Service Learning
MOROCCO: SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Summer 2012
An International Service Learning Program
Architecture faculty Bill Rea with local students.
Country: Morocco
Dates: May 10th – June 14th, 2012
Language: English
Level(s): Graduate and Undergraduate
Subjects: Architecture, Health and Education
(all majors and disciplines are welcome to apply)
Prerequisites: 2.5 GPA, Instructor consent via interview process.
Courses:
Download program Powerpoint here.
Arch 471 or 525 (6 credits)
Health and Education- ICS 491, ICS 404 ( 6 credits)
Cost: $4,900
(Covers all expenses from pick up at the Marrakech airport on May 10 to drop off at the Marrakech airport on June 14)
Financial Aid can be used towards the program, see MSU website for more information.
Pre-sojourn classes: There will be five evening classes during the spring semester of 2012 to be held at MSU or via video conference for out of town students.
Program Coordinates: 31◦ 50’ 16.90” N, 6◦ 06’ 38.72” W
University Partner: Montana State University
Contact Information:
For more information, an extended syllabus, or application materials please visit the MSU website or contact us via email.
Cloe Medina Erickson, Program Director, medina@atlasculturalfoundation.org
Kevin Brustuen, MSU Office of International Programs, kevin.brustuen@montana.edu
2011 program participant Kristin Elsner.
“I feel like Morocco is the place that amplifies what the universe has to say.”
Kristen- student participant summer 2011.
Academic Program:
The Morocco: Sustainable Community Development program is an international service learning program that offers university students in the fields of architecture, education, and health the opportunity to participate in ongoing community development projects in the rural communities of the Zawiya Ahansal region in the Central High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The program is accredited through Montana State University and is partnered with the Atlas Cultural Foundation (ACF), a non-profit organization with the mission of helping underserved Moroccans, especially women and children, improve their quality of life, through locally determined development projects in the fields of cultural preservation, community education, and rural health.
Students will work with ACF and their education partner the Iqra Fund to assist with community development projects, conduct needs assessments of the local communities, interact with local and regional governmental and community officials, and complete their own special projects, in addition to living and learning with the local community. The program offers a five-week international experience for graduate and undergraduate students to travel to rural Morocco accompanied by Montana State University professors and live and work in a small community. The student work will directly benefit the ACF Igherm Restoration Project, Iqra Fund-ACF Community Education and Literacy Program, and the Iqra Fund-ACF Community Health and Midwife Training Program.
The foundation of the program is a real world experience of living, working, and learning in a rural Moroccan village. Students engage in meaningful, community-identified work; are immersed in an intercultural living environment in which they engage in cross-cultural dialogue; observe, study, and participate in the host culture; work with faculty and professional mentors; and generally engage in a variety of formal and informal intercultural exchanges. These experiences are then reflected upon in direct and indirect methods with peers, leaders, or cultural informants. Through reflection and observation, new learning occurs and then is tested or applied in the field.
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Program Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, students will learn, do, and obtain the following:
Technical Skills
- Develop technical skills in the areas of cultural preservation, community education, and rural health
- Develop an understanding of traditional methods and techniques
- Develop interpersonal communication and collaboration skills
- Develop problem solving and critical thinking skills
Knowledge
- Obtain models of alternative career development in their field
- Participate in and gain knowledge of sustainable community development
Personal Skills
- Increase self-awareness
- Increase cross-cultural communication skills
- Enhance intercultural sensitivity and understanding
Community/Global Citizen Skills
- Develop increased civic responsibility
- Increase global awareness
- Increase participation in and/or knowledge of global events
What to Expect:
The Atlas Mountains rise high above Zawiya Ahansal.
Zawiya Ahansal is a remote and mountainous region located between 5,000 and 12,000 feet in Morocco’s Central High Atlas Mountains. It is a high desert region with temperatures extremes in May and June ranging between 32 and 100 F. Regional equivalents are the City of Rocks in Idaho and southern Utah. Students should be prepared and comfortable with working in all weather, including rain, wind, and heat and should be physically fit and able to hike in mountainous terrain. In addition, all students will need to be physically able to work and hike at 6000 feet above sea level for an extended time. Students will be living with local families in registered guest houses and should therefore be comfortable with and respectful of Muslim culture. Meals are prepared by your host family and are traditional Berber Moroccan cuisine. Sleeping rooms will be shared amongst students and are gender separated.
Tentative Itinerary:
In Morocco there is a saying that “nothing goes as planned but everything works out.” Schedules are especially prone to this. Pleasebe aware of this if you are making plans with anyone outside of the program (I.E. meeting up somewhere).
Waiting for public transport in Ism Suq
Day 1
Arrive in Marrakech, Morocco and meet with instructors and the rest of the students. Airport transfer to the hotel will be organized for you.
Day 2
Tour Marrakech’s historic landmarks including Djemaa El-Fna, Jardin Majorelle, Ali Ben Yusuf Medersa, Marrakech Museum, and the medina (medieval marketplace).
Day 3
Travel overland through the plains of Marrakech and foothills of the Atlas Mountains to Zawiya Ahansal. Lunch at Cascades d’Ouzoud.
Day 4 – Day 12
Zawiya Ahansal. Focused area of study field work.
Day 13 – Day 15
Trek in Atlas Mountains.
Day 16 – Day 31
Zawiya Ahansal.
Day 32
Travel to the Atlantic coastal town of Essaouira.
Day 33 – Day 34
Visit locally owned and operated cooperatives and microfinance projects in and near Essaouira. Final reflection exercises and trip wrap-up. Relax and enjoy the beach.
Day 35
Travel to Marrakech for shopping and farewell dinner.
Day 36
Depart Marrakech.
Course acceptance policy:
The course size is limited by the accommodations in Zawiya Ahansal so in addition to a cumulative 2.5 gpa all students applying for this program will be interviewed by the instructors, program director and a staff member from the MSU Office of International Programs.
Contact Information:
For more information, an extended syllabus, or application materials please visit the MSU website or contact us via email.
MSU Official Program Website
http://www.montana.edu/international/studyabroad/summer_programs/morocco.htm
Cloe Medina Erickson, Program Director
medina@ericksoncreativegroup.com, 406-581-1865
Bill Rea AIA, Architecture Faculty
brea@montana.edu, 406-994-7570
Dr. Genevieve Chabot, Education and Health Faculty
genevieve.chabot@montana.edu, 406-581-7017
Kevin Brustuen, MSU Office of International Programs
kevin.brustuen@montana.edu, 406-994-7044
