Program Details
Learn about the Middle East’s politics, shifting power configurations, and efforts to promote peace and global security from Jordan, a peace broker in the region.
- Location:
- Amman, Jordan; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Program Type:
- Study Abroad
- Degree Level:
- Undergraduate
- Term:
- Fall Semester, Spring Semester
Program Overview
- Program Description:
Study the Middle East’s complex history from Jordan’s capital, Amman.
Over the last two decades, the Middle East experienced major events—from the 1994 Oslo Peace Treaty to the Arab Spring revolutions to the civil wars in Syria, Libya, and Yemen—that continue to reshape the geopolitical map of the region. As a peace broker in the region, Jordan provides an excellent site from which to study territorial conflict and state sovereignty, international intervention, and how geography’s effects on politics and international relations. You’ll learn about the dominant international relations paradigms in the Middle East and discuss reconciliation models with political scientists, diplomats, and policymakers. You’ll also consider the rise of ISIS and the role of Russia and the US in peacemaking in the Middle East.
- Setting Description:
- Being in the heart of the Middle East, students are able to examine Jordanian government and society as they negotiate the underpinnings of the Arab Spring and ensuing political change in neighboring countries. Students examine development projects on-location and discuss needs and operations with local experts and policy makers. Two homestays — an extended urban stay in Amman and a shorter rural stay with a Bedouin family — allow students to practice their Arabic language skills and offer the dramatic contrast necessary to contextualize modernization and social change in urban and rural Jordan.
Additional Program Information
- Scholarships:
- Yes
- Scholarships Description:
- Please see our website for more information.
Program Reviews
Overall Rating
Based on 2 Reviews
- A Semester in Jordan: Best experience ever09/08/19
When I started my undergraduate studies back in 2017, I had few things clear in my mind, but one of them was that I wanted to study abroad. Due to my interest in the Middle East and international relations, I chose to go to Jordan in Spring 2019 on the
SIT program "Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East". Having gone through the experience and now being back in the United States, I can say one thing: I made the right choice. This SIT program in Jordan has every single quality I believe is key to any effective study abroad program: knowledgeable and approachable on-site staff, relevant academics, experiential learning, field-based components, language component, and homestay. All these elements combined to create an experience that will be with me forever. From the expert-led lectures, to countless opportunities to learn and practice Arabic, to excursions inside and outside of the country that enhanced our skills and tied back to the program's central theme and purpose, to unparalleled attention from the on-site program staff, it was an incredible program. Add to that the great friendships I was able to forge during my time in Jordan, and it's simply a perfect experience!
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend - A Life-Changing Experience in Jordan09/04/19
My time abroad was one of the most life changing experiences of my life. When I told my family and friends that I was travelling to Jordan, many of them were afraid with the same comments - aren't you afraid to live in the Middle East. Going into my abroad
experience with an open heart heart and mind, I did know exactly what I was getting into. But, going to Jordan was probably the best choice for me looking back. I made so many lifelong friends and connections, the academics were amazing, I loved my homestay and on and on.
read moreBottom Line:Yes, I would recommend this to a friend