Explore comparative health care, health management policies, surveillance, and management of tropical diseases in East Africa.
16
None
Kiswahili
English
Feb 2 – May 17
Kenya
Tanzania
Kisumu
Required
Global Health & Well-being
Development & Inequality
Prevention and management of tropical and non-communicable diseases are a major concern globally. Cutting-edge innovations to prevent and manage these diseases are currently being implemented in western Kenya, a region with relatively poor indicators of health.
The program location accords students unparalleled access to distinguished medical professionals, scholars, scientists, and community health workers who are working on the frontline to address tropical diseases, and the health system that supports them.
Study comparative health among the Luo of western Kenya, the Islamic cultures of the Kenyan coast and the Maasai of northern Tanzania. You will study Kiswahili, the lingua franca of East Africa, and gain a range of perspectives from different communities and groups.
Learn how to draft a field study protocol, from a concept note to a protocol submitted for local IRB review, how to plan, organize, collect, review and analyze primary data, and to translate findings into policy recommendations. Internship students will hone their knowledge and skills by interacting with a wide range of local organizations and professionals.
None
Explore the unique dynamics of health care practices and outcomes among the Islamic and indigenous communities at the Kenya coast. Examine how religions and culture in shape uptake of health services and their outcomes.
Travel to northern Tanzania to explore health care system in a cultural context different from Kenya. Visit a Maasai community to explore enduring traditional medicine practices and their impacts.
Visit Nairobi, a historical and cosmopolitan city of East Africa, hosting various museums, animal sanctuaries, curio markets, and themed restaurants.
Site visits focus on topics related to assigned readings, lectures, and classroom discussions. Visits are designed to compare health systems across private and public, rural and urban, faith and non-faith-based health care systems at local, regional, and national levels.
Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, Kisumu is Kenya’s third largest city. Kisumu’s cosmopolitan cultures reflect its traditional Lou and Indian heritage. Historically, Kisumu was a major port and trading hub at the crossroads of East and Central Africa. Kisumu’s fisheries and agriculture are important contributors to local, national, and regional economies.
Please note that SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, however, SIT may have to change or cancel programs.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
The following syllabi are representative of this program. Because courses develop and change over time to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, actual course content will vary from term to term.
The syllabi can be useful for students, faculty, and study abroad offices in assessing credit transfer. Read more about credit transfer.
Comparative Healthcare Systems – syllabus
(IPBH3500 / 3 credits)
This core seminar focuses on the principles and practice of health system analysis; the sources and utilization of information informing the development, organization, and operation of health services; and frameworks for assessing the performance of different health systems. It analyzes health challenges and their impacts on healthcare delivery and discusses the targets for health in a globalized world. We review health service organization and management, health policy development and planning, and characteristics of personal and community healthcare services. We examine the constitutional, legal, economic, social, and political environments within which health care systems operate and the various patterns that emerge.
Intensive Language Study: Beginning Kiswahili – syllabus
(SWAH1003-1503 / 3 credits)
Intensive Language Study: Intermediate Kiswahili – syllabus
(SWAH2003-2503 / 3 credits)
Intensive Language Study: Advanced Kiswahili – syllabus
(SWAH3003-3503 / 3 credits)
Emphasis on speaking and comprehension skills through classroom and field instruction. Based on an in-country evaluation that includes oral proficiency testing, students are placed in intensive classes at the appropriate level, with additional language practice taking place through homestays, lectures, and field visits. Daily classes during the first two weeks of the urban homestay are followed by continuing lessons in a variety of field settings, which provide an opportunity for additional Kiswahili language practice.
Research Methods and Ethics – syllabus
(ANTH3500 / 3 credits)
This course in the concepts of learning across cultures and from field experience provides an introduction to an Independent Study Project or internship. Material includes cross-cultural adaptation and skills building; project selection and refinement; field study ethics and the World Learning/SIT Human Subjects Review Policy; developing contacts and finding resources; field study methods; developing skills in observation and interviewing; gathering, organizing, and communicating data; maintaining a field journal; and participatory evaluation and appraisal techniques.
Choose one of the following courses:
Health and Human Rights in Kenya
Health and Human Rights in Kenya – syllabus
(IPBH3000 / 3 credits)
This seminar explores theoretical links between access to and reliance on Kenyan healthcare services and the conceptions of human rights of individuals and communities in a Kenyan social context. The course is designed to provide firsthand academic knowledge of Kenyan healthcare challenges and healthcare systems, together with analyses of locally informed debates surrounding human rights. Course content, provided via lectures, discussions, readings, presentations, and educational excursions, details the mutually constitutive challenges of health and human rights in Kenya, while highlighting successful coalition-building efforts, civil society organizations, the private sector, and others pursuing community-based approaches to myriad contemporary issues. Throughout the course, students record and analyze aspects of the host culture and examine contemporary development theories and methodologies and current issues related to health and human rights in Kenya.
OR
Epidemiology in Kenya
Epidemiology in Kenya – syllabus
(IPBH3550 / 3 credits)
This seminar examines trends and patterns in the burden of diseases in Kenya and introduces students to the principles, concepts, and methods of population-based epidemiology. It explores the specifics related to epidemiological research conducted in the country by health practitioners that inform the planning, implementation, and evaluation cycle in public health promotion. The course starts by delving into the importance of epidemiology in the context of Kenya, a developing country. Students will describe and apply epidemiological terms using hands-on data to make causal inferences and be able to communicate their findings to both lay and professional audiences.
In addition to taking the above courses, students will also need to enroll in one of the following two courses:
Independent Study Project
Independent Study Project – syllabus
(ISPR3000 / 4 credits)
Conducted in Kisumu, or another approved location appropriate to the project within Kenya. Sample topics areas: malaria prevention policy and practice; disease surveillance and prevention; health provision for LGBTQI+; community health; non-communicable diseases; gender, sexual identity and health; prenatal healthcare, maternal and child health; urban agriculture; HIV/AIDS education; girls’ education; health programming in Kenya.
Sample ISP topic areas:
Browse this program’s Independent Study Projects / undergraduate research.
OR
Internship and Seminar
Internship and Seminar – syllabus
(ITRN3000 / 4 credits)
This course consists of a four-week internship with a national, international, or local public health delivery organization that is based in Kenya. The internship enables students to gain valuable work experience in the public health field and introduces students to planning, delivery, and management of public health in the tropics, using western Kenya as the case study.
Sample internships:
Most SIT Kenya interns assist with health-related projects through SIT’s partnerships with Jaramogi Odinga Oginga Teaching & Referral Hospital, Kisumu County Referral Hospital, or the Kisumu County Department of Health. Past internship topics have included:
Some students also intern with civil society organizations or non-profit organizations in and around Kisumu County depending on their topic of interest.
In addition, you will submit a paper in which you describe, assess, and analyze what you learned during your internship. The paper will outline the tasks you completed throughout the internship, professional relationships you developed, and challenges you encountered and how you overcame them.
Students stay in a choice of apartments or homestay during the Kisumu portion of the program.
The residential housing option includes ensuite three or two bedroomed apartments in Milimani area, with shared living room and kitchen.
Students hosted in the homestay will have a private room and will have the opportunity to live with and interact with family members.
Homestays and apartments are located within walking distance of SIT’s program office and the central business district.
Accommodation during excursion may include hotels, guesthouses, tented camps, and motels. The accommodation provided per location will be communicated prior to departures for excursions.
Recent positions held by alumni of this program include:
Founder and director of Hatua Likoni, a youth education and career development center, Mombasa, Kenya
Visiting assistant professor in the Department of Applied Anthropology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Special assistant at the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, USAID, Washington, DC
Research intern researching global health organizations at Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
SIT Study Abroad is committed to ensuring that international education is within reach for all students. We believe in the transformative power of immersive, intercultural experiences and are dedicated to supporting students in their educational journey.
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Students are required to obtain a visa for this program. Your admissions officer will provide you further guidance on the process and support documents. Please do not apply without instructions from your admissions officer.
