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CET Academic Programs

Study abroad programs for college and gap students

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

STUDENT RESOURCES
CURRICULUM REVIEW
JEDI ACTION PLAN
SCHOLARSHIPS
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Our Approach to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

CET believes in making study abroad accessible to all students. We recruit and actively support academically qualified students of all races, religions, origins, abilities, gender identities, and sexual orientations, fostering a welcoming, hospitable program environment that promotes student learning.

We take a holistic approach to supporting students of all identities: we provide program-specific information on cultural climate, accessibility, and health and diet on our website, our application materials are gender-inclusive, and we offer trainings on supporting students to on-site staff and faculty.

We are committed to becoming a more anti-racist organization by transforming our workplace, our programs, and our industry. 

Resources for CET Students

Identity Abroad

Location-specific info on cultural climates, accommodations, etc., and alumni-created sources to help navigate identity abroad.

EXPLORE IDENTITY ABROAD PAGES

Student Voices Blog

Student blogs and photo essays from current and former CET students to get an idea of what life abroad could be like. 

HEAD TO THE STUDENT VOICES BLOG

Blog: Identity Abroad

Whether it’s reading about adjusting to a language pledge, the heritage student experience, or leaving home for the first time, CET Student Correspondents provide realistic insight to each program with regular blogs and photo essays. 

READ IDENTITY-RELATED BLOG POSTS

Alumni Support Network &
Identity Abroad Support Network

Once a student has started an application, they gain access to these two internal directories of recent alumni who have volunteered to talk about their experiences abroad. Identity Abroad Support Network volunteers also name certain lived experiences that prospective students can reach out to them about specifically. 

The Curriculum Review

What started as a working group to reflect on the colonial implications of international education has since evolved into the Curriculum Review—a continuous critical reflection process with a view to identify and interrogate structures of difference, power, and equity in the curriculum that are uniquely present in each CET program location.  

Our Approach

We employ a query-based approach that is largely driven by on-site academic staff and their respective program directors. Each program site then has a common set of questions to guide critical engagement with issues of power, difference, and equity in the development and delivery of our curricula. The question set covers four broad categories: context, canon, faculty, and pedagogy.

The Review Process

Each year, every program site conducts a query-based self-study. Based on those findings, academic staff identify components that could benefit from greater attention to issues of difference, power, and equity. The team then creates an actionable work plan and works to identify strategies for execution. We then implement the changes in each program throughout the year and then assess their success.

Our End Goal

Our aim is to establish a new normal for the ‘what’ and ‘how’ in our approach to education. We hope to create a learning environment that eschews hierarchical classroom structures and encourages students to think critically and include perspectives beyond mainstream narratives in their pursuit of answers. It is our hope that the built-in cycle for this work establishes a system for us, as educators, to continually challenge and refine our curricula. 

Curriculum Review in Action: CET Jordan

On a recent field-study excursion, students visited the site of Mount Nebo and the town of Madaba, sites reflecting the shared history of the three Abrahamic religions. Before departing, students discussed religious representation and dynamics in Jordan, meeting with members of different religious communities in Amman. In Nebo and Madaba, students visited sites, churches, and museums, observing and recording local dynamics and how religion is presented in the community. Back in Amman, students compare varying narratives – the mainstream, the political in the nation’s capital, and an alternate narrative in a small, integrated town. Through this comparison, students explore what these differences say about who has power, about margin, and center, majority and minority… all in Arabic!

Curriculum Review in Action: Italy Programs

Our teams audited three course syllabi with a goal to include a more diverse selection of voices—allowing students to study traditional topics through new perspectives. A site visit to the local synagogue encourages students to examine parallels of religious symbolism across cultures in Renaissance Art & Architecture (CET Florence). In Food & Culture in Italy, students explore the meaning of “local” cuisine through a guest lecture by an immigrant restaurant owner. At CET Siena, four female-directed films were added to the course materials for Italian Cultural History.

Curriculum Review in Action: CET Taiwan

A recent update of English electives ensured that each course includes a more diverse body of authors, with special focus on local scholars. The program also regularly hosts activities that require students engage with identity and power structures—recent examples include an indigenous music workshop, panel discussions with Tongzhi Hotline (LGBTQ+ rights organization), and field classes that examine power dynamics in modern domestic politics. 

Curriculum Review in Action: CET Brazil

During the Traveling Seminar in Salvador de Bahia, students visit Quilombo Kaonge in Recôncavo Baiano to learn about azeite de dendê (an oil used in Bahian cuisine and religious ceremonies). Through this activity, students are exposed at the source to the lifestyle, work, religion, and culture of African descendants who settled locally after escaping slavery in the 19th century. Students also learn about the creation of communal sociability by way of sustainable work practices.

Curriculum Review in Action: CET Colombia

Our team in Cali has established a close working relationship with the Asociación Casa Cultural El Chontaduro, one of the oldest Afro-Colombian organizations in Cali. In partnership, we have organized workshops, social action summits, and cultural events. These initiatives allow students to become familiar with the aspirations, community building strategies, and socio-cultural practices of the Black population in the city. Most importantly, these activities create the basis for cross-cultural bonds of understanding, communication, and collaboration.

Curriculum Review in Action: CET Japan

Advanced and Advanced High Japanese students participated in a collaborative discussion session with Ryukoku University law students that aimed at improving language skills and exposing students to different perspectives. The topics discussed were identified by both groups of students and included LGBTQ+ rights, capital punishment, miscarriage of justice, environmental justice, drinking and smoking, student loan forgiveness, and domestic violence. Students presented their researched topics and discussed in small groups. Through their research, the students acquired deeper linguistic and cultural knowledge, but through discussion with Japanese students, they learned to reevaluate the issues from different perspectives.

Curriculum Review in Action: Mainland China Programs

Academic directors and instructors for our Mainland China programs have conducted a syllabi audit of both Chinese language and English-taught electives, identifying gaps (e.g., “This course could use 2 more field-based activities,” or “This course could benefit from having one more speaker who is a practitioner and not an academic.”). As Mainland China programs re-launch in person, teacher trainings have incorporated discussions about the Curriculum Review. 

Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Action Plan

In November 2020, Academic Travel Abroad (ATA), CET’s parent organization, announced what is now known as our Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Action Plan. This plan serves as a roadmap to guide us in doing our part to eliminate policies, procedures, systems or other structures that perpetuate inequity and implement ones that are inequitable to all our stakeholders, including employees, students, travelers, vendors, partners, etc. 

JEDI Action Plan: Goals and Commitments

Accountability

We believe that everyone across the organization is responsible for contributing to our JEDI goals. We aim to hold ourselves to our commitments and push ourselves further. 

Education

Action and change first starts with awareness and listening. We value and prioritize making time to learn, teach, and challenge our employees, travelers, and students. 

Belonging

We strive to foster a sense of belonging and security in all stakeholders to be their authentic selves—whether that’s in our offices or our classrooms abroad.

Justice

We commit to reviewing and revamping company policies, procedures, and systems to promote equity and create opportunities for all stakeholders to thrive. 

Annual JEDI Action Plan Audit

Each year, every department at ATA contributes team-specific SMART goals (i.e., goals designed to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based) that contribute to the organization’s overall JEDI Action Plan goals. These goals are annually reviewed by ATA’s JEDI Coordinator and anonymous, internal advisors. Once feedback is returned and any edits and clarifications are made, the JEDI Coordinator creates a report for the entire organization to review and discuss during the annual audit each February. Afterward, we publish a brief summary of the year’s work and a shortlist of initiatives and goals for the following year. Read our annual JEDI Action Plan audit summaries.  

Scholarships

Fund for Education Abroad Access Partner

CET is a proud Access Partner of the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA). FEA’s mission is to increase the number of underrepresented students from the U.S. who study abroad. FEA awards scholarships help make study abroad a reality for their scholars. Every year, students are eligible to apply for CET-specific scholarships through FEA. 

Identity Abroad Scholarship

CET is committed to helping students of all identities access international experiences—especially those historically underrepresented in study abroad. To support this mission, the Identity Abroad scholarship is awarded to students with demonstrated experience engaging with their communities and who can thoughtfully articulate how study abroad might challenge, reinforce, and shift how they approach their identit(ies).

Three awards are given each term: $3,000 for fall/spring programs and $2,500 for summer programs. Priority is given to students who also demonstrate financial need. Explore scholarships at CET. 

CET Jordan: Academic Consultation Board

Over the years, we’ve built a strong network of locally-based faculty that we’re proud to call our peers. These faculty make up our Academic Consultation Board—a select group of local voices and thought leaders that help advise and shape components of the CET Jordan program. 

Board members support the program in many ways, including but not limited to:

  • Leveraging topical expertise to help develop courses, including field-based components.
  • Teaching courses or guest lectures for CET Jordan and custom programs
  • Recommending and providing academic resources for research

Academic Consultation Board Members

  • Dr. Bader Al Madi | American University of Madaba, PhD, Sociology, Political Science
  • Dr. Amani El Serhan | University of Jordan, PhD, Women's Studies
  • Dr. Amani Qashmar | University of Jordan, PhD, Education
  • Dr. Areej Alawzi | University of Jordan, PhD, English Literature/Translation
  • Dr. Ahmad Al Khrisha | World Islamic Sciences & Education University, PhD, Arabic Language & Literature

Learn more about studying abroad with CET

Learn more about studying abroad with CET