Students are housed in a rustic base-camp, fully equipped for group living and studying, located on a game ranch on the high plains forty minutes from Nairobi. The SIT program in Madagascar concentrates on the ecology of the region, including marine environments, with emphasis on the balance between human needs and nature conservation. Course work on Malagasy life and culture covers political and economic issues, human and physical geography, rural development, and social anthropology. An Ecology and Conservation Seminar deals with issues surrounding the impact of economic development and tourism on the natural environment. The program features a large number of educational excursions tied to topics covered in courses.
All students conduct an independent study project.
Courses are taught in French and English. Housing is provided in a combination of homestays and hostels. Dakar The Beloit College program in Senegal operates on the campus of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, an institution of 8,000 students, which is reputed to be the finest in francophone Africa. Students take intensive courses in French language at the Institut de Francais pour Etudiants Etrangers, studying primarily with students from anglophone nations of West Africa, as well as with French-speaking Senegalese students in university departments offering courses in geography, history, sociology, political science, and philosophy. Students also learn Wolof, one of the five major languages of Senegal.