Destinations · Africa
Morocco
Morocco brings Amazigh, Arab, Andalusian and French influences together in medinas, mountains and film studios within a short distance of one another. It is a practical setting for faculty-led courses in art, architecture, cinema and cultural studies.
Overview
Morocco as a classroom
Morocco sits at the meeting point of Africa, the Mediterranean and the Arab world, and its history shows it. Amazigh (Berber) communities, the Arab conquest, Andalusian refugees, and the French and Spanish protectorates all left marks on its cities, language and food. Fes preserves one of the largest living medieval medinas, while Casablanca and Rabat show a modern, urban kingdom. Students learn how a society negotiates tradition, tourism, migration and modernization.
ARAMFO has run faculty development programs in Morocco on film studies, visual studies and global cinema, with stops in Casablanca, Marrakech, Ouarzazate and Aït Benhaddou, and on art, architecture and cultural heritage paired with Andalusia in Spain. Every faculty-led course is customized to the professor's syllabus and travel dates.
Good to know
- Language
- Arabic and Tamazight are official; French is widely used, and English is common in tourism.
- Currency
- Moroccan dirham (MAD); cards are accepted in cities, cash is needed in souks.
- Best season
- March to May and September to November
- Typical length
- 10-14 days (customizable)
Highlights
What students will see and do
- Fes el-BaliThe old medina of Fes is a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to the University of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859.
- Hassan II MosqueCompleted in 1993 on the Atlantic coast of Casablanca, its minaret is among the tallest in the world.
- MarrakechThe city's Jemaa el-Fnaa square and its souks have long served as a crossroads of trade between the Sahara and the Mediterranean.
- Aït BenhaddouThis fortified earthen village on a former caravan route is a UNESCO site and a frequent location for international films.
- Ouarzazate film studiosAtlas Studios, near the Sahara's edge, has hosted many international productions and is often called the gateway to desert filming.
- ChefchaouenThe blue-washed mountain town in the Rif shows Andalusian-influenced architecture and local craft traditions.
Faculty-led travel courses
Courses that fit Morocco
Professors build their own syllabus; ARAMFO arranges the visits that bring it to life.
Journalism, Film & MediaStudents could study film production and location shooting in Ouarzazate and how Moroccan cinema and media present national identity.
Art, Architecture & HistoryA course could compare Amazigh, Islamic and colonial-era architecture across Fes, Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat.
Education & Teacher PreparationA course could look at multilingual schooling in Arabic, Tamazight and French and at the role of the historic al-Qarawiyyin tradition in learning.
Geography & Environmental StudiesStudents could examine how the Atlas Mountains, desert edge and Atlantic coast shape settlement, agriculture and water use.
Programs
ARAMFO programs in Morocco
Programs ARAMFO has run or published here. Each can be adapted into a faculty-led travel course for your own students, on your dates.
On the ground
Academic and professional visits
Visits are chosen with the professor to match the course. ARAMFO also arranges flights, housing, meals, local transport, guides and entrance fees.
- University lectures and exchanges with Moroccan faculty
- Film studio and production facility tours
- Historic medina walks with architects and conservators
- Visits to craft cooperatives and cultural centers
Get started
Plan a course in Morocco
Tell us about your course and we will reply with a draft itinerary and cost.
More destinations
Other destinations
Countries where ARAMFO has run or published faculty-led courses and faculty development programs.
