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Spring 2010 French class to include trip to Morocco

The foreign language department at Tech is offering a class in the spring that will travel to Morocco. The class, taught by Debbie Barnard, will take the trip over spring break. The French 4910 class will focus on Francophone literature and will have at least two learning sessions to focus on Morocco for those traveling. The group will learn about the cultural and social customs of the country before leaving the United States.

During the trip, the class will visit Fes, Casablanca and Marrakech. The focus of the trip will be visiting mosques, markets and cultural sites. The group will most likely travel by train within in the country to each city, so it will see much of the countryside.

“I was excited to see the department offering a class that focuses on a French-speaking country that isn’t France” Rebecca Hillebrand, a French and Spanish student at Tech, said.

Morocco is located in Northern Africa and natives speak predominantly Arabic and French. The primary religion is Islam, but the country has been influenced by Judaism, paganism and Christianity throughout its history.

“I’m excited about getting to go to a Muslim country because I’ve never been to one before,” Hillebrand said. “I’m excited to see the different culture.”

Despite being one of the main launching areas of illegal immigration into Spain from North Africa and one of the world’s largest producers of hashish, Morocco is a relatively peaceful country.

Hillebrand speculated that this might be why Morocco was chosen for the class instead of another country in North Africa. There is much less civil unrest there than in the surrounding areas, and security is better.

The prerequisite one semester of French. Contact Barnard or the foreign language department for more information.