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In field! Follow the Jordan and Syria adventure on the Yak Yak Board.

A Bedouin in traditional red shamagh sends text messages from his iPhone while standing between the sandstone mountains of Wadi Rum.  A merchant in Damascus hawks bootleg DVDs in front of colorful spice and silver shops.  A Queen clad in Chanel lectures her subjects on the importance of modernizing the Kingdom’s archaic educational system.

When traveling in the deserts, villages and cities of the Levant, students are struck by the contrast between profoundly ancient and progressively modern systems of thought, behavior and culture.

The proverbial cradle of civilization, the lands incorporated within modern day Syria and Jordan are home to an ever-changing multitude of kingdoms, peoples, religions and cultures.  So it was in ancient times, and so it is today.

Although the societies of the contemporary Arab Middle East are often perceived as dominated by one system of belief and one singular culture, a closer exploration of these societies reveals deep diversity and complexity.

The cultures of the region are influenced by a variety of factors, including, most significantly, by attempts to modernize.

Our course encourages students to explore the deeper levels of the Levant and peel back the layers of an overexposed yet little understood region.  We explore topics related to pressures of modernization, impacts of development, traditionally defined gender roles and the significant struggles experienced by a region poor in the vital natural resources of energy and water.

Our studies require students to approach the Middle East with tolerance, openness, curiosity, and compassion.  As we learn, the influences that shape culture and belief in contemporary Levantine Arab society are far more complex than first meets the eye.

Our adventure begins in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, where we settle into local lodgings and begin our studies in language and culture.  We chat with the easy-going Aqabawi, haggle with Chinese merchants in the city’s markets and point the tourists in the direction of stunning coral reefs. 

After acclimatizing to south Jordan, we head north to Wadi Rum, the heart of Bedouin territory, where we trek along Lawrence of Arabia’s famed path to the beginning of the Arab Revolt. In Wadi Rum, we are welcomed into our first home-stay, where we observe first-hand the traditions of family, hospitality and Islam that have characterized life in the Arabian desert for the past 1,300 years.  Time in Wadi Rum also allows us to observe the emphasis on ecological sustainability that the Jordanian government is working towards in its protection of natural desert habitats.

From Wadi Rum, we travel to the ancient Nabatean city of Petra, where we explore the ancient city by day and spend our nights with families in a local Bedouin village.  In Petra, we will compare the lifestyles and traditions of desert and mountain Bedouin and also examine the impact that modern tourists have on local traditions.

From Petra, we travel down into the Jordan Valley for an exploration of the ecological challenges facing this desert nation.  Highlights include visits to the Dead Sea and a community-run nature reserve. Our visit to the Jordan Valley also takes us to Lot’s Cave and Jesus’ Baptism site, allowing us to consider the confluence of faiths found in the Levant.  From the Jordan Valley, we travel north to Madaba where we are welcomed once again by local families.  In Madaba we spend a week soaking up the rhythms of small town life while working with local NGOs.  At this point in our journey, students will be asked to reflect upon the variety of communities and environments through which they have traveled.

Heading north from Madaba, we spend a few days in the northern part of Jordan before continuing into Syria for a student-inspired comparative exploration of a less wealthy and less modernized Levantine nation. Our return to Jordan and onward travel will allow students to come full-circle in their exploration of issues of modernization and development in this critical region of the contemporary world.