Credits
16
Prerequisites
None
Language of Study
Arabic
Courses taught in
English
Dates
Jan 30 – May 14
Program Countries
Morocco
Program Excursion Countries
Turkey
Program Base
Rabat
Visa
Varies
Critical Global Issue of Study
Geopolitics & Power
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Morocco
Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East
(Filling; Apply by Nov 1, 2026)
Study international relations and the complex history and politics of the Middle East and learn about efforts to promote peace and global security in Morocco’s capital, Rabat.
At a Glance
Overview
Why study abroad in Morocco?
This program previously took place in Jordan. In light of the ongoing unrest across parts of the Middle East, we have made the decision to relocate the program to Morocco for the spring semester, with the safety and well-being of our students as our first priority.
Morocco sits at the crossroads of the Arab world, Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean, offering a distinctive vantage point from which to explore the geopolitics and international relations of the Middle East and North Africa. A stable monarchy with close ties to Europe, the Gulf, and West Africa, Morocco is directly engaged in many of the dynamics reshaping the region today, including migration and border politics, regional diplomacy, energy and climate change, and debates over governance and reform.
Based in the capital, Rabat, you will become acquainted with the traditions and contemporary realities of a country shaped by Arab, Amazigh, African, and Islamic influences while examining regional politics and social change. The program maintains its established academic focus on Jordan and the broader Middle East, using Jordan as an important comparative case for understanding regional geopolitics, governance, migration, environmental challenges, and international relations. Studying these themes from Morocco provides an additional North African perspective and allows you to compare experiences and political dynamics across the Middle East and North Africa.
Excursions to other parts of Morocco introduce you to the country’s cultural, political, and social diversity, while a visit to Istanbul, Turkey, provides another comparative perspective on Turkey’s role in the evolving political landscape of the Middle East. Throughout the semester, you’ll also improve your Arabic language skills through customized lessons, field-based learning, and highly interactive conversations connected to the sites and communities you visit.
Highlights
- Visit Istanbul and engage with historical, educational, social, and political sites to deepen your understanding of Turkey’s role in regional geopolitics.
- Experience daily life in Morocco through an extended homestay and engagement with local communities.
- Discuss Middle East and North African politics with political scientists, diplomats, policymakers, and other regional experts, while examining Jordan as an important comparative case.
- Customize your experience by focusing on either Arabic language or peacebuilding.
Prerequisites
None
Earn a Minor
Students studying on this SIT semester-length program can choose to simultaneously complete a minor, with no additional coursework or cost. At SIT, a minor is a minimum of 16 credits taken within a content area. This standout credential can help boost your future job or graduate school applications.
SIT's program in Morocco offers the choice to do a minor in Middle Eastern studies or peace and justice studies. You'll develop critical analysis skills in geopolitics, diplomacy, and conflict resolution while engaging directly with political scientists, practitioners, and peace negotiators. Through coursework, field-based learning in Rabat and Istanbul, and your Independent Study Project or internship, you'll examine territorial conflicts, regional power dynamics, and international intervention while improving your Arabic language proficiency in a real-world context.
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Excursions
Turkey and Geopolitics in the Middle East
The program includes an excursion to Istanbul, Turkey, a city that offers a unique blend of East and West and complex geopolitical history. In the past 20 years, Turkey has emerged as a leading political, economic, and cultural power in the region and as a main regional geopolitically influential player. In Istanbul, students have a rich context to learn about a different perspective on international relations and the Turkish influence in shaping the future of the Middle East. Students also learn about sociopolitical minorities such as the Kurds, the Syrians, and international investors. Students also meet with peers from Istanbul University and visit Old Istanbul to discuss the role of Turkey in Syria and Turkey’s relations with Iran, Israel, and world powers such as Russia, the US, and the EU. During this excursion, students will meet with peers from Istanbul University and visit Old Istanbul, the Blue Mosque, Haga Sofia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar, and Suleymaniye Library and Mosque. They also have the opportunity to enjoy a boat cruise on the Bosphorous reaching close to the black sea. A sea where the surrounding countries have a rich and complex history of geopolitics and international relations.
Northern Morocco
Tangier
A fascinating city at the crossroads of Africa, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic, and for decades an internationally administered zone. Standing at the Strait of Gibraltar, you’ll examine border politics, migration, and Morocco’s relationship with Europe from one of the places where those dynamics are most visible.
Southern Morocco
Marrakech
One of Morocco’s historical cities and a longstanding hub of trade, politics, and culture linking the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara, and the Atlantic coast. You’ll explore the historic medina and its surroundings while considering how tourism, urban change, and economic development are reshaping the city and the communities around it.
Essaouira
A fortified Atlantic port city long shaped by encounters between Morocco, Europe, and West Africa. Its history as a center of commerce, and of Amazigh, Arab, Jewish, and Gnawa cultural life, offers a vivid entry point into questions of migration, pluralism, and the layered identities of the region.
Please note that SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, however, SIT may have to change or cancel programs.
Academics
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Examine the geopolitics, international relations, and the future of the Middle East through engagement with diplomats, political scientists, and peace negotiators.
- Synthesize the local, regional, and international factors that shape the Middle East political map in research papers and presentations.
- Explain the tenets of the psychology of peace in conflict transformation.
- Analyze and process primary data gathered in the field in an Independent Study Project paper in which you draw valid and ethical interpretations and conclusions.
- Synthesize the internship learning experience in the form of an internship paper.
- Develop, improve, or advance your communicative and writing proficiency in Arabic and acquire conversational skills in Moroccan colloquial Arabic.
Coursework
The following syllabi are representative of this program. Because courses develop and change over time to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, actual course content will vary from term to term.
The syllabi can be useful for students, faculty, and study abroad offices in assessing credit transfer. Read more about credit transfer.
Key Topics
- How geography shapes politics and international relations in the Middle East
- Territorial conflict, state sovereignty, and international intervention
- Lasting effects of the Arab Spring on politics and society in the region
- The role of Jordan as a peace broker in the region
- Effects of diplomacy and international relations in conflict resolution
Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East
Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East
Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East – syllabus
(MDES3000 / 3 credits)
Over the last two decades, the Middle East has been the stage of some mega events that continue to reshape the geopolitical map of the region. As a peace broker in the region, Jordan provides an excellent site for the study of ways in which geography shapes politics, shifts power configurations, and impacts international relations. Issues of relevance to the theme of the seminar include territorial conflict and state sovereignty, international intervention and dominant paradigm of international relations, geopolitical imagining and refugee crisis, and the impact of political crises on social organization, economy, and human ecology. Students study the nature of dominant International Relations paradigm in the Middle East and geopolitical discourse. In Istanbul, students learn from local academics how Turkey has become a strong geopolitical regional player in Middle Eastern politics and international relations, and the extent to which Turkey is influencing the future political arena of the Middle East. This seminar includes classroom activities (lectures and reading assignments) and incorporates educational excursions, visits to organizations, agencies, critical thinking exercises, voluntary work, and field-based assignments. The Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East seminar has an interdisciplinary, integrative, and critical focus.
Arabic
Arabic
Beginning Modern Standard Arabic
Beginning Modern Standard Arabic – syllabus
(ARAB1006-1506 / 6 credits)
Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic
Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic – syllabus
(ARAB2006-2506 / 6 credits)
Advanced Modern Standard Arabic
Advanced Modern Standard Arabic – syllabus
(ARAB3006-3506 / 6 credits)
The language course is offered at different levels: Choose to take either two thematic seminars and a 3-credit language course OR the thematic seminar Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East, and a six-credit language course.
The language course emphasizes speaking, reading, and writing skills in Modern Standard Arabic (fusha) through classroom and field instruction. Students are placed in intensive beginning, intermediate, or advanced classes based on in-country evaluation, including oral proficiency testing. A component on Moroccan Colloquial Arabic is also part of the course.
Arabic and The Psychology of Peace
Arabic and The Psychology of Peace
Beginning Modern Standard Arabic
Beginning Modern Standard Arabic – syllabus
(ARAB1003-1503 / 3 credits)
Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic
Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic – syllabus
(ARAB2003-2503 / 3 credits)
Advanced Modern Standard Arabic
Advanced Modern Standard Arabic – syllabus
(ARAB3003-3503 / 3 credits)
The language course is offered at different levels: Choose to take either two thematic seminars and a 3-credit language course OR the thematic seminar Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East, and a six-credit language course.
AND
The Psychology of Peace – syllabus
(MDES/PSYC3500 / 3 credits)
This interdisciplinary seminar addresses theory and practice of peace psychology, the psychological causes of violence and nonviolence, nonviolent struggle, nonviolence and social change, the role of emotions in peacebuilding, negotiations of political disputes, and the impact of exiled and displaced populations on the psychology of peace and conflict resolution. The seminar also assesses applications of human psychology to the study of international politics. Psychological analyses of foreign policy and decision making, international conflict, and conflict resolution greatly contribute to the understanding of international relations. Students study the psychology of diverse actors of international relations, international relations and foreign policy decision making, role of biases, role of emotions in political decision making, and other psychological factors contributing to better understanding and explanation of international relations and politics. Through field visits with NGOs working in psychological services and health, as well as discussions with academics, diplomats, peace practitioners, and other experts, students explore the psychology of peace and its role in conflict resolution and peace processes. Drawing primarily on experiences in Morocco while maintaining a comparative focus on Jordan and the broader Middle East, students examine how different political, social, and cultural contexts shape approaches to conflict, peacebuilding, and reconciliation.
Social Science Methods and Ethics in Global Contexts or Global Organizational Culture and Ethics
Social Science Methods and Ethics in Global Contexts or Global Organizational Culture and Ethics
Social Science Methods and Ethics in Global Contexts – syllabus
(RSCH3500 / 3 credits)
This course is designed to introduce you to the methodological tools used by social scientists to conduct empirically grounded, theoretically engaged research. The course will cover the basic elements of research design, the role of theory in empirical research, and the ethics for social scientific research, with particular attention to the complex ethical considerations that arise when conducting research in international and cross-cultural contexts. Students will gain hands-on experience with both basic quantitative and qualitative methods, with the flexibility to emphasize their preferred methodological approach in their final work. Using this project-based approach, the course will prepare you to design and execute social science research projects while developing competency across methodological traditions.
OR
Global Organizational Culture and Ethics – syllabus (GOCE3500/3 credits)
This course equips students to engage meaningfully and ethically in internship experiences across diverse sociopolitical, cultural, environmental, and global contexts. Using a critical, practice-based approach, students examine the nature and purpose of internships as transformative experiential learning opportunities that connect to the program’s Critical Global Issue theme. Emphasis is placed on navigating workplace and organizational cultures, reflecting on identity and positionality in professional settings, and applying ethical principles to working globally with communities, individuals, and environments—particularly in collaboration with vulnerable populations and in sensitive ecological or habitat settings.
Independent Study Project or Internship
Independent Study Project or Internship
In addition to taking the above courses, students will also need to enroll in one of the following two courses:
Independent Study Project
Independent Study Project – syllabus
(ISPR3000 / 4 credits)
Conducted in Rabat or another approved location in Morocco appropriate to the project. Students may also pursue research focused on Jordan, Palestine, or broader Middle Eastern and North African issues through in-person research in Morocco and online interviews, surveys, and other remote research with regional participants and experts, with support from the program in facilitating appropriate connections. Sample topics include political systems and governance; foreign policy; Palestine and regional politics; migration and refugees; civil society and nongovernmental organizations; religion and state; gender and social change; youth; tribal politics; environment, climate change, and sustainable development; media and freedom of expression; and comparative political and social issues across Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, and the broader region.
Sample ISP topic areas may include:
- The Arab Spring and political change in Jordan, Morocco, and the broader Middle East and North Africa
- Refugees, migration, and regional politics
- Jordanian and Moroccan foreign policy and regional relations
- Political power, tribal structures, and changing identities
- Women’s participation in politics and civil society
- NGOs, civil society, and international donor relations
- Freedom of expression, media, and political discourse
- Environment, natural resources, climate change, and sustainable development
- Islam, politics, and state discourses on development
- Migration and human rights in Morocco
- African and Euro-Mediterranean migration and border politics
- Amazigh identity, cultural rights, and political representation
- Environmental and land rights in Morocco
- Art, cultural transformation, and political expression
- Political pluralism and social change
Browse this program’s Independent Study Projects / undergraduate research.
OR
Internship and Seminar
Internship and Seminar – syllabus
(ITRN3000 / 4 credits)
This seminar consists of a four-week internship with a local community or research organization, business, or international NGO in Morocco. The internship enables students to gain valuable work experience and strengthen their skills in an international work environment. Students complete an internship and submit a paper reflecting on their experience, analyzing an issue important to the organization, and/or designing a socially responsible solution to an identified problem. Emphasis is placed on connecting the internship experience to the program’s critical global issue focus and broader themes of geopolitics, international relations, and social change, with opportunities to draw comparisons between Morocco, Jordan, and the broader Middle East and North Africa.
Sample internships:
- Conducting political and international relations research with research centers or universities
- Supporting migration, human rights, policy, or civil society initiatives with local or international organizations
- Contributing to education, community development, and civil society programs
- Working with organizations addressing environmental sustainability, social change, peacebuilding, or regional development
Housing
Rabat
You’ll live with a Moroccan homestay family in Rabat for the first two months of the program, except during excursions. The homestay is a unique opportunity to become a member of a Moroccan family, share meals with them, and take part in special occasions. Morocco is known for its warm hospitality. You’ll be immersed in Moroccan culture and will gain an understanding of your host family’s perspectives and values, all while practicing your Arabic language skills. When the ISP/internship period begins, you’ll have more flexibility: you may choose to remain with your homestay family or rent an apartment and experience living more independently in Morocco.
Most homestay families are middle class and maintain the customs of a typical Moroccan home. You may get to experience a Moroccan wedding, a religious holiday, or other traditional cultural activity in addition to family outings.
Excursion & Orientation Accommodations
Hostels and small hotels
Career Paths
A diversity of students representing different colleges, universities, and majors study abroad on this program. Many of them have gone on to do amazing things that connect back to their experience abroad with SIT. Positions recently held by alumni of this program include:
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Officer at the US Embassy, Amman, Jordan
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Assistant at Hashemite Fund for Development of Jordan Badia, Amman, Jordan
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Positions within political, economic, and development agencies and NGOs in Jordan and the Middle East
Faculty & Staff
Morocco: Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East
Raed Al-Tabini, PhD
Academic Director
Ashraf Alqudah, PhD
Academic Coordinator
Hala Al-Fayez, PhD
Program Language Coordinator and Senior Instructor
Sakhaa Bataineh
Program Assistant
Mahmoud S. Shafie, PhD
Arabic Language Instructor
Ahlam Sokar
Arabic Language Instructor
Eman Al-Tamimi, MA
Arabic Language Instructor
Discover the Possibilities
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Cost & Scholarships
SIT Study Abroad is committed to ensuring that international education is within reach for all students. We believe in the transformative power of immersive, intercultural experiences and are dedicated to supporting students in their educational journey.
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HEALTH, SAFETY & ACCESS
A critical step in preparing for your study abroad program is planning how you will maintain your health and wellbeing. Please review the following information carefully and contact [email protected] with any questions or concerns.
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Visa Requirements
Depending on your passport of origin, you may need a visa for this program. Please contact your admissions officer for more information.
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SIT alumna will study climate change-democracy links through Foreign Service fellowshipRead more
In 2022, SIT Jordan alum Lauren Newman was named a Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow, putting her one step closer to working for the Foreign Service.