Mwalandiridwa (Welcome)

The Malawi Immersion Seminar, sponsored by the University of Rochester Department of Anthropology, is a three week study abroad/field school addressing cultural, health, social, political, and ecological issues in Malawi, Africa using the anthropological method. The seminar provides students with an immersive and transformative summer experience offering a unique focus on experiential learning and training in the methods of field research.

Program Details

Participants will be expected to keep daily ethnographic observations and field notes, attend Chichewa language class, and participate in lectures and excursions with American and Malawian faculty on topics in anthropology, history, public health, and ecology. Students will be trained in anthropological research methods and complete an individualized ethnographic research project. The program concludes with a two-night safari to Liwonde National Park during which students present their research projects and learn about the complex social ecological system in and around the park.

Prior experience in anthropology is not required. The field school is appropriate for students from diverse disciplinary approaches. Undergraduate and graduate students from any university and in any major may apply. International students are also welcome.