Study Abroad

Initiated in 2004, Oregon State University’s Study Abroad Program in Tunisia opens doors onto new cultural experiences and offers students an opportunity to profit from OSU’s special, long-term relationship with Tunisia. Co-directed by Karim Hamdy and Laura Rice, Oregon State’s Tunisia Study Abroad program has been hosted by the flagship Higher Institute of Languages-Tunis (ISLT), part of the University of Carthage and by the Bourguiba Institute (IBLV).

Building upon decades of technology transfer and international development projects between faculty at OSU and in Tunisia, the Study Abroad Program provides students coursework in intensive Arabic or French, as well as elective courses on topics such as “Tunisian Culture and the Arab Spring,” “Tunisia: Development in Conditions of Environmental Scarcity” or “Women’s Voices in International Context.”

OSU has strong academic support across the country, having signed Memoranda of Understanding with six Tunisian Universities—three located in Tunis, two in southern Tunisia, and UVT (the Virtual University). Students from Oregon and around the US have benefited from the OSU Tunisia Program, including participants from such schools as University of Chicago, Barnard/Columbia, Dartmouth, Yale, Georgetown, William & Mary, etc., in addition to sister schools from Oregon.

OSU Study Abroad students are encouraged to explore cross-cultural issues through study, debate, travel and through face-to-face dialogue with Tunisian peers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tunisia’s climate, varied topography, and diverse historical heritage have made it a cultural gem. Among the facets students explore are:

Punic and Roman archeological sites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Berber mountain villages,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Islamic mosques and medinas,                                     Extensive coastal beaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saharan landscapes,                                                       Mirage-inducing salt flats

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date Palm Oases