Rabat

At the crossroads of civilizations, Morocco and its capital city of Rabat are located in the North West corner of Africa. With the Atlantic Ocean on one coast and the Mediterranean Sea on the other, at a gateway to the African continent, Morocco is only 22 miles from Europe. The capital of a modern nation, Rabat symbolizes the infinite variety and contrasts of Morocco. Rabat is an ideal location for experiencing a successfully functioning bilingual society (Arabic and French).

Students will have the opportunity to take an intensive French course along with an interdisciplinary Moroccan culture and society course (history, literature, political science, art, music, architecture), and will be integrated into the local community and culture.

The program is coordinated and accompanied by a UVA faculty member and thus is ideal for students who want to study French language and have never traveled to North Africa. For those students with more knowledge of French language, this program will also provide a deeper immersion in a Francophone country in North African civilization and culture.

UVA faculty Majida Bargach is the Program Director and will teach an interdisciplinary course. The program is hosted by the Institute for Language and Communication Studies (ILCS) in Rabat. The intensive French course will be taught by ILCS faculty (native French speakers).

Students will receive nine UVA credits and grades for completion of this program, and can be utilized toward graduation requirements at UVA. Students will attend classes four days a week (Monday through Thursday), and will participate in group field trips and excursions. Field trips will include museums and monuments. Expected excursions include the Imperial Cities: Marrakech and the Atlas mountains, Fes (the cultural capital), Casablanca (the economic capital), and Tangier and Tetuan on the Mediterranean Sea.

Students will be housed in double occupancy rooms at the residential facilities of the School of Minerals Engineering in Rabat.