Foreign Study

Dartmouth Linguistics FSP in New Zealand and Polynesia

During winter term, the Dartmouth Dept. of Linguistics offers a foreign study program in Auckland, New Zealand (Aotearoa) and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The portion in Auckland is in conjunction with the Dartmouth Dept. of Anthropology FSP and includes classes in the Dept. of Māori Studies at the University of Auckland. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, with a culturally diverse population of 1.5 million people. The University of Auckland is an internationally recognized center for the study of Pacific archaeology, cultural anthropology, biological anthropology, and linguistics, and is a leading institution in the comparative study of Indigeneity.

For seven weeks in Auckland, students take classes on Māori language and culture and a course preparing students for linguistics field research taught by the Dartmouth Linguistics FSP faculty director. The time in Auckland includes field trips to Māori communities and significant historical sites on the North Island of New Zealand.

Students spend the final 3 weeks in Rarotonga participating in a linguistics field research project on Cook Islands Māori led by the Linguistics FSP faculty director. The portion of the FSP in Rarotonga is hosted by the University of the South Pacific, Cook Islands campus. Students share a house together in Rarotonga.

A video from the Winter 2020 program in New Zealand resides on the Anthropology website. While it describes the Anthropology FSP, it is worth noting that the Anthropology and Linguistics FSP collaborate on a lot of activities during the first 7 weeks of the winter term when the Linguistics FSP is in Auckland.

In Winter 2022 the program took place in Hawaii due to disruptions to travel to New Zealand caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Here is a short photo diary from the Winter 2022 Hawaii FSP, with captions in English and Hawaiian provided by students Sarah Jewett '23 and Gabriel Gilbert '23. You can also see a few more photos and learn more about their activities on Gabriel Gilbert's blog for the Admissions Office at: https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/follow/blog/gabriel-gilbert/winter-hawaii-linguistics-dsp-2022-highlights

In Winter 2023 and Winter 2024 the program returned to Auckland, New Zealand and the field study was in Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The Winter 2025 field study will again be in Rarotonga.

Winter 2023 program participant, Simon LaMontagne '24, shares about the FSP in a blog for the Admissions Office at: https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/follow/blog/simon-lamontagne/what-linguistics-anyway

Winter 2024 program participant Antonio Jorge Medeiros Batista Silva '25 also describes his experience in his blog for the Admissions Office at: https://admissions.dartmouth.edu/follow/blog/antonio-jorge-medeiros-batista-silva/studying-abroad-new-zealand

More information about the upcoming FSP, including how to apply, can be found on the website of the Frank J. Guarini Institute for International Education.