In partnership with Where There Be Dragons, this program offers students a unique opportunity for profound immersion and diversity in both community and landscape. Through targeted exposure to fascinating cultural and historical sites, a pastoral hike in the High Atlas Mountains and a short homestay in a picturesque agrarian community, students will experience diverse dimensions of contemporary Moroccan society, from bustling urban to tranquil rural.

 

Through immersive exploration, students will experience the welcoming culture of Morocco beyond a more traditional tourist’s cursory glimpses and into the core of a multilingual country that communicates in Arabic, French, and local dialects of Berber. Targeted discussions and guest speakers will showcase Morocco’s approach to ethnic diversity, issues of gender, and traditional cultural practices. In a world where understanding Islam becomes increasingly relevant, students will be given the opportunity to explore Islam in a liberal Muslim country.

 

Despite the large number of foreigners who descend on this country every year, this holistic Lawrenceville program exposes students to a Morocco most visitors never see. It offers students opportunities to develop meaningful relationships to the people and landscapes of Morocco by sharing personal and cultural narratives, while simultaneously cultivating a deeper sense of agency, global citizenship, and self-awareness.

 

Traveling through the Atlas and Sahara regions of Morocco, students should expect to be active participants in their learning, taking on important leadership roles and embracing the ambiguity and discomfort of unfamiliar cross-cultural environments, fundamentally challenging their own worldviews and lifestyles back home.