The UConn Summer Interdisciplinary Ethnography Field School in Mauritius is a faculty-led summer program for students looking for hands-on field experience and interested in interdisciplinary social scientific research.

Participants have the opportunity to conduct their own projects as well as to participate in faculty-led research. The program follows a problem-focused approach and instruction moves beyond traditional disciplinary lines, drawing from a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, from interviews and surveys to behavioral experiments and physiological measurements.

In contrast to most other study abroad programs, this program does not consist of taking classes at another university. Instead, lessons are held in a variety of locations related to the course material. Students will have the opportunity to interact with the local community, participating in their rituals, meals, and other activities, and get a first-hand experience of the Mauritian way of life.

Mauritius is a small tropical island nation in the Indian Ocean which lies between places and traditions. Geographically, it belongs to Africa while located 1200 miles from the continent. Historically, it has been colonized by the Dutch, French, and British, all of whom have left their mark on the island. And demographically, it is one of the most diverse societies in the world. Its inhabitants draw their ancestries from various places in Asia, Africa, and Europe; they speak a great variety of languages; and practice a multitude of religions. Such diversity makes Mauritius an ideal “natural laboratory” for the study of culture.