Overview
Program Committee
Abhishek Amar (Asian Studies), director
Rama Alhabian (Arabic)
Shoshana Keller (History)
Concentrators in Middle East and Islamicate Worlds Studies will be able to:
- Communicate effectively in oral and written Arabic.
- Develop an ability to interpret arguments about the history, politics and literary cultures of the Islamicate world.
- Conduct research and demonstrate an understanding of the Islamicate world in the senior project.
Both a concentration and a minor in Middle East and Islamicate Worlds Studies are offered.
A concentration in Middle East and Islamicate Worlds Studies consists of nine courses. Concentrators must take 4 semesters of Arabic. Heritage speakers should contact the program director to discuss course placement. Arabic 115, 116 and Hebrew 107 and 108 do not count toward the concentration. Students interested in continuing Hebrew beyond the first year should consult with the program director about opportunities at area colleges.
Students must take at least one course in each of these major areas: literature; politics and history; religion and culture.
No more than two courses at the 100-level count toward the concentration. One course must be Writing Intensive.
Students must take 4 or 5 courses at the 200-level.
Students must take at least 2 courses at the 300-level. One of these courses could be Arabic 315 or 316.
The program strongly encourages students to study Arabic or other Middle Eastern languages off-campus, but does not require it.
The senior project will most often take the form of a major research or literary analysis paper. Students should consult with the program director during their junior year to identify an appropriate advisor. The project will be conducted either through an advanced-level course or an independent study.
To earn honors, the minimum GPA in the concentration is 3.6.
An interdisciplinary minor in Middle East and Islamicate Worlds Studies consists of five courses from the list below, including two semesters of Arabic or Hebrew. Students must take at least one course from each of three divisions: literature; social sciences; and religion and culture. One course must be taken at the introductory (100) level, and one at the advanced (300 or 400) level.
Language and Literature
ARABC-108 Food Cultures
ARABC-110 Modern Arabic Fiction
ARABC-113 W Postcolonial Detective Fiction
ARABC-115 First-term Arabic
ARABC-116 Second-term Arabic
ARABC-215 Third-term Arabic
ARABC-216 Fourth-term Arabic
ARABC-231 Societies of the Middle East
ARABC-315 Advanced Arabic
ARABC-316 Advanced Arabic
FRNCH/LIT-241 In Translation: North African Literature in France
HEBRW-107 First-term Hebrew
HEBRW-108 Second-term Hebrew
Politics and History
GOVT-207 Politics in the Middle East and North Africa
GOVT-303 Syrian Politics
GOVT-315 Foreign Policies of Middle Eastern States
GOVT-317 Arab Spring and its Aftermath
GOVT 318W Politics of Iran
GOVT 345W Religion and Terrorism
HIST-124 Silk Road
HIST-132 Jewish Civilization
HIST/ ENVST 151W Global History of Oil
HIST 228 History of Iran
HIST-275 History of the Modern Middle East
HIST/ENVST 258 Environmental History in MENA
HIST 306W Muslim Empires of Asia
HIST 335W Labor Migration in in MENA
HIST 345W Friendship of the Peoples: The Multinational Soviet Union
HIST 385W The Crusades
HIST 395W Crusades in History and Literature
Religion and Culture
ARTH 125: Sacred Art of South Asia
ARTH 201 Artifact, Testament, and Monument: Asian Art Histories
ARTH 219W Painting in South Asia
ARTH 234 Art of the Ancient Near East
ARTH-245 Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic Arts of India
ARTH-266 Art of the Islamic World
ARTH/RELST 324 Visual culture and Jewish experience
ARTH/HIST 329W Art of Devotion in Islam
ASNST/RELST-160 Everyday Islam
ASNST/RELST-209 Islamic History and Culture
ASNST/RELST-211 Islamic Spirituality, Mysticism, and Devotion
ASNST/RELST-256 Islam in South Asia
RELST-111W Ancient Jewish Wisdom
RELST 139W The Quran
RELST-143W The Sacred in South Asia
RELST-231 Judaism and Social Justice
RELST-242 Rise and Fall of David
RELST-244/HIST-244 Religious Conflicts
RELST- 262W Islamic and Jewish political philosophy
RELST/ASNST- 301W Life of Muhammad
RELST-335 Philosophy and Revelation: Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed Science