Mongolia: Geopolitics and the Environment

"The SIT Mongolia program taught me to think, live, and breathe outside the box, and to be able to relate to people with whom I had, on the surface at least, very little in common."

-- Bianca Santos, Rice University

Examine efforts to balance open-door investment policies and protection for indigenous cultures in Mongolia.

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Students have the chance to live alongside nomadic herding communities and experience some of the most pristine natural environments in the world.

Balancing tradition and change
It is a fascinating time to study Mongolia, a rapidly globalizing nation that became democratic and capitalistic after 1990. Landlocked between Siberia and northern China, much of this rugged nation is still largely isolated from global development and part of its population remains essentially nomadic, moving over an area twice the size of Texas.

Mongolia is one of the only remaining pastoral cultures in the world.
Students consider the major economic and political reforms Mongolia has undergone through democratization and how these processes have resulted in significant alterations in the livelihood of its people, particularly in rural areas. Students also discover Mongolia's rich cultural and artistic tradition, which reflects the unique philosophy and history of nomadic people closely attuned to the land, nature, and horses.

Immersion in Mongolia's urban centers and rural communities
The program is based in the city of Ulaanbaatar, home to nearly one half of Mongolia's population and the country's political, economic, and cultural center. Through the program's field excursions, students visit remote areas in the country's central and northern regions. Rural homestays in nomadic camps provide stark contrasts between Mongolia's urban and rural communities.

Program resources
Lecturers for this program are drawn from academic institutions, local and international non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and research centers such as:

The National University of Mongolia, the oldest university in Mongolia
University of the Humanities
Mongolian Academy of Science
American Center for Mongolian Studies
The Mongolian Morin Khuur Ensemble
FPMT Mongolia Mahayana Buddhist Center
UNDP-Mongolia
US Embassy in Ulaanbaatar

Hedwig (Heddy) Waters, George Washington University, program alum

“SIT provided me with in-depth opportunities to learn about Mongolian culture, make contacts, and conduct research, which allowed me to hit the ground running when I arrived for my Fulbright.”
SIT has been a critical stepping stone in Heddy’s academic career path. Her Independent Study Project was an important experience in conducting research in a radically different context among people whose everyday lives were very different from her own. It taught her to reconsider what she always regarded as self-evident; to view the world through another’s eyes; and to understand that intercultural research is incredibly dynamic, as one is confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and clichés. The experience helped turn a once unfamiliar country into home.

Browse this program's Independent Study Projects/Undergraduate Research