Middle East Studies (General)

Middle East Studies

Major in Middle East Studies 

A major in Middle East Studies (General) requires a minimum of forty credits. The required courses for the major are:

  • MES 101: Introduction to the Middle East. Four credits. This course traces the development and transformation of the Middle East through the 21st Century.
  • Language requirement. Eight credits. Two consecutive courses must be taken in one of the following Middle East languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish.
  • Elective requirement. Twenty four credits. Courses with appropriate content coverage of the Middle East may be taken in such departments and programs as Anthropology, Arabic Studies, Art History, Comparative Literature, Geography, Hebrew Studies, History, Israel Studies, Judaic Studies, Persian Studies, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology, TRIP, and Turkish Studies, among others.
  • Capstone course. Four credits. This course may be a 400 level course, seminar, or independent study directed by a faculty member in MEAMS or a cognate department. Students will complete a capstone research project. The course and project must be approved by the Undergraduate Director.

NOTE: At lease twenty-four credits (usually six courses, one of which is the capstone course) must be at the 300 or 400 level.

**** The major track in Middle East Studies (General) will be available beginning Fall 2025. Students intending to pursue the major must update their catalog (matriculation) year to Fall 2025. ****

Minor in Middle East Studies 

The minor in Middle East Studies (General) combines language study with the range of topical courses that treat the region from historical and contemporary perspectives. The required courses for the minor are:

  • Language requirement. Eight credits. Two consecutive courses must be taken in one of the following Middle East languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish.
  • Elective requirement. Sixteen credits. Courses with appropriate content coverage of the Middle East may be taken in such departments and programs as Anthropology, Arabic Studies, Art History, Comparative Literature, Geography, Hebrew Studies, History, Israel Studies, Judaic Studies, Persian Studies, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology, TRIP, and Turkish Studies, among others.

NOTE: At lease twelve credits (usually three courses) must be at the 300 or 400 level.

**** The minor track in Middle East Studies (General) will be available beginning Fall 2025. Students intending to pursue the minor must update their catalog (matriculation) year to Fall 2025. ****

Courses that can be taken toward fulfilling the language and elective requirements of the major or minor in Middle East Studies:

  • Fall 2026
    • AFST 225 – Africans in the Indian Ocean
    • AFST 236 – Muslim Peoples of the World
    • AFST 250 – Youth and Pop Culture in North Africa
    • ARAB 101 – First-year Arabic I
    • ARAB 203 – Second-year Arabic II
    • ARAB 320 – Quranic Arabic
    • ARAB 360 – Comics and the Middle East
    • HEBR 101 – Hebrew I
    • HEBR 203 – Hebrew III
    • HEBR 311 – Texts and Conversations I
    • HEBR 380A – Hebrew Literature in Hebrew
    • HIST 275 – Modern Middle East History,1800 - Present
    • HIST 385K – Environmental History of the Middle East
    • ISRL 120 – Intro to Israeli Literature
    • ISRL 150 – Modern Israel
    • ISRL 227 – Israeli Cultures
    • ISRL 313 – Early Zionist Thought
    • ISRL 346 – Encountering Israel and Palestine
    • JUST 101 – Intro to Judaic Studies
    • JUST 331 – Jews and Muslims
    • LING 318 – Structure and Meaning of Words
    • MES 101 – Introduction to the Middle East
    • MDVL 280J – Jewish History Ancient to 1500
    • PERS 101 – Elementary Persian I
    • PLSC 389O – Minority Politics
    • RELG 180B – Judaism, Christianity & Islam
    • TURK 112 – Elementary Turkish II
    • TURK 401 – Ottoman Turkish
  • Spring 2027
    • AFST 250, Youth Pop Culture in North Africa.
    • AFST 372, Arabic Civilization and Culture.
    • AFST 475, West Meets East in North Africa.
    • ANTH 374, Archaeology of the Middle East.
    • ARAB 102, First-Year Arabic II.
    • ARAB 204, Second-Year Arabic II. 
    • ARAB 310, Egyptian Colloquial Arabic.
    • ARAB 340, The Postcolonial Arabic Novel.
    • ARAB 370, Jesus, Mary, Joseph in the Quran.
    • COLI 483, Culture and Translation.
    • HEBR 102: Hebrew II.
    • HEBR 204, Intermediate Hebrew.
    • HEBR 312: Texts and Conversations II.
    • HIST 385E, Modern Iran.
    • ISRL 205, Becoming Israeli.
    • ISRL 215, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
    • ISRL 234, Anthropology of Violence.
    • ISRL 324, The Kibbutz in Israeli Culture.
    • JUST 202, Jewish History 1500 to Modern.
    • PERS 102, Elementary Persian II.
    • PLSC 316, Religion and Politics in the ME.
    • TRIP 473A, Translation Research. TURK 203, Intermediate Modern Turkish.
    • TURK 282 C, Turkish Pop Culture History.

    Please note that this list is not exhaustive of potential courses that fulfil MES requirements. If you have a course in mind that is not listed above, please consult with the MES Undergraduate Director.

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