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March 26th, 2026   |   Africa, IHP, SIT Study Abroad

Studying death across multiple cultures is not your typical study abroad experience鈥攂ut that鈥檚 exactly what makes it so profound. SIT's program explores how cultural attitudes toward death shape social life by comparing practices in four countries across three continents.

The program starts in New York City, where death is often treated as taboo, contributing to limited understanding of dying, grief, and end-of-life planning. In contrast in Ghana, death is seen as a communal celebration of life, but also raises questions about historical trauma and dark tourism. In Mexico, Indigenous and Catholic traditions shape vibrant rituals and advocacy around dying, and in Indonesia, cultural practices blur the boundary between life and death. Together, these locations illustrate how death can function as a lens for understanding community, belief systems, and social responsibility.

Rory "Deuce" Sean Armaugh Miller II chose this program because he鈥檚 always been curious about how people in other cultures live.

鈥淭he topic of death is very specific as well, and I don't think I will ever have the opportunity to look into its global practices on any other program,鈥� says the physics major from Wofford College, who hopes to get his PhD and become a medical physicist in the future.

Read on to learn how Miller spent a day in Ghana learning about death and dying.

7:15 a.m.
Early day today: Woke up to the sun and had just enough time to clean up and pray before starting my day.

8:00 a.m.
We went to an Asante funeral early in the morning to both mourn and celebrate a man鈥檚 life. Asante funerals are sometimes multi-day events where the whole community gathers. There was dancing and crying and gift giving, and a full spectrum of emotions at this funeral. The man died young, in his forties, and left a wife and triplets. He was very impactful in his community and so many people came to support the family. The colors of red, black, and white are common funeral colors in the Ashanti region of Ghana.

10:30 a.m.
The deceased man was Catholic, so part of the funeral was moved to the church with a service dedicated to him. It was my first time attending a Catholic mass. The entire service centered around his life and prominence in the community. There was also a portion of the service where his wife came and spoke about him. It was very sad.

1:00 p.m.
I ate some Ghanaian KFC and it was surprisingly good.

3:00 p.m.
I tried this Ghanaian energy drink to recharge. It was very tasty.

3:30 p.m.
We went to a different venue where we continued to celebrate the life and death of this man. The community was very accepting of us and honestly happy for us to be there to celebrate their friend. We danced with them.

6:00 p.m.
I ate dinner, which was delicious fufu and chicken stew.

7:30 p.m.
After dinner, everyone took a group picture in their funeral outfits. Overall, it was a nice day, and really helped me to gain perspective on how death is seen in this culture.