About the Award

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CAORC recognizes the immediate and growing need for professors at U.S. community colleges and minority-serving institutions to provide a global perspective to their students. These administrators and faculty understand the value of developing “internationalized” learning environments that both broaden their students’ cultural horizons and foster critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills for an increasingly interconnected world.

 

To support community colleges and minority-serving institutions, CAORC offers fully-funded overseas seminars that help faculty and administrators gain the requisite first-hand experience needed to develop and improve international curricula.

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This award program, administered by CAORC in collaboration with its member center in Jordan, the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR), funds participation in a two-week capacity building workshop in Jordan that will be based in Jordan’s capital of Amman but include visits to major sites throughout the country, including Aqaba, the Dead Sea, Madaba, Umm Qais, and the World Heritage sites of Petra and Wadi Ramm. 

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Funding for this program is provided to CAORC through a grant from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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Round-trip travel, accommodations, and meals will be provided for the seminar.

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Seminar Overview: "Sustainability at the Margins"

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Sustainability is a hot-button issue in Jordan, a quiet country that suffers from resource scarcity and a struggling economy. Despite many challenges, Jordan has seized opportunities for further economic development. The government is also encouraging a green economy and water conservation given that Jordan is one of the most water-poor countries in the world. The country supports a population of more than 10 million and hosts many refugees from neighboring countries. This seminar will explore a variety of issues, including education, urban growth, environment, religion, and society. Guest speakers will address some of the major issues related to Jordan’s sustainability at multiple levels.

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The heritage of Jordan is rich and varied and the program will encompass site visits with the aim of discussing sustainable tourism beyond the mainstream, as well as at such World Heritage sites as Petra. ACOR in Amman will serve as home base and travel will include a trip to the south to see a variety of sites that play roles in Jordan’s profile as a hospitable and welcoming nation. Trips to some of these destinations will allow participants to consider how economic opportunities can be created – and sustained – for the people who live near heritage locations. ACOR staff members will guide the heritage discussions and accompany participants on relevant site visits including to Petra, now one of the Seven Wonders of the World, where ACOR has been involved in cultural heritage efforts since the early 1990s when it started its excavations at the Petra Church.

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Eligibility and Program Expectations

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Participants must be faculty members of a community college or minority-serving institution and must be available to participate for the duration of the seminar. At the conclusion of the program, participants will be required to develop new or improved course materials about Jordan that can be openly shared on CAORC’s website and social media to enhance U.S. teaching on the Middle East. In addition, participants should demonstrate how they will improve knowledge and awareness of Jordan on their campuses and in their local communities, such as through workshops, open houses, or information sessions. Finally, participants may be asked to attend a funded follow-on workshop in the U.S. to reflect on program achievements, lessons learned, and future collaborations.

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Please refer to the Department of Education for a complete listing of minority-serving institutions. A useful directory of MSIs can also be found at the Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions. Read and follow the instructions carefully prior to submitting your application.

 

PLEASE NOTE: Interested faculty may only apply to one of the available 2020 seminar opportunities; in addition, previously awarded CAORC seminar participants must wait at least two years before applying for a new award.

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The application deadline for this Seminar was October 4, 2019.