Estimated Costs

 Eligible applicants

• Are enrolled at an accredited college or university and have completed one year of post-secondary study
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale); however, applications will be considered holistically
• Are physically and emotionally prepared to spend six weeks in Tunisia.
• Are willing to adapt to a new, potentially challenging environment

Application Deadlines

Summer 2012                              April 15, 2012

Summer 2013                              April 15, 2013

AMIDEAST- Education in Tunisia

The program is managed by AMIDEAST/Tunisia in conjunction with AMIDEAST headquarters in Washington, D.C. AMIDEAST works collaboratively with the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research & Technology to oversee implementation of the program. It also manages all logistical elements of the program, including the on-site orientation during the Learn portion of the program, arrangements for excursions, and the planning of special events and extra-curricular activities. Finally, AMIDEAST provides comprehensive support to both participants and administrators in the event of any problems or unusual circumstances.

Orientation

Upon arrival in Tunis, Learn & Serve program students participate in a one-and- a half day orientation designed as an introduction to Tunisian culture and daily life and the logistics of the program. The orientation combines structured informational sessions with organized activities. Topics such as safety and health, family life in Tunisia, cultural adjustment, program regulations, participant responsibilities and other essential information are all discussed during orientation. An essential part of the orientation is the beginning of Tunisian Arabic classes.

AMIDEAST’s partners for the Learn & Serve Program in Tunisia are the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research & Technology and the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Tunis. The Ministry organizes and operates the Language Village. Please click HERE to learn more about the Language Village.

The Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy assists the program in the form of a grant to support certain program expenses and the presence of an American English as a Second Language specialist at the Language Village.

Students enrolled in Learn & Serve take two academic courses: Tunisian Cultural Anthropology in Context and either Tunisian Arabic I or Tunisian Arabic II (depending on previous background in Arabic)

Tunisian Cultural Anthropology in Context (Anthropology 320; 3 credits)

This course focuses on the social history and contemporary culture, in particular the expressive culture, of Tunisia as representative of both a unique Tunisian identity and of Tunisia’s various cultural connections past and present: Muslim, African, Middle Eastern, Arab and Mediterranean.

Tunisian I (Arabic 161; 3 credits)

Students are introduced to words, expressions, and structures used frequently in everyday life. Students practice them in class before they are given assignments to carry out with native speakers in real situations. Evaluation combines performance in class and successful interaction with Tunisians. By the end of the course, students are able to ask essential questions and understand the responses, express basic facts and opinions in simple sentences, and engage in basic conversations in Tunisian Arabic with native speakers.

Dr. Sabra J. Webber, Academic Director/Program Coordinator

Participants in the six and a half-week Learn & Serve 2011 program will learn about the Arab and Islamic cultures of Tunisia and serve as Language & Cultural Fellows at the Language Village. This project is a cooperative effort of AMIDEAST/Tunisia and the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research & Technology, with the support of the American Embassy in Tunis.

Learn & Serve in Tunisia is a unique summer education abroad opportunity for undergraduate students to study in the Middle East/North Africa region and engage in an intense service learning experience with Tunisian university students. The program, which is run with support from the Public Affairs Section of the American Embassy in Tunis, includes a study component on Tunisian culture and society, a service learning component as native speaker resource persons in an English immersion program for Tunisian university students, and intense and sustained interaction with Tunisian university students.