The interdisciplinary minor in Middle Eastern studies consists of 23 credits. A core curriculum of 17 credits that is composed of 8 credits in one of the Middle Eastern languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish or other less commonly taught languages), the two core Middle Eastern studies courses (01:685:100 Introduction to the Modern Middle East and 01:685:499 Senior Seminar in Middle Eastern Studies), and the historical survey
(01:685:201/01:508:201 Islamic Civilization, 01:685:305/01:508:205 Modern
Middle East, 01:685:304/01:508:304 Ottoman Empire) is required. In lieu of the Senior Seminar in Middle Eastern Studies, students, with the approval of the Middle Eastern studies program (MESP) director, may substitute an equivalent Senior Seminar in a related discipline (e.g., art history, history, Jewish studies, political science, religion, or sociology) that has the Middle East as its focus, or in an MESP Advanced Topics course that is offered as a seminar.
The remaining 6 elective credits are taken from other courses offered by the program, or from approved cross-listed or other courses relevant to the Middle East offered by contributing departments. Approval of the latter courses is at the discretion of the MESP director. Language courses may not be taken to fulfill elective requirements. Students with prior knowledge of Middle Eastern languages must choose their courses for the language requirement in consultation with and with the approval of the MESP director.
The minor may include no more than 6 credits of independent study or internships or a combination of these. Students must complete all courses counting toward the minor in Middle Eastern studies with a grade of C or better.
