Study Abroad opportunity

Help Needed! Study Abroad Announcement: Armenia & Morocco – Summer 2026 Due by March 1st 

Armenia
I am leading study abroad this coming summer Crossroads of Culture Reconciliation and Peacebuilding program in Armenia (https://apply.studyabroad.usu.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=12704) (Summer 2026). 

We have also received some exciting news – the Armenia program has received a grant from the Sterling Foundation, which will allow us to give up to $750 per student (up to 10 students) to cover travel expenses. Please submit your applications and/or pay your $500 deposit upon acceptance as soon as possible to take advantage of this amazing opportunity!

As an applicant to the Armenia program, you will be eligible for matching support through the Heravi Peace Scholarship. Selected participants will receive a total of $1,500. We also encourage you to explore additional funding opportunities, including Honors funding and department-specific awards, which are listed on our Scholarships page.

https://artsci.usu.edu/peace-institute/heravi-peace-scholarship

https://www.usu.edu/global-engagement/study-abroad/funding/financial-aid

Should you have any questions regarding the application process or material status, please do not hesitate to reach out to the office at < studyabroad@usu.edu >.

Need Help! Study Abroad Announcement: Summer 2026 Due by March 1st

Morocco 

I am excited to share that I am leading a Study Abroad program to Morocco with a strong focus on environmental sustainability and global engagement. The registration deadline is this Sunday, February 15. To be considered, please complete your application through Youthlinc using the link below:

👉 https://youthlinc.samaritan.com/custom/501/opp_details/890

Program Theme

Local Solutions, Global Challenges in Morocco

  • Sustainability
  • Interfaith and Intercultural Communication

Scholarship

All accepted applicants will receive a guaranteed $1,000 scholarship toward the program cost.

Program Dates

May 17–29, 2026

Program Highlights

  • University exchanges and lectures in Rabat
  • Meetings with NGOs, Fulbright representatives, and the U.S. Embassy
  • Cultural immersion experiences in Fes and Marrakesh
  • Community-based environmental work in the Atlas Mountains
  • Overnight Sahara Desert excursion in Zagora

You can review the full itinerary and program details here:
👉 https://www.rootedglobal.org/morocco

If you have been considering studying abroad and are interested in global issues, culture, and hands-on community engagement, this is an incredible opportunity. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions—I would be happy to help.

Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Mehmet Soyer, Ph.D. 

Associate Professor

School of Social Sciences 

Department of Sociology

Utah State University

Office: 224C Old Main

Email:mehmet.soyer@usu.edu

Next Public Philosophy Colloquium on Thursday, February 26 @ 4:30pm

Update: Join us in-person or via Zoom
Meeting ID: 898 5314 4343
Passcode: 709368

Abstract: Imagine two opposed groups of thinkers: one group insists that religious beliefs of a certain kind produced modern moral beliefs and practices; the other group protests that modern moral beliefs and practices are wholly divorced (and divorce-able) from religious beliefs and their influence. Furthermore, both groups believe that the world has improved morally, or will only improve morally, given that their respective position is true. If this imagined conflict seems familiar, that’s because it’s a conflict we encounter in online and public discourse. In this talk, I negotiate these groups’ differences and similarities by reflecting on the ways both groups contributed to concepts, values, and histories relevant to contemporary human rights discourse. As a result, I show that despite significant practical and theoretical differences, the ethical-moral perspectives we presently inhabit, such as those captured in rights discourse, have been historically shaped by religious and non-religious thought alike.