Course topics include Kenyan peoples and cultures, women's studies, philosophy, political science, religion, environmental resource management, history, sociology, and Kiswahili, the national language. Field studies, concentrating on pastoralist culture and economics, culminate in a one-month internship or a field course culminating in a major research project. Students are housed in homestays in three different ethnic groups and geographical regions. The SFS program in Kenya focuses on the search for ecologically appropriate solutions to the conflict between food production for Kenya's rapidly increasing numbers of people and the long-term viability of its irreplaceable wild animal populations. A wide selection of classes is offered in wildlife ecology and management, sustainable development, and environmental policy, featuring a combination of lectures, field study, and research.
Every student completes and presents an individually directed research project.
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.