JMU Summer in Kenya
Summer 2010: Core Program--May 28 to July 2; Internship Program--July 2 to July 31
Overview
Designed to serve majors from many different disciplines, this Summer in Kenya field school offers students an opportunity to learn about Kenya through intensive, firsthand experiences. Through travel and engagement with our Kenyan hosts, we will study topics in anthropology, history, politics, development, environment, literature, and the ways in which these general foci interrelate with one another.
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Academic Program
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Preparing a meal outside of Amboseli;
Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background |
Mwalimu Judy leads Kiswahili class,
Kakamega District
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INSTRUCTION
The program serves majors from many different disciplines. Students earn 9 credit hours upon successful completion of the field school. Credit hours are divided into a core course (3 hours), Kiswahili language training (3 hours), and a directed field study (3 hours).
The core course is led by Dr. Jennifer Coffman and includes guest lecturers from Kenya, such as rangeland ecologists, health clinic directors, artists, and youth leaders. The core course incorporates lectures, films, readings, field trips, and class discussions to help students contextualize their experiences and pursue their directed field projects.
Mwalimu Judith Kiprop provides Kiswahili instruction at skills-appropriate levels throughout the program.
The directed field study allows each student to focus on a topic of interest throughout the program. This provides the opportunity to practice ethnographic research skills in each of our three major sites.
PROGRAM OUTLINE
Although we visit numerous locales, the program is divided into three major sections, focusing on different modes of life in Kenya. They include:
Kakamega (rural, agricultural)
 While in Kakamega, host families will serve as our guides and co-instructors. Although we will continue to meet in classes, we will accompany members of our host families to work, school, church, and markets as appropriate. Day trips include Kakamega National Forest and local bullfights. We will also visit Kisumu and Lake Victoria.
Kajiado District (rural, pastoral)
By visiting area residents, game ranches, and national parks, we  will learn about the ways in which wildlife and ecosystems are understood, managed, and contested in areas popular for tourist safaris. Of particular interest will be current debates surrounding conservation, biodiversity, and ecological change as manifest in “wildlife-human conflicts” and impacts on local habitats and residents.
Nairobi (urban, industry & service)
Again, we will stay with host families in and around Kenya’s capital city. With a population of about 3 million, Nairobi continues to grow and expand.Classes and  field trips will provide insights into the birth and growth of this large urban center. We will visit the city center, as well as the ever-growing suburbs. Field trips will include visits to the industrial sector, a grassroots health clinic and other Carolina for Kibera projects in Kibera, Nairobi National Museum, NGO offices, a bus tour of the “White Highlands”, and more.
Room & Board
Although we will stay in lodges and hotels during some portions of the program (e.g., upon arrival in and just prior to departure from Nairobi, as well as during our visits to Naivasha, Nakuru, Kericho, and Kisumu), we will most often be hosted by Kenyan families (in Kakamega and Nairobi), as well as stay in tents in Kajiado District.
Travel & Excursions
Please see "Academic Program" above.
Program Costs
For the current projected costs for this program, please click on the following link to the Fees for JMU Study Abroad Programs page.
The program fee includes all housing, all meals, and all program-related excursions in Kenya. Additional costs (costs NOT included in the program fee) include tuition, airfare, immunizations, passport and visa fees, and spending money.
One of the schools in Kakamega District supported in part by our program.
Application
 For more detailed instructions and to download the application, please click on the following link to the Applications and Forms section for JMU Short-Term Programs.
In addition to the application form, for the Kenya Summer Program you must also include:
- two letters of recommendation from faculty members
- a brief essay (no more than two typed pages) explaining your interests in this particular program, as well as one or more possible topics to pursue for your guided field project
- a copy of your transcript (if you are a JMU student, this can be printed directly from ECAMPUS)
Faculty
For more information about the Summer in Kenya program, please contact the program directors:
Dr. Liam Buckley
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Tel: 540-568-5361
E-mail: bucklelm@jmu.edu
Dr. Jennifer Coffman
Office of International Programs
Tel: 540-568-3376
E-mail: coffmaje@jmu.edu
Links
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