Why CET Jordan?
CET Jordan students get top-tier intensive language instruction with unbeatable curricular customization. Enroll in two core courses and the rest is up to you—pick engaging electives in MSA or in English, take on directed research or an internship with a local organization… you even choose your own language pledge. Combined with field-based learning, language partners, and a housing setup designed to engage and acclimate you, it’s a full semester of learning on your terms.
Academics
Semester
Snapshot
- Recommended Credits: 15-18
- Intensive MSA & Jordanian Dialect
- Electives in Arabic and English
- Internship and research options
- Full or limited language pledge options
- Arabic language partner
- Official Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) score
- Host University: University of Jordan (UJ)
Curriculum & Syllabi
You combine two core language courses and two to three 3-credit electives to meet the recommended 15 to 18 total credits.
You are placed into one 6-credit Modern Standard Arabic course and one 3-credit Jordanian Dialect course.
MODERN STANDARD ARABIC
- AM/LANG 150 Novice Modern Standard Arabic
- AM/LANG 200 Novice High Modern Standard Arabic
- AM/LANG 250 Intermediate Modern Standard Arabic
- AM/LANG 300 Intermediate High Modern Standard Arabic
- AM/LANG 350 Advanced Modern Standard Arabic
- AM/LANG 450 Advanced High Modern Standard Arabic
JORDANIAN DIALECT
- AM/LANG 110 Novice Low Jordanian Dialect
- AM/LANG 160 Novice Jordanian Dialect
- AM/LANG 210 Novice High Jordanian Dialect
- AM/LANG 260 Intermediate Jordanian Dialect
- AM/LANG 360 Advanced Levantine Dialect
Note: All core courses are front-loaded. They meet more in the beginning of the term, and taper off after that.
Choose two to three 3-credit electives to meet the recommended 15 to 18 total credits. Arabic electives are back-loaded and start later in the term after your language skills have warmed up.
Language Learning Electives
Course code corresponds with your own language level and will be determined on site.
- AM/LANG 222/322/422 Living Language: Jordanian Dialect in Popular Culture
- AM/LANG 233/333/433 Living Language: Modern Standard Arabic in Practice
Arabic Content Courses
- AM/LANG 310 Modern History of Conflict in the Middle East: Influences on the Arab Spring
- AM/LANG 325 Current Issues in Arabic Media
- AM/LANG 340 Jordanian Society
- AM/LANG 365 Trappings of Legitimacy: Political Parties and Religious Rhetoric
- AM/LANG 370 Culture, Politics, and Religion in Arab Theater
- AM/LANG 380 Islamic Shar’ia: Qur’an, Hadith, and the ‘Ulama
- AM/LANG 385 Marginalization & Discrimination in the Arab World: Changing Perspectives
English Content Courses
- AM/LANG 330 Art of Translation
- AM/ECON 340 Arab & Islamic Culture and Economics in the Middle East
- AM/PEAC 365 Refugees, Forced Migration, and Integration in Jordan
- AM/RELS 372 Violence and Religion in the Middle East
- AM/INTR 375 The United States in the Arab World
Field-Based Electives
Immersive Language Learning at its Finest
Customized Curriculum
Tailor your learning to what you need. Use your weekly one-on-one office hours to workshop a tricky grammar pattern. Talk to your instructor about building a vocabulary set related to your internship. And if you’re an academic year student, engage in a spring term that gives you more time to develop your Arabic to your liking. Have one-on-one discussions with an instructor, get customized grammar lessons, or attend lectures at the University of Jordan alongside local undergraduates.
Language Pledge:
Full or Limited
Decide on the language pledge that suits your own needs and learning goals. Your pledge commitment allows for further customization of your study abroad experience—shaping everything from the speed of your language progression to housing assignments, and even the extra-curricular activities you attend.
"Each societal phenomenon that I learn about is interconnected and my academic classes so far have pushed me to explain these connections in Arabic beyond a surface level understanding. I came here to interrogate my own ethnocentrism and I have been able to do this so far!"
Swarthmore College | Spring 2019
Housing & Meals
COVID Modifications
Because of precautions CET is taking related to COVID-19, your housing experience will look different from standard programming. Please see the COVID playbook page for more information.
- Apartment
- Off-campus housing in residential area
- Live with CET peers & local roommates
- 2-4 people/apartment
- 1-2 people/room
- Shared kitchen, living room, bathrooms, in-house washing machine
- Wifi, A/C, space heaters, bed and bath linens, basic furnishing, kitchenware, TV with satellite, laundry drying rack, drinking water
Your apartment is different from what you’re used to in the US—from the typical furnishings to the home life culture. Sharing a space with local roommates, living in an apartment building with Jordanian families, and maintaining a pledge creates a homestay-like environment that brings language and cultural immersion out of the classroom and into your home. Whether you’re cooking dinner with your roommates or navigating local at-home norms, your housing turns everything into a learning experience.
Local Roommates
Moving to Amman is quite an adjustment—classes are harder, your surroundings are new, and the culture is foreign—so we set you up with local roommates to help you acclimate to your new life abroad. Want to learn where to get the best galayat bandura (pan-fried tomatoes with olive oil, green pepper, and garlic)? Need to discuss some unexpected culture shock? Looking to practice some new vocabulary? Sharing an apartment with a local Jordanian gives you instant insider access to the city, language, and culture.
Eating in Amman
There are plenty of restaurants and cafes within walking distance of your apartment. Be sure to try mansaf, the national dish of roasted lamb served over rice. Feeling a home-cooked meal? Have a night in with your roommate and trade cooking tips as you prepare dinner together. Try making mutabbel (eggplant with tahini) or perfecting your homemade falafel.
Life in Amman
- Known locally as: عَمّان ʻAmmān
- Population: 4.008 million
- Local Currency: Jordanian Dinar
- Famous for: Delicious food, Amman Citadel, hospitable people, cultural diversity, central location
Amman is the place to be—it’s lively, diverse, and there’s no shortage of opportunities to take your Arabic language skills for a spin. Explore the city’s traditional side by shopping at the Friday flea market or browsing the Gold Souq. Or enjoy Amman’s more cosmopolitan perks: visit a museum with friends or sip on Arabic coffee while befriending a barista on Rainbow Street.
Activities & Excursions
Around the City
Each term, the program offers different extra-curricular activities that allow you to explore Amman, experience Jordanian culture, or just unwind with your friends. Relax during a yoga session. Try your hand at sand art or Arabic calligraphy. And there’s more to see on your own or with friends—have a barbecue outside the city, hike in Wadi Mujib, or attend a concert with your language partner.
A Weekend Away
Pack your bags for a 3-day excursion outside of Amman with your cohort. Take a dip in the Dead Sea and discover that you really do float. Gaze up at the Natabean ruins at Petra. Take a sunset jeep tour through the dunes at Wadi Rum, a spectacular valley formed by massive red cliffs. Learn about Bedouin culture. At night, in true Bedouin fashion, stay up late chatting, drinking tea, and playing cards with your peers, roommates, and language partners.
Volunteering in Amman
"The academics are really challenging, of course, but we were able to explore a wide variety of topics in class that were really relevant to the culture, both in Jordan and in the wider Middle East. Combining that with the conversations I had with my Jordanian language partner meant that I could learn about almost any aspect of the environment and the people."
Carleton College | Fall 2019
On-site Staff
Manal Yosef
Academic Director
Mazen Bernieh
Resident Director, Logistics
Ahmad AbuShaikha
Resident Director, Student Life
Program Fees
Fall 2021
$18,590
|
Spring 2022
$18,590
Fall 2021: $18,590
Spring 2022: $18,590
Of the total program fee, $14,590 goes to tuition and fees, and $4,000 goes to housing and other student life fees.
All of your classes and program-related learning are included with your tuition.
From pre-departure to orientation, from on site to re-entry, CET provides you with the support you need every step of the way.
You’re provided with a comprehensive insurance plan through GeoBlue that even includes medical evacuation coverage.
The activities and excursions that we arrange are included in your program fee. All you need to do is remember to bring your camera!
Your textbooks and course supplies are covered and waiting for you on site.
You’ll also receive an official transcript jointly issued by CET and UJ at the end of the term. You also have the option to request a School of Record transcript from the University of Minnesota for an additional fee if necessary.
Estimated
Out-of-Pocket
Costs
- Round-trip Airfare: $780 - $1,040
- Meals: $1,200 - $1,400
- Personal Expenses: $900 - $1,100
- Medical Expenses: Varies
Note on Medical Expenses: Students should expect to initially pay out-of-pocket for most medical care before reimbursed for expenses by GeoBlue insurance. Estimates for common expenses include: treatment for common stomach issues ($85), therapy session ($70), & visit to a specialist ($50).
- Must be 18 or older at the time of program participation.
- Open to students from any US college or university
- GPA: 3.0 or higher preferred, but admissions decisions are made on a case-by-case basis; lower GPAs still encouraged to apply
- Open to students of any Arabic level, absolute beginner to advanced
Complete the application through your online CET account. This is a brief form that asks for basic information and has a few short answer questions about why you want to study abroad.
Use the link in your online account to send a recommendation request to one of your previous instructors.
This is an online form that your study abroad office completes to let us know you meet the requirements to study abroad. To send the electronic form request, simply enter the name and email address of your study abroad advisor in the designated fields of your online account.
Your online CET account has specific instructions for submitting an official transcript.
Fall deadline:
May 1 June 1
Spring deadline:
November 1st
Price Subject to Change:
CET reserves the right to increase quoted charges at any time without prior notification, based on increased instruction costs, exchange rate fluctuation or other cost increases beyond CET’s control.
Have a question? Get in touch!
Melanie MacKenzie
Senior Student Services Coordinator
Advises on CET programs in Brazil, Colombia, Japan, and Jordan.
202.846.7662
[email protected]
