Amman Course and Events
Conflict Resolution and Management: Beyond The Arab-Israeli Conflict
In order to understand Middle Eastern politics, an understanding of Arab culture and societal organization is essential. Intra-Arab conflicts play key roles in determining the regional political scene. Students should emerge from this course with a multi-faceted understanding of peace and conflict in the region.
Specifically, this course will address the impact of cultural and societal factors on conflict resolution and management, focusing on case studies across the Middle Eastern region. The well-publicized Arab-Israeli conflict will be addressed from multiple perspectives by experts with direct negotiation experience. Alternative dispute resolution techniques used in some inter- and intra-tribal conflicts will be examined, as well as some of the lesser-known but critical conflicts in Lebanon, Yemen or Iraq.
Study Tours and Excursions
Comprehensive course excursions enrich your classroom experience. In your free time, explore these unique cities at your leisure, taking in theater shows, museums, shopping, sporting events and nightlife.
Amman City Tour
The Amman City Tour shows you different areas in Amman that will be of interest to you while you are staying in Jordan. The areas covered include Abdoun, 4th to 1st Circle, Rainbow Street, Downtown, the Citadel, Jabal Al-Hussein, Medical City Street (which has the two major malls, King Hussein Park, the King Hussein Mosque, and the Automobile Museum).
The tour also stops at the Roman Amphitheater and the Citadel which you will have a chance to explore. The Amphitheater was built in the 2nd Century AD, and had a seating capacity of 6000! Concerts and other performances are still held here occasionally in the summer.
Next to the amphitheater are the Museum of Popular Traditions and the Folklore Museum. These showcase traditional costumers and jewelry as well as items illustrating traditional Jordanian life.
The Citadel is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon. The hill was a fortress for thousands of years, and has ruins from the Bronze and Iron Ages as well as the Roman, Byzantine and the Umayyad periods. Some of what you will see include the Umayyad Palace, the ruins of a Byzantine Basilica, remains of the Roman Temple of Hercules as well as the National Archeological Museum. The museum has items spanning all eras of the region’s history as well as examples of Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran.
Northern Jordan
The excursion to the North of Jordan includes visits to both Ajloun Castle and Jerash.
Jerash is one of Jordan’s main tourist destinations. A city that has had human civilization for over 6,500 years, its golden age came under Roman rule and is now generally considered one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. For centuries it was hidden underground, but over the past 70 years it has been excavated and restored. Jerash includes impressive theaters, plazas, paved colonnaded roads, temples and much more; and all this is only part of what is believed to lie buried under the modern city.
Ajloun Castle (also known as Qal’at ar-Rabad) was built in 1184 by ‘Izz ad-Din Usama bin Munqidh, a general of Saladin, who defeated the Crusaders in 1187. A fine example of Islamic architecture strategically built on the hilltop, Ajloun Castle protected the communication routes between south Jordan and Syria, and was one of a chain of forts, which lit beacons at night to pass signals from the Euphrates as far as Cairo. Today, Ajloun Castle is a splendid sight with a fascinating warren of towers, chambers, galleries and staircases to explore, while its hilltop position offers stunning views of the Jordan Valley.
Biblical Jordan
The Biblical Jordan excursion includes visits to Madaba with its church of Saint George and its Archeological Park, Mount Nebo, the Baptism Site and the Dead Sea.
Madaba is a quaint town that was an ecclesiastical center between the 4th and 7th centuries AD- producing some of the world’s finest collections of Byzantine mosaics, many of which are well preserved. Our first stop will be the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George in Madaba. In this church is a 6th century AD mosaic map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land – the earliest religious map of the Holy Land in any form to survive from antiquity. Next we will visit the Madaba Archaeological Park, which contains many mosaics moved there for protection and display. It also contains remains of a Byzantine Villa and the Church of the Virgin Mary.
A short drive away is Mount Nebo. From here, it is believed Moses viewed the Holy Land of Canaan that he would never enter. He died and was buried in Moab, “in the valley opposite Beth-peor”. His tomb remains unknown. Mount Nebo became a place of pilgrimage for early Christians from Jerusalem and a small church was built there in the 4th century to commemorate the end of Moses’ life. Some of the stones from that church remain in their original place in the wall around the apse area. The church was subsequently expanded in the 5th and 6th centuries into the present-day large basilica with its stunning collection of Byzantine mosaics. Currently under renovation, you can still enjoy the mosaics found as well as the view. On a clear day you can see the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho and the distant hills of Jerusalem.
The Baptism Site, also called Bethany beyond the Jordan, is where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Our tour takes us on a walk by the Jordan River as well as the main archeological site which has the remains of three churches, one on top of the other, and stairs that lead down to what was once the water level and the most likely place of Jesus’ baptism.
The last part of the day is spent at the Dead Sea. Here you will have the chance to float in the water and try the famous Dead Sea Mud, as well as relax by swimming pools and enjoy the sun.
Excursion to the South
The excursion to the South starts at Wadi Rum. The desert of Rum is dotted with massive mountains, colored in shades of red, yellow, and orange. Their hues spill over to color the sand dunes around the desert and the horizon of its breathtaking panorama. Here, we will start with a tour of the area in a jeep before heading to a camp site for a delicious meal, an evening under the stars and a night at the camp.
The next morning we will head to the ancient city of Petra- one of Jordan’s national treasures and by far its best known tourist attraction. Built by the Nabataens, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago, it was an impressive city with massive architecture and a complex system of dams and water channels. Much of Petra’s appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge. The site is accessed by walking through a kilometer long chasm (or siq), the walls of which soar 200 meters upwards. Petra’s most famous monument, the Treasury, appears dramatically at the end of the siq. While this is the most famous landmark in Petra, it is only one of myriad archaeological wonders to be explored. Various walks and climbs reveal literally hundreds of buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, colonnaded streets and haunting rock drawings - as well as a 3000 seat open air theatre, a gigantic first century Monastery and a modern archeological museum, all of which can be explored at leisure. We will take a two hour tour together, have lunch and then you will have the chance to walk around and explore the city.