The cross-disciplinary Middle Eastern Studies Minor is designed for students who seek to explore the cultures, languages, history, society, politics, international relations, economics, technology, and environment of the Middle East, including the Arab world, North Africa, Turkey, and Iran. The Middle Eastern Studies Minor’s courses provide the background and training for students whose major fields of study might include Anthropology, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Political Science, and World Languages and Cultures. The minor should be of special interest to students with interests in graduate studies or career interests in international business, education, translation, law, diplomacy, intelligence, the military, national security, non-governmental organizations, and/or international organizations.
Student Learning Outcomes
After completing the minor in Middle Eastern Studies, students will demonstrate:
- some proficiency in oral and written Arabic with an ability to comprehend authentic Arabic texts
- knowledge of the history of the Middle East from classical to modern times
- knowledge of the geographic features of the Middle East and of the major political boundaries, alliances, and power struggles that characterize the contemporary Middle East
- an understanding of cultural diversity issues in the Middle East in the context of the prevalent political, social, and cultural institutions and structures
The minor in Middle Eastern Studies requires 15 credit hours
Required course work in core courses (9 credits total)
| HIST 435 | History of the Modern Middle East | 3 |
| POL S 350 | Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| RELIG 358 | Islam | 3 |
At least 6 additional credits of elective courses from the following list (this list may change/be updated as new elective courses become available)
| ARABC 201 | Intermediate Arabic I | 4 |
| ARABC 202 | Intermediate Arabic II | 4 |
| ARABC 375 | Arab Culture | 3 |
| ART H 384 | Art of Islam | 3 |
| ECON 496 | Economics International Travel Course | 1-3 |
| HIST 331 | History of the Islamic World to 1800 | 3 |
| RELIG 242 | History of Christianity: Early to Medieval | 3 |
| WLC 370B | Topics in World Languages and Cultures in English Translation: Middle East | 3 |
Language co-requisite: All students pursuing the minor in Middle Eastern Studies must complete and receive a passing grade in:
ARABC 101 Elementary Arabic I and ARABC 102 Elementary Arabic II [completion of the beginning level of other languages spoken in the Middle East (e.g. Hebrew, Farsi, Kurdish, Turkish, Pashto, etc.) will be accepted in lieu of beginner Arabic upon petition to the program Directors]