Requirements for the concentration
The Middle East concentration provides a well-rounded grounding in the study of countries in the Middle East as well as regions connected to the Middle East through Islam, including the Maghreb and Southwest Asia. It incorporates culture, religion, geography, history, economics, governance, and international relations. Key topics include security, development, trade, politics, and relations with other regions. Through the concentration students gain the ability to provide a multidimensional perspective on significant national and regional issues, evaluate policies and strategies to address regional challenges and relations with the global community, and assess global policies and institutions from a regional perspective.
Students in the BA in international affairs program must complete at least five courses (15 credits) to fulfill their concentration requirements, as indicated below. These courses must be taken in at least two different academic departments.
Students in the BS in international affairs program must complete at least three courses (9 credits) to fulfill their specialization requirements, as indicated below. It is not required that these courses be taken in two different academic departments.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| For the BA in international affairs program: Five courses (15 credits) selected from the lists below. At least two courses must be from Group A and at least two courses must be from Group B. | ||
| For the BS in international affairs program: Three courses (9 credits) selected from the lists below. At least one course must be from Group A and at least one course must be from Group B. | ||
| Courses in Group A are typically in the social sciences, and do not include the humanities. Courses in Group B are in history and other humanities disciplines (literature, film, religion, etc). | ||
| Group A: | ||
| ANTH 3707 | Anthropology of the Middle East | |
| GEOG 3154 | Geography of the Middle East and North Africa | |
| IAFF 2095 | The Middle East in International Affairs | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (Arab Politics) | |
| IAFF 2190W | Special Topics (Politics and Culture in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Anthropology of Islam) | |
or ANTH 3991 (Anthropology of Islam) | ||
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (US Foreign Policy in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Israeli Society and Politics) | |
or JSTD 2002 (Israeli Society and Politics) | ||
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Iran in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (International Relations-Middle East) | |
| or PSC 2478 | International Relations of the Middle East | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Political Economy of the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Iran-US Relations) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Popular Politics in the Middle East) | |
| IAFF 3352 | Israeli and Palestinian Peacebuilding | |
or JSTD 2002 (Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding) | ||
| IAFF 4192 | Team-Based Applied Learning Seminar (National Security Crisis Simulation) | |
| PSC 2377 | Comparative Politics of the Middle East | |
| PSC 2476 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | |
| PSC 2993 | Special Topics in Comparative Politics (Governments & Politics - Middle East) | |
| PSC 2993 | Special Topics in Comparative Politics (Politics of Modern Iran) | |
| PSC 2994 | Special Topics in International Relations (U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East) | |
| Group B: | ||
| ARAB 2105 | Topics in Arabic Studies (PopCulture:MidEast&NorthAfrica) | |
| ARAB 2105 | Topics in Arabic Studies (Oman: Business & Culture Exploration) | |
| ARAB 3105 | Special Topics (Arabic and Social Media) | |
| ARAB 3105 | Special Topics (Readings in Arab Politics & Society) | |
| ARAB 3105W | Special Topics in Arabic Studies (Gender and the Arab World) | |
or HIST 3001W or WGSS 3170 (Gender and the Arab World) | ||
| ARAB 3301 | Modern Arabic Literature | |
| ARAB 3302 | Media Arabic | |
| ARAB 3311 | Business Arabic | |
| ARAB 3501 | Arabic and Arab Identity | |
| or ARAB 3501W | Arabic and Arab Identity | |
| ARAB 3502 | Arab Film and Culture | |
| HEBR 3104W | Gender and Sexuality in Israel | |
or WGSS 3170W (Gender and Sexuality in Israel) | ||
or JSTD 2002W (Gender and Sexuality in Israel) | ||
or HIST 3001W (Gender and Sexuality in Israel) | ||
| HEBR 3301 | Modern Hebrew Fiction | |
| or HEBR 3301W | Modern Hebrew Fiction | |
| HIST 2001 | Special Topics (War and Peace in Israeli History) | |
| HIST 2050 | History of Jewish Civilization: From the Bible to Modernity | |
| HIST 2060 | Modern Jewish History | |
| HIST 2805W | Majors’ Introductory Seminar: Middle East (All topics offered under HIST 2805W are approved for this requirement) | |
| HIST 3801 | Topics in Middle Eastern History (All topics offered under HIST 3801 are approved for this requirement) | |
| HIST 3811 | The Emergence of the Modern Middle East | |
| HIST 3825 | Land and Power in Israel/Palestine | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Arabic Literature: Arabia to America) | |
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Partitions: A History) | |
or JSTD 2002 (Partitions: A History) | ||
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (Islam, Drugs, and Empire) | |
or HIST 2805W (Islam, Drugs, and Empire) | ||
| IAFF 3188 | Special Topics in Middle East Studies (The Middle East Since WWII) | |
| IAFF 3205 | Holocaust Memory | |
or HONR 2047 Self and Society Seminar (Holocaust Memory) | ||
or JSTD 2002 (Holocaust Memory) | ||
| PERS 3002 | Media Persian | |
| or PERS 3002W | Media Persian | |
| REL 2211 | Rabbinic Thought and Literature | |
| REL 2401 | Islam | |
| REL 3405 | Shi'ite Islam | |
| REL 3419 | Islamic Civilization and the West | |
| REL 3425 | Islamic Political Thought | |
| REL 3431 | Sufism/Islamic Mysticism | |
| REL 3475 | Islamic Religion and Art | |
| REL 3481 | Women in Islam | |
| or WGSS 3481 | Women in Islam | |
| Any undergraduate literature or film course numbered 2000 or above with this regional focus. | ||