POLS 298 - Between Peril and Promise in Madagascar: Intersections of Politics and Biodiversity on the Eighth Continent

This course will offer students an integrated and immersive learning experience at four sites in Madagascar: the capital city of Antananarivo, a research station run by Stony Brook University on the edge of the rainforest of Ranomafana National Park, the seasonally dry forests of Central-Southern Madagascar (Reserve d’Anja and the Parc National de l’Isalo), and the coastal town of Toliara and its surrounding mangroves, forests and barrier reefs.

Students will investigate how politics, culture, and the environment intersect and influence one another. They will participate in hands-on projects and interviews, visit multiple cultural and ecological sites, and attend interactive talks by local researchers and community members. Ultimately, students will have the opportunity to be immersed in the local language and culture, learn about the modern political and economic conditions that shape the lives of the island’s human and non-human inhabitants, and explore an island with some of the most unique biodiversity in the world.

Credits 1

Notes
Faculty-lead Short-term Study Abroad Program. Offered Summer 2023.

Area
Social science

Division
Social science

Compass Attributes
Social Science, Sophomore Experience