Discover Transformative Study Abroad Opportunities in North Africa and the Middle East with SIT.

Phone:
888.272.7881 (toll-free in US)
802.258.3212

TTY:
802.258.3388

Fax:
802.258.3296

Mailing Address:
PO Box 676, 1 Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA

View a list of SIT Study Abroad Programs in North Africa and the Middle East

Download the catalog: 2012 Programs in North Africa and the Middle East (PDF)

"My experience in Tunisia with SIT was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The academic content was tremendously enriching, and I expanded myself greatly intellectually."

Lindsay Novis, Fordham University

Watch SIT students showcase their Arabic language
skills on Jordan’s nationally televised morning show,
Yawm Jadeed (New Day).

Spelman College students “witness revolution up close” on SIT’s spring 2011 Tunisia and Morocco programs. Read about it here.

Study the impact of recent social revolutions on identity construction and nation-building. Learn about a region at the heart of contemporary global politics. Witness how peoples and local communities negotiate the weight of historical trajectories, the richness of spirituality, and the demands of modern life. Address colonial legacies of language, education, and political geographies. Explore a diversity of cultures and shared experience of Islam while being immersed in an Arabic-speaking environment.

CHOOSE FROM HIGHLY RELEVANT AREAS OF STUDY INCLUDING:

Multiculturalism, journalism, and human rights.
Study the intertwined relationship between the promotion of cultural diversity and human rights education in Morocco. Examine multiple uses of new media technologies by youth in North Africa and the Middle East.Develop your journalistic skills by working under the guidance of seasoned journalists in Morocco.
Urbanization, modernization, and social change.
Explore material and cultural implications of urban space in post-revolutionary Cairo. Study women’s role in the development of civil society in Jordan or Tunisia. Examine the contributions of women preachers to the new religious landscape in Morocco.
Modernity, tradition, and identity politics.
Explore the tensions of emergent political Islam in Tunisia or the confluences of postcolonialism and Berber identity in Morocco. Study the interaction between tradition and political culture in Oman. Learn about the role of tribal politics in the Middle East.
Migration, refugees, and political geography.
Examine globalization from the perspective of transnational movements of migrants from Morocco to Europe. Learn from the narratives of migrants from Africa south of the Sahara. Study the impacts of regional conflicts and the displacement of peoples from Palestine and Iraq to Jordan.
Language, society, and intercultural communication.
Enhance your skills in the Arabic language while learning about social etiquette in the Middle East and North Africa. Explore the links between ecological precariousness, economic growth, political stability, and cultural sustainability in Oman.
Economic development and political culture.
Consider the impact of petroleum (or its absence) on local and regional economies in the Persian Gulf and related processes of Omanization. Study Islam in relation to discourses of development in Jordan or the effect of migrant remittances in Morocco.

RAPIDLY LEARN OR IMPROVE ARABIC LANGUAGE SKILLS
SIT provides students of wide-ranging levels, including beginners, the opportunity to learn Arabic through full integration in a local culture. Consider an intensive summer language program in Rabat or Amman. Explore the political and cultural dimensions of media Arabic in Jordan. Spend a semester learning Arabic while also studying development, migration, human rights, or another influential topic.

ACQUIRE OR ENHANCE OTHER LANGUAGE SKILLS LIKE FRENCH OR SWAHILI
In addition to improving skills in Modern Standard Arabic, students can practice French in Tunisia or Morocco or get an introduction to Swahili (and learn why it is spoken locally) in Oman.

CONDUCT INDEPENDENT FIELD RESEARCH ON A TOPIC OF YOUR CHOICE
Undertake independent research and primary data collection on an approved topic of interest, spanning issues as diverse as the causes and consequences of clandestine migration in Morocco; the impact of ecotourism on Bedouin communities in Jordan; new social media and the Omani public sphere; or the politics of veiling in Tunisia.

FORGE RECIPROCIAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH IN-COUNTRY CONTACTS
Form meaningful, lasting relationships with local academics, peers, mentors, and host family members, utilizing SIT’s extensive in-country contacts. Learn from prominent faculty, political leaders, scholars, and civil society activists. Acquire informed local perspectives from those actively engaged in rethinking and remaking their communities.Visit the Moroccan-American Journalism Partnership Facebook page created by the Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media students and their Moroccan peers at the Higher Institute of Information and Communication

North Africa and the Middle East Programs

Selected SIT Study Abroad Programs
Egypt: Modern Cairo, Urban Development, and Social Change
Jordan: Intensive Arabic Language Studies -- Summer
Jordan: Modernization and Social Change
Jordan: Public Health in Amman-Summer
Morocco: Field Studies in Journalism and New Media
Morocco: Intensive Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture -- Summer
Morocco: Migration and Transnational Identity
Morocco: Multiculturalism and Human Rights
Oman: Political Culture and Economic Development in the Gulf
Tunisia: Emerging Identities in North Africa

"Living with a host family gave me a chance to truly experience Oman, rather than just visit it. My hosts treated me like a daughter and included me in all family activities - from weddings and parties to hospital visits and funerals, and everything in between. The homestay provided insights and experiences that have shaped my perspective on both the country and region as a whole, and I was able to better appreciate my time in the Middle East as a result."

Stephanie Brockman,
Yale University

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