The capstone of the Tanzania program is an independent study project completed by students on a topic of their choice ranging from public health issues to wildlife studies. The first few weeks of the program will introduce students to the methods of site-based inquiry and allow students to develop their project proposal. Students will then spend the next several weeks collecting data in small groups with other students in the field. At the end of the program, students will analyze their data, compile a final report, and present their findings to their classmates and the local community.
Examples of past independent study projects include:
Friends or Foes: An Exploration of the Relationship Between the Maasai, the Tanzanian Government, and Tarangire National Park
“Why Do You Think There Is Only One God?”: A Study of Traditional Maasai Believers and Christian Maasai Living Near Tarangire National Park
Pregnancy Practices of the Maasai
Crafts Commoditization and Cooperatives: How Women near Tarangire National Park, Tanzania Have Empowered Themselves Selling Crafts
An Examination of the Events Following a Road Traffic Accident: Care Provided by Drivers and Community Members in Olasiti and Minjingu
Cell Phone Use in Olasiti Village: Gender and Generational Disparities
Common Thematic Elements and Patterns in Maasai Oral Stories and the Judeo-Christian Bible
Listen to Us: Maasai Perspective on Hip-hop as a Means of Sharing Language
Resolving Human-Elephant Conflicts Around the Border of Tarangire National Park
Vervet Monkey (Chlororcebus Pygerythrus) Food Stealing Behaviors, Strategies, and Decision Making in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Intraspecific Interactions and Unicoloniality in Acacia ant Crematogaster nigriceps
Herbs and Health Facilities: A Study of Prevalence and Cures of Worm Infections in Areas Surrounding Tarangire National Park
The Effect of Proximity to Water on Vigilance of the Plains Zebra in Tarangire National Park
On the Periphery of Conservation: Local Opinions on the Relationship between Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, and the Local Community
Water Quality and Its Effects on Biodiversity in the Tarangire River, Tanzania
Silent Plea for Help: Human-Wildlife Conflict along the Northwest Border of Tarangire National Park
The Effects of Interspecific Competition between Termites (Macrotermes bellicosus) and Other Insect Communities
Factors Influencing the Location of Wildebeest in Tarangire National Park
A Comparison of Foraging Behavior between Male and Female Giraffes
Cultural Reasoning Concerning Education: A Western Interpretation of Modernity within Tanzania’s Maasai Community
Maasai Women’s Changing Role in Education and the Market: Areas of Empowerment
Conservation and Education: The Future of Tanzanian Museums
Maasai Women’s Education in Tanzania
The Church of English: English in the Maasai Classroom
Effects of Increased Education and Kiswahili Literacy among the Ngorongoro Division Maasai on Maasai/NCAA relations: Increasing Maasai Political Power
Factors Affecting Female Student Retention in Primary School
A Comparison of Agriculturist, Pastoralist, and Governmental Viewpoints Concerning the Purpose of Education, Babati District, Tanzania
Cultural Reasoning Concerning Education: A Western Interpretation of Modernity within Tanzania’s Maasai Community
Twenty-six Words for Grass: An Examination of Maasai Ecological Classification Systems and Their Influences on Rangeland Decision Making
The Effect of Tourist Vehicle Traffic on the Water Quality of Tarangire River During the Dry Season
Future Implications of Water Scarcity: Is a “Water War” looming on the Border of Tarangire National Park?
Limited Water on the Border of Tarangire National Park: An Examination of Place among Five Maasai Villages
The Environmental Impacts of Varying Tourist Accommodations in Tarangire National Park
Are the Roads in Serengeti Affecting Vegetation in Grasslands?
Fire Management in Tarangire National Park
Understanding the History and Evolution of the Stratigraphy and Geomorphology of Burko Volcano, Northern Tanzania
Lake Manyara Basin: Prehistory, Tool Use, and Cultural Heritage
Geological Reconnaissance North of the Tarangire Rive, Northern Tanzania
Preliminary Results from a Geologic Survey of Lemagrut Volcano
A Comparative Study of Modern Taphonomy in Various Micro-environments at Laetoli, Tanzania
Pliocene Paleoenvironmental Analysis of the Footprint Tuff at Laetoli, Tanzania
Modern Mammalian Death Assemblage, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Rain Brings Relief: How Fluoride Ingestion Varies Seasonally in the Arusha Maasai
Needles and Natural Healers: An Analysis of Ethnomedicine and Modern Medicine Among Villagers in Predominantly Maasai Communities Around Tarangire National Park
The Cultural and Economic Importance of Milk to Maasai Women
Bridging the Gap: Explanatory Models of Malaria and Treatment Decisions of the Maasai Tribe and Hospital Staff in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
“A New Disease”: Perceptions of HIV among the Maasai
Vitamin A Deficiencies in Children in Ngorongoro Division
Investigating DOT (Directly Observed Therapy) as a Tuberculosis Treatment Method in the Tarangire Area
Bovine Tuberculosis among Pastoralists in the NCA: A Look at Prevalence, Knowledge, and Practices
Prevalence of Refractive Error and Awareness within the NGA