Location:

Kigali, Rwanda

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

The University of Arizona's primate studies field school is based in Rwanda, one of Central East Africa’s most progressive countries and home to several species of monkeys and apes, including the famed mountain gorilla. Students will go on adventure treks to observe gorilla families and golden monkeys on the slopes of the extinct Virunga volcanoes; follow groups of chimpanzees, black and white colobus and guenon monkeys in an afro-alpine jungle; and travel on Safari to watch wildlife and study troops of baboons and vervet monkeys in a savanna setting.

Students will have the opportunity to follow and observe in the wild several rare monkey and ape species, walk in Dian Fossey’s footsteps while collecting data on mountain gorillas, take in Rwanda’s scenic beauty-- Africa’s “little Switzerland,” and explore Rwanda’s cultural heritage and experience one of Africa’s most progressive nations.

Participants will study the dynamics of primate social relationships and their connection to social systems and local ecology. They will also learn how a variety of quantitative field techniques and data-gathering tools are used to describe and analyze social interactions, social systems, and environmental features. The program promotes a strong interdisciplinary and comparative approach to primate family systems, combining perspectives from evolutionary biology, psychology, anthropology, and human development. Throughout, the course explores applications to primate and ecosystem conservation.

Setting Description:

This program is based in the Central-East African country of Rwanda. Students will spend a month traveling around the country, visiting Akagera National Park, Nyungwe Forest National Park, Ruhengeri, and Rwanda's capital city, Kigali.