Mongolia: Nomadic Culture and Globalization

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Examine efforts to balance open-door policies with those that protect indigenous cultures in Mongolia.

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

"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