Courses

The Curriculum

Our program combines classroom instruction with exciting opportunities for experiential and integrated learning.  Students gain firsthand knowledge of the rich cultures and history of the Middle East while living and learning in Jordan.  They connect their classroom lectures, reading, and individual research to the people, sites, and cultural events they experience as part of the program.  Students also have the opportunity to volunteer to work for one day with various relief and aid organizations while in Jordan, allowing them to gain direct understanding of some of the challenges facing people in the region.  

Because of the low student to instructor ratio, and the amount of time spent traveling, eating, and living together, students are able to spend considerable time with their instructors, continuing conversations started in the classroom, asking questions that arise during travel or meetings with guest lecturers, or just passing the time.  All three of our highly qualified instructors co-teach the courses, direct research projects, and supervise writing workshop groups, helping students build skills they will need to succeed in college. They also accompany students on field trips, in which students gain first-hand experience employing the research methodology they are learning.

Coursework focuses on giving the students a comprehensive understanding of Arab cultures, the Middle East, and the regions relationship with the rest of the world.  They also gain the theoretical and historical knowledge to put their experiences in context: academically, culturally, and internationally. 

Topics of lectures and discussions have included:

•    Religious diversity and identity, especially as they impact politics and the creation of sacred spaces
•    History of the Middle East: as a region and as a construct
•    Literature, art, music, and pop culture
•    Inter-region and international relations and politics
•    The legacy of British colonialism and the influence of Palestinian refugees on Jordanian society
•    Ethnographic, historical, and other relevant methodologies necessary for conducting research and contextualizing what students learn both during class and on site visits.
•    Methodologies and theories from the fields of anthropology, religious studies, history, political science, museum studies, and literature
•    Building writing, research, and critical thinking skills necessary for success in college

Course assignments include individual research papers on topics of interest to the students, group presentations, contributions to the course web site, and short writing assignments and journal entries. 

Grades are not assigned; rather, evaluations of student performance are given by the instructors throughout and at the end of the program. Students who successfully complete the program receive written evaluations and Columbia University Statements of Attendance.

Program Structure

The program is divided into three units, each organized around specific topics and skills: a preliminary week at Columbia University, two weeks at Kings Academy, and a final week at Columbia during which students complete final projects and present their research.

Week 1:
At Columbia, students attend classes twice a day, for three hours apiece (9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.).  There will also be two evening film showings in the first week.  Through lectures, films, and readings, students are introduced to Middle Eastern history and contemporary intra-region relations as well as to key concepts useful for thinking through their time in Jordan.  Students also receive instruction in basic Arabic phrases and will engage in their first ethnographic research projects on field trips to diverse neighborhoods and sections of New York City. Students are broken up into topically-based research groups, with whom they will create their final presentations.
Each student additionally keeps a daily journal, synthesizing their reflections on their coursework, experiences, and group research topics.  

Weeks 2 & 3:
In Jordan, students’ time is split between classroom instruction, site visits and meetings with guest speakers.  Classroom lectures and discussions prepare students for their visits, and cover such topics as: the legacy of British colonialism and Palestinian refugees in Jordan; the relations between religion and politics in the region, specifically as they pertain to humanitarian efforts, refugee issues, and the Jordanian government; Arab literature and arts in the contemporary Middle East; religious diversity and identity; and the presentation of culture and history in museums and heritage sites as locations for creating and reinforcing national, ethnic, and religious identities.

Students complete short writing assignments, and participate in writing groups. Additionally, they contribute to the course Web site in two ways: First, different teams of students create and post photographic and written reports for each site visit. Second, students keep individual journals during the course and post at least one entry (which can include video and photos as well as text) to the Web site’s blog.

Week 4:
In the last week at Columbia, students complete their final group projects and deliver them to the class in formal, multimedia presentations. The schedule is again two two-hour classes per day, with some classes given over to directed research and writing workshops. Students also meet individually and as groups with instructors, who help guide their research and writing.  Other classes are be taken up with lectures or group discussions aimed at helping students to contextualize what they have learned in Jordan within the broader cultural, historic, international, and academic understandings of Arab cultures, the Middle East, and their relations with the rest of the world.