You can sit in class... Or... you can see and touch the ages at sites like Mt Sinai, the Old City of Jerusalem, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Petra and Biblical Decapolis in Jordan, or the Sea of Galilee, to name only a few. Whether sharing stories with Israeli and Palestinian youth, bargaining in Jaffa or the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, or simply joining the locals in service projects that make the world a better place, experiences like this embed life lessons in ways that mere book learning never can. Are you ready to give it a try? If so, consider the following:
- MESP is now based in Jerusalem at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, and still focused on engaging the peoples and cultures of the contemporary Middle East--Muslim, Jewish, and Eastern Christian
- Despite media images in the US, MESP continues to safely operate in Israel and while traveling to countries like Turkey, Jordan, Tunisia, or Morocco (MESP will not be traveling to Egypt or Syria Fall Semester)
- MESP seeks to challenge and transform its students by experientially engaging them at the intersection of faith, politics, and culture
- The program emphasizes service work, personal encounters, and language learning as part of its experiential learning
- MESP endeavors to facilitate vocational connections to the region for returning alum (as US diplomats, NGOs staff, service workers, graduate students, etc.)
Fear Not--the Middle East Beckons!
For the last decade, the Middle East Studies Program has hosted nearly 600 students without incident. Now based in Jerusalem, MESP staff continue to monitor the pulse of safety in the region and tailor program activities accordingly. If you feel called to the Middle East for any reason, follow the call knowing that safety is a priority at MESP.
Read more about safety at MESP
