This program is NOT currently available.
Open to Pitzer students only. Program options subject to change.
Program Title: Pitzer Exchange with Bard Abroad in the West Bank
Location: Al Quds-Bard College for the Arts and Sciences, Abu Dis, West Bank, Palestine
Host Website: https://www.bard.edu/bardabroad/aqb/academics/
Eligibility
Bard College requires participants to have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Bard particularly encourages students who have taken courses in Middle Eastern Studies, college-level Arabic, human rights, social justice, peace studies or international relations, or students of Palestinian and Arab heritage to apply. Sophomores, juniors and first-semester seniors are eligible to apply.
Application
Students must first apply through Pitzer’s Office of Study Abroad and International Programs. If accepted by Pitzer, students will then be asked to complete the Bard application.
Program Dates
Fall semester: Late August to late December
Spring semester: Mid-January to the end of May
Required Courses
Students are require to take a full course load at the University including a semester-long course in colloquial Levantine Arabic and are strongly encouraged to take a course in Modern Standard Arabic. In addition, Pitzer students are required to take the Pitzer course MLLC110 Intercultural Learning: Portfolio Writing via Sakai.
Intensive Language
Pitzer students will take colloquial Levantine Arabic.
Credit Possible
Students are required to take 15 to 16 credits, which includes a 3-credit colloquial Arabic course, in order to earn four Pitzer course credits. In addition, students receive 0.5 Pitzer course credits for the writing course via Sakai. (See above under Required Courses.)
Course Options
Students may choose courses from among Al-Quds Bard’s nine academic programs; Literature and Society, Media Studies, Biology and Pre-Med, Chemistry, Computer Science, Human Rights and International Law, Economics and Finance, Political Science, or Urban Studies and Spatial Practices.
Internships
Students are encouraged to connect with the local community and the issues it faces through internships or volunteer opportunities. Possibilities with NGO’s, international agencies, and other groups are available. Al-Quds Bard faculty and staff can help organize these opportunities.
Housing and Board Options
Pitzer students will live in family stays with Palestinian families who, when possible, will be affiliated with Al-Quds Bard College or Al-Quds University. The family stay includes two meals per day during the week and three meals per day during the weekends. Pitzer will provide students with a meal allowance to cover any meals not provided by the host family.
Additional Notes
Given the challenging region of the world where the program is located, students must possess a high level of emotional and psychological maturity, the ability to remain flexible and able to cope with ambiguity as well as demonstrate cross cultural sensitivity and tolerance.
