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 eight credits (usually two 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 2026
- AFST 235: African History Since 1800
- AFST 251: Islamic Cultures in Africa
- AFST 372: Arabic Civilization & Culture
- AFST 475: West Meets East in N. Africa
- ANTH 382C: Cultural Heritage in Crisis
- ARAB 102: First-year Arabic II
- ARAB 204: Second-year Arabic II
- ARAB 380B: Translation, Media & Politics
- ARAB 380E: Law & Life: Israel/Palestine
- ARAB 385C: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- COLI 372: Works that Call Forth Thinking
- COLI 480A: Arabian Nights in English Lit/Film
- HEBR 102: Hebrew II
- HEBR 204: Intermediate Hebrew
- HEBR 312: Texts and Conversation II
- HIST 381C: Ancient Palestine and Israel
- HIST 381V: Jews, Family & Sex in the Early Modern World
- HIST 385E: Palestinian History
- HIST 385G: Ottoman Sci & Tech & Culture
- HIST 485B: Knowledge, Labor & Craft in the Middle East
- ISRL 205: Becoming Israeli
- ISRL 227: Israeli Cultures
- ISRL 324: The Kibbutz in Israeli Culture
- JUST 202: Jewish History 1500 to Modern
- JUST 285C: Sephardic Roots & Routes
- JUST 384A: Exile or Diaspora?
- PERS 203: Intermediate Persian
- PERS 280A: Ancient Middle East: From The East
- PLSC 389A: State & Society: MENA & Central Asia
- RELG 361: The Bible & Its Interpretation
- TURK 111: Elementary Modern Turkish I
- TURK 380L: Turkish Linguistics
Omid Ghaemmaghami
Associate Professor/Undergraduate Director - Middle East Studies
Middle Eastern and Ancient Mediterranean Studies