MEdiNA Studies Program

MEdiNA Studies Program


MEdiNA Studies’ Vision and Mission:

The idea if the MEdiNA Studies Program came up as an answer to a dire need requested from scores of universities abroad to prepare a customized area study program to meet specific needs of their students and fill in gaps in other partner study agreements. 
Its greatest ambition lies in its commitment to providing an Arabic language program that offers language fluency, professional communication, up-skilling literacy and a top of the arts, holistic ME. Med. and NA area studies package, all prescribed in an interactive and innovative learner training portfolio that satisfies students’ needs and meets the expectations of the different study programs of this and other partner institutions.

Embracing IUR’s core values, the MEdiNA Studies under/graduate program aspires to provide quality, interdisciplinary education to majors in humanities and social sciences in the Mediterranean, North African and Middle Eastern region in order to prepare them for careers in the public and private sectors and for further professional education in international studies and other appropriate research fields, work environments and study programs: namely, political science, business schools, education, art and culture, religion, history and anthropology, language and communication centers, to name but a few employability tracks. 

Students will be prepared with the necessary communication, academic and research skills to pursue careers in law firms, diplomacy, international affairs, social sciences, multinational NGO’s, international institutions, embassy services, media and graduate study programs in international studies in the MED region, the Middle East, North Africa and beyond.

Designed for students opting for a first-hand overseas experience for either a semester or a full academic year, the MEdiNA Semester Abroad is a prime study program from a leading accredited university entitled to offer exchange students a maximum flexibility of course choice, length and credit value allowing them to select the courses they wish to take across IUR’s courses and benefit from internship opportunities and research facilities. 

Our team of full-time professors bring to the program mission a depth and a range of experience unmatched by any other faculty, and offer a large choice of multidisciplinary courses, over 80% of which running with 15 or fewer students. Our language program offers classes ranging from Darija and conversational Arabic to Modern Standard Arabic or again professional communication and translation, oral interviewing, placement testing and progress assessment, test prep classes, remedial and tutoring sessions, and one-to-one advising, to internship options, and post-grad orientation. 

One may also get a sense of MEdiNA’s intellectual life from the variety of key note speakers, visiting lecturers, site visits and academic excursions, in addition to research seminars, workshops and conferences - multidisciplinary in nature and scope – that are organized regularly and to which you are all invited to attend and interact with their panelists and speakers. They all focus on students’ training, case studies, field work and other related teaching practicum skills, thesis writing seminars, comparative studies of world cultures and literatures, gender studies, discourse analysis, global learning strategies, e-learning and vocational area studies, to name but a few. With the aid of the program guidelines, orientation meetings, academic and other types of advisories and tips for a successful adaptation to this new environment, we lay the groundwork for each student’s success.

MEdiNA Program Highlights

The program offers a rich portfolio of activities including:

  • A variety of excursions in the region and lectures on North African and Middle Eastern area studies
  • All language levels of Modern Standard Arabic will be offered, from Elementary to Advanced
  • Colloquial Moroccan Arabic instruction
  • Small classes (Ten to twelve students)
  • Brown bag seminars in Darija (local colloquial Arabic) on current events and everyday issues
  • Choice of Campus dorms or home-stay with selected Moroccan families
  • UIR campus offers sports facilities, a food court, transportation, entertainment, and student activities.

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