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Amina holds a BA in public administration from Zanzibar University. She works in Zanzibar as the project coordinator for the Decentralized Climate Finance Project. This project addresses climate change impacts to community members and sites that produce food and other products, such as honey, seaweed, and limes. In addition, Amina has served as the program officer for the Zanzibar Climate Change Alliance.

Gladys holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Tumaini University. She has worked with SIT since 2016 on programs that explore conservation, food security, human rights, and gender in East Africa. Her background includes consultancies with the Association for Law and Advocacy for Pastoralists and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Narriman has a PhD in marine biology from the University of Dar es Salaam, where she is a senior lecturer at the university’s Institute of Marine Sciences. She also holds an MS in fisheries biology and management from the University of North Wales and a BS in zoology/botany/education from the University of Dar es Salaam and has researched the age, growth, reproductive biology, and fishery of Indian mackerel (rastrelliger kanagurta) in Zanzibar. She has been a program coordinator of the SIT Tanzania-Zanzibar program since its inception.

Graduate Courses Taught

Climate Change on Tropical Coasts: Social and Ecological Methods

Zuleikha became the office manager at SIT after completing her degree in public administration from the University of Zanzibar in 2012. Her responsibilities involve administration and overseeing the library in both physical and electronic form.

Said holds a BS (Hon) in zoology and botany and an MSc in environmental studies from the Open University of Tanzania. He also received a diploma in fisheries science from Kunduchi Fisheries in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.. His master’s research focused on the influence of environmental factors on crab species diversity in mangrove communities on Pemba Island. He has worked with fishermen and coastal villagers in Pemba and Unguja to increase marine and terrestrial conservation awareness in conjunction with forest and fisheries departments in Tanzania. Said has served with SIT for more than a decade.

Dr. J. Richard Walz is chair of the Climate Change and Global Sustainability MA program at SIT Graduate Institute and academic director of the SIT Study Abroad Tanzania programs. He teaches environmental social science and methodology courses that integrate field studies primarily located in eastern Africa. His research and publications emphasize contemporary and historical topics at the human-environment interface, especially how communities forge social mosaics around resources and how they perceive and utilize landscapes and seascapes in an era of environmental change. His teaching and publications incorporate community-based research and promote independent student field studies on climate, resources, and society where Africa meets the Indian Ocean. He oversees the Zanzibar office and programs or excursions to Pemba and Mafia islands in Tanzania and to Seychelles.

See Dr. Walz’s full list of publications

Graduate Courses Taught

Climate Change and Global Sustainability Capstone
Natural Resource Management in East Africa
Climate Change on Tropical Coasts: Social and Environmental Methods

Select Publications

Schmidt, P., Walz, J., Besigye, J., et al. (2024). The tapestry of human-induced and climate-driven environmental change in western Uganda. History in Africa, 51, 1-33

Walz, J. & Kwekason, A. (2022). Ceramics, copal, and coconut: results of archaeological investigations at Mlongo, Mafia Island, Tanzania, AD 250-1000. South African Archaeological Bulletin, 77(216), 67-75

Edwards, G., Gellert,… & Walz, J. (2022). Climate obstruction in the Global South: future research trajectories. PLOS Climate, 2(7): e0000241

Walz, J. & Dussubieux, L. (2022). Inland glass beads in northeast Tanzania, 8th-17th centuries CE. In L. Dussubieux & H. Walder (Eds.), The Elemental Analysis of Glass Beads: Technology, Chronology, and Exchange (265-286). Leuven University Press

Walz, J. (2021). The great guano rush of 2007-2008: ‘filth’, bats, and food sovereignty on northern Pemba Island, Tanzania. Arcadia: Explorations in Environmental History (Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität), 31, online

Walz, J. & Gooding, P. (2021). Reality and representation of eastern Africa’s past: history and archaeology redress the ‘coast-inland dichotomy’. African Studies Quarterly, 20(4), 56-85

Chami, M., Walz, J. & Sarathi, A. (2021). Community and caves in contemporary Zanzibar. Journal of Indian Ocean Archaeology, 17/18, 92-99

Myers, G., Walz, J., & Jumbe, A. (2020). Trends in urban planning, climate adaptation and resilience in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Town and Regional Planning, 77, 57-70.

Douglass, K., Walz, J., Quintana-Morales, E., et al. (2019). Historical perspectives on contemporary human-environment dynamics in Southeast Africa. Conservation Biology, 33(2), 260-274

Walz, J. (2018). Inland entanglement in the Swahili World, c. AD 750-1550. In S. Wynne-Jones & A. LaViolette (Eds.), The Swahili World (388-402). Routledge

Select Presentations

Walz, J. (2024). Updating Swahili history. Roundtable contribution at conference: 67th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association. Chicago, Illinois.

Walz, J. (2023). Indian Ocean livelihoods: the blue economy initiative in Zanzibar. Presentation at forum funded by U.S. Social Science Research Council. School for International Training. Zanzibar City, Tanzania.

Walz, J. & Sharkey, R. (2021). Climate change on Zanzibar (Unguja) Island: the outcomes, factors, and origins of an unnatural disaster. Presentation at conference: Environmental Crises in the Indian Ocean World, since 1800. Indian Ocean World Centre, McGill University. Montreal, Canada

Walz, J. (2017). Excrement in the Zanzibar Archipelago: agriculture and public health dynamics in historical perspective. Presentation at conference: 60th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association. Chicago, Illinois.

Walz, J. (2016). Rethinking the outer landscapes of the urban Swahili, c. AD 750-1550. Invited presentation: Tropical Archaeology Research Laboratory, James Cook University. Townsville, Australia.

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – School for International Training is developing a new full-time, global master’s degree format using the institution’s centers worldwide as locations for existing degrees and new programs. This new format will complement SIT’s current online and low-residency master’s programs.

The new format will position SIT to become a leader in global graduate education. It comes at a time when students are seeking shorter, more cost-effective programs that equip them with real-world skills for a globalized market. Although enrollment at US graduate schools remains steady, growth rates are starting to dip, and students’ needs are changing. Market research shows students are balking at persistently increasing costs and looking for more nontraditional programs.

“We are in a unique position to build on the success of our study abroad programming — which continues to grow each year — to offer new kinds of graduate-level master’s degree and certificate programs,” said SIT President Dr. Sophia Howlett. “The graduate education system is continuously evolving. These changes mean that SIT can meet students where they are today.”

The expansion of SIT’s global footprint will mean a reduction in the number of positions based at SIT’s headquarters in Brattleboro, Vermont, and its center in Washington, DC, and an enhancement of positions in global centers.

“As we transition our face-to-face programs from Brattleboro and Washington, DC, to global locations, we will reduce the physical size and number of staff members at our Brattleboro campus and Washington DC center,” said Dr. Howlett. “This was a very difficult decision. But SIT is and always has been student-centered. Our focus must be on the students and how we can best position them for success in a challenging and rapidly changing world. Our new model does that. Innovation is a hallmark of SIT, and expanding our global footprint will allow us to continue innovating for years to come.”

The new global master’s degree format leverages the availability and expertise of SIT’s study abroad faculty and program centers in more than 30 countries. Pending accreditation, the first of these programs, a one-year MA in Climate Change and Global Sustainability, is expected to launch in fall 2018 with semesters taught consecutively in Iceland and Tanzania — locations where climate change policy and innovation are prominent. During the third and final semester, students will conduct their practicums at any location in the world. Other master’s degrees in social justice fields are also in development.

The Brattleboro campus will continue to serve as headquarters for SIT Graduate Institute and SIT Study Abroad, as well as for The Experiment in International Living, World Learning’s flagship program, and other World Learning administrative staff. It will also continue to house World Learning and other youth leadership programs.

“Since 2015, World Learning and the School for International Training have brought 1,250 short-term visitors from more than 25 countries to Vermont,” said Carol Jenkins, interim CEO of World Learning, Inc., the organization that oversees SIT. “These exchanges give Vermont’s business professionals, local government officials, and citizens an opportunity to build mutual understanding with people from around the globe, to learn best practices from others’ experiences, to develop constructive relations based on common interests, and to build lasting friendships.”

One in three current world leaders have participated in a US exchange program and have experienced US, and oftentimes Vermont, values and culture firsthand, Jenkins said. “We fully anticipate continuing these critical exchanges on our Vermont campus.”

SIT continues to offer a low-residency format in Brattleboro for its international education and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) master’s degrees. With this option, students come to campus for approximately two to three weeks of classes, with the remaining coursework done online or in their practicums. SIT will also continue to host the CONTACT Summer Peacebuilding Program on the Brattleboro campus.

Applications open Sept. 15

With undergraduates’ schedules in full swing for the new academic year, it’s not too soon to start thinking about how to make the most of summer 2019. Imagine snorkeling in one of the world’s top diving sites as you study marine ecology in Panama, building career skills with an internship at an NGO in Vietnam, exploring Madagascar’s extraordinary natural environment to learn about traditional medicine, or learning Arabic in Jordan or Morocco.

Those are just some of the many opportunities available through School for International Training (SIT). During summer 2019, SIT Study Abroad is offering 23 programs in 17 countries that will appeal to a wide range of majors and interests, including five skills-building internship opportunities.

Like all SIT Study Abroad programs, each summer program offers academic rigor and an immersive cultural experience within the framework of at least one critical global issue. Applications for these programs open September 15.

New to the SIT Student Abroad summer portfolio this year are:

Colombia: Building a Culture of Peace – Integrate peace studies with Colombia’s cultures through music, dance, and food from the program base in the vibrant, multicultural Caribbean Coast city of Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship – Learn about development and the roles of nongovernmental organizations engaged in social change through this guided internship, which also includes lectures and site visits. Customize this program based on your areas of interest.

SIT summer programs, sorted according to themes, are:

Climate | Environment

Iceland: Renewable Energy, Technology, and Resource Economics

Indonesia: Biodiversity and Conservation in Bali and Borneo

Jordan: Engineering and Design for Sustainable Environments

Nepal: Geoscience in the Himalaya

Panama: Marine Ecology & Blue Carbon Conservation in the Pacific & Caribbean

Tanzania: Climate Change and Sustainability, Mount Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar

Development | Economy | Inequality

India: Agroecology and Food Security in the Himalaya

Panama: Community and Nongovernmental Organizations Internship

Vietnam: Nongovernmental Organization Internship