Major Title: Middle East Studies
Major Description:
This interdisciplinary major provides comprehensive understanding of the Middle East's political, historical, cultural, and socioeconomic landscapes. Students examine the region's complex dynamics through multiple lenses including international relations, religious studies, anthropology, and postcolonial theory. The program emphasizes language proficiency (Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Hebrew), area-specific research methods, and contemporary analysis of critical issues from the Gulf states to North Africa. Graduates develop nuanced perspectives on one of the world's most geopolitically significant regions.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze the Middle East's historical development and contemporary challenges
- Achieve intermediate proficiency in a regional language
- Understand diverse religious and ethnic communities
- Evaluate regional political systems and international relations
- Apply postcolonial and critical theory frameworks
- Conduct original research using primary sources
- Compare socioeconomic development models
- Interpret cultural production (literature, film, art)
- Engage with current debates in Middle East scholarship
Course Outline:
Core Disciplinary Foundations
- Modern Middle East History
- Ottoman legacy to nation-state formation
- Colonialism and independence movements
- Middle East Political Systems
- Governance models and political Islam
- Regional conflict dynamics
- Islamic Studies
- Theological traditions and modern interpretations
- Sectarian diversity and practice
Thematic Concentrations
- Political Economy of Oil
- Resource geopolitics
- Development paradigms
- Gender and Society
- Feminist movements
- Legal status and activism
- Media and Representation
- Orientalism critiques
- Digital media revolutions
Regional Specializations
- Maghreb Studies
- Francophone influences
- Migration patterns
- Gulf States
- Petro-monarchies
- Labor migration systems
- Levant and Mesopotamia
- Religious pluralism
- Post-conflict reconstruction
Language Requirement:
- 3 years Arabic/Persian/Turkish/Hebrew
- Or 2 years + 1 regional dialect
Research Components:
- Archival research methods
- Fieldwork preparation
- Digital humanities approaches
- Oral history techniques
Assessment Methods:
- Policy briefs on current issues
- Source-based research papers
- Language proficiency exams
- Cultural analysis projects
- Capstone thesis
Program Duration:
4-year Bachelor's degree
(Includes recommended study abroad)
Certification Pathways:
- Language proficiency certifications
- Research methodology credentials
- Regional specialization certificates
Career Outcomes:
- Foreign Service Officer
- International NGO Analyst
- Journalism Correspondent
- Cultural Advisor
- Academic Researcher
- Security Analyst
Unique Features:
- Emphasis on primary language sources
- Digital mapping of regional conflicts
- Oral history documentation projects
- Partnerships with regional institutes
This program cultivates sophisticated regional expertise through rigorous language training, interdisciplinary study, and direct engagement with Middle Eastern sources and perspectives. Graduates emerge prepared for careers requiring deep contextual understanding of this strategically vital region.
