning, ecology, sustainability, and community psychology.
Collectively, participants will experience a wide variety of interpretive programming regarding the history, ecology, culture, infrastructure, as well as the politics of preservation versus development of the African wilderness.
Utilizing photography, mapping, sketching, data recording, and interviewing, students will complete projects through the framework of storytelling that reveal how physical environments and infrastructure related to shelter, food, energy, water, and sanitation directly affect the quality of life experienced by vulnerable populations within rural communities.
Tuition for the program is comparable to all UB global study abroad programs. The course also engages with UB's ELN Project Portal, allowing students to complete Global Collaboration or Sustainability digital badges in conjunction with final storytelling projects.
NOTE: If interested in remaining in-country to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, elev. 19,341 ft., please contact Christopher Romano at ctromano@buffalo.edu
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