Study Abroad
The Program in Middle East Studies encourages students to study in the Middle East or North Africa as a way to complement their course work at Smith, deepen their facility in language, and immerse themselves in the cultures of the region.
All Smith students who wish to study abroad during the fall, spring, or year must follow the regulations and deadlines set by the Office for International Study. Normally, students only are permitted to study at a Smith-approved program abroad. The full list of Smith-approved programs is available on the website of the Office for International Study.
Smith-Approved Programs in the Middle East and North Africa
Jordan
CIEE in Jordan
Terms: Fall, Spring, Year
Location: Amman
Language of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: One year of college-level Arabic (Smith requirement). All students
are required to take both modern standard and colloquial Jordanian Arabic while in Amman.
Program Highlights: Students begin the semester with a course of colloquial Jordanian
Arabic, supplemented by excursions and lectures on regional topics. After the initial orientation
period, students begin their course in Arabic language and two area studies courses in such fields
as anthropology, archaeology, culture, economics, history, literature, politics and religion. Students
have the option of living in an apartment with other CIEE program participants, or with a Jordanian
family.
SIT Jordan: Modernization and Social
Change
Terms: Fall, Spring
Location: Amman
Language of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: One year of college-level Arabic (Smith requirement).
Program Highlights: Based in the capital city of Amman, students conduct academic
fieldwork within Jordan. Students study modern standard Arabic and live in homestays in Amman for
nine to 13 weeks. Educational excursions to ancient cities of Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash Aqaba and
the desert castles. A one-week visit to Egypt, conditions permitting, offers students additional
regional insights.
Morocco
SIT Morocco: Multiculturalism and Human Rights
Terms: Fall, Spring
Location: Rabat
Language of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: One year of Arabic language (Smith requirement)
Program Highlights: Program includes homestay; rural stay in the High Atlas Mountains; educational
excursions in Marrakech, Fes, Meknes and the Zagora desert area; and four-week independent study
project.
SIT Morocco: Migration and Transnational
Identity
Terms: Fall, Spring
Location: Rabat
Language of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: One year of Arabic language (Smith requirement)
Program Highlights: Program includes a homestay; rural stay in the High Atlas Mountains; educational
excursions to Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Marrakech and Andalusian, Spain; courses included Moroccan
Arabic, a migration studies seminar and a four-week independent study project.
Israel
Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Terms: Fall, Spring, Year
Location: Kibbutz Ketura, Arava Desert, Israel (40 minutes north of the Gulf of Aqaba)
Language of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: One year of college-level Arabic or Hebrew (Smith requirement)
Program Highlights: The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies encourages environmental cooperation
between peoples. Students from Israel (both Jewish and Arab), the Palestinian Territories, Jordan
and abroad study regional environmental issues in a way that works towards peace and sustainable
development. Students live together, and all classes are held on the kibbutz. The program of study
includes frequent field trips to environmental sites throughout Israel; visits by leading environmental
activists and policy makers; leadership training; and independent research. The idea that nature
knows no political borders is more than a belief at the Arava Institute; it is a fact, a curriculum
and a way of life.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem Rothberg School for Overseas
Students
Terms: Fall, Spring, Year
Location: Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus
Language of Instruction: Hebrew, English
Prerequisites: One year of college-level modern Hebrew (Smith requirement).
Program Highlights: The Rothberg School offers specially designed courses for Americans and other
international students. Classes are taught in English, and the program offers internship and volunteer
opportunities as well as excursions, activities and independent study. Housing in residence halls
with Israeli students. The Rothberg School has compressed the terms for foreign students to fit
the U.S. calendar. To receive full credit, Smith students are required to complete the intensive
Hebrew Ulpan in August. Students wishing to take courses at Hebrew University with Hebrew classmates
(in Hebrew) will need to follow the Israel academic calendar, which has later end dates.
Tel
Aviv University Lowy School for Overseas Students
Terms: Fall, Spring, Year
Location: Tel Aviv
Language of Instruction: Hebrew, English
Prerequisites: One year of college-level modern Hebrew (Smith requirement).
Program Highlights: Fall (October-January), spring (January-June), or full-year program. Mandatory
intensive Hebrew language sessions offered before each semester. The fall Ulpan begins in late
July/early August. The program offers specially designed classes for English-speaking students
from all over the world. Orientation, excursions and weekend seminars are included in the program.
Students live in residence halls with Israeli or international roommates.
University of Haifa-International School
Terms: Fall, Spring, Year
Location: Haifa; the university is on top of Mt. Carmel overlooking the Mediterranean
Language of Instruction: Hebrew, English
Prerequisites: One year of college-level modern Hebrew (Smith requirement).
Program Highlights: Classes taught in English. The Department of Overseas Studies offers excursions,
directed field study, internship and volunteer work. Housing in residence halls with local students.
Smith students will need to complete one-month language Ulpan in August to receive full semester's
credit, or take regular Haifa University courses (in Hebrew), which end later than overseas studies
courses.
Other Study Abroad Programs in the Middle East
Warning: The following programs are not on the list of Smith-approved study abroad destinations. They are here for informational purposes only.
In certain exceptional cases, the Office for International Study and the Committee on Study Abroad may entertain petitions for study at institutions that are not on the Smith-approved list of programs abroad. Participation in such programs requires a student petition and the formal approval of the Committee for Study Abroad and the Office of International Study. The CSA and OIS base their approval on a wide-variety of factors, including (but not limited to) student safety, travel warnings, quality of the academic program, availability of student housing, level of administrative support at the institution abroad, and recommendations from peer institutions. Smith faculty of the Program in Middle East Studies are familiar with the following programs:
Egypt
CASA (Center for Arabic Study Abroad, Cairo)
AUC (The American University in Cairo)
Israel
Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) International School of Engineering
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Lebanon
AUB (The American University of Beirut)
SINARC (Institute for Intensive Arabic Language and Culture at the Lebanese American University)
Oman
SIT Oman
Jerusalem/Abu Dis/Ramallah
Al-Quds University-Bard College Program
Turkey
CIEE, Koc University
Baylor University, Bogazici
