The Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor consists of a core curriculum of three courses that deal with the region as a whole from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, plus three more courses of upper division units taken upon advisement. Some of the core classes carry the MEIS prefix, while most courses in the minor are listed under the various departments that teach them. If a question arises if a specific course might count towards the minor, please see a faculty advisor.
Program Learning Objectives
After completing the inter-disciplinary minor program, students will be able to
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the diversity and complexity of the many communities that reside in the area called The Middle East and other regions where Islam is one of the dominant religions practiced.
- articulate and critically evaluate main debates in the scholarship of Middle East and Islamic Studies through written assignments and class presentations.
- identify, possibly integrate, and apply theoretical perspectives and research practices from a variety of academic disciplines in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to produce comprehensive and multi-faceted explanations on current and past MEIS issues and themes.
Complete at least 9 units in the core, by taking one course from Section A, one course from Section B, and a third course from either section.
Section A: History and Politics
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 381 | Islamic World II: 1500-Present | 3 |
| PLSI 410 | Middle East Politics | 4 |
| IR 324 | The Middle East and North Africa in International Relations | 4 |
| IR 335 | Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspectives | 4 |
Section B: Arts and Culture
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARTH 417 | The Art and Architecture of Islam | 3 |
| HUM 361 | Cultural Expression in Islam | 3 |
| MUS 530 | Musics of the Middle East & India | 3 |
| PHIL 516 | Islamic Philosophy | 3 |
Courses Applicable to Section A or B
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MEIS 300 | Foundations in Middle East and Islamic Studies | 3 |
| MEIS 301 | Islam: Interpretation and Practice | 3 |
Total Core Units: 9 to 11 units (3 courses)
Electives
In addition to the three core courses above, take a minimum of nine units as electives. At least one course must be from Part I, and at least one course from Part II. The third elective may be taken from either part. Courses that are used to satisfy core requirements may not be double counted as electives, but additional core classes above the 9 to 11-unit requirement may be counted as elective units.
Part I: History and Politics
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HIST 371 | Islam In South Asia: From 1000 A.D. to the Present | 3 |
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | 3 |
| HIST 381 | Islamic World II: 1500-present | 3 |
| HIST 382 | History of Iran and Afghanistan, 1500-present | 3 |
| HIST 383 | Imperialism and Nationalism in the Recent Near East | 3 |
| IR 323 | The Persian Gulf in International Relations | 4 |
| IR 324 | Middle East and North Africa in International Relations | 4 |
| IR 326 | South and Southeast Asia Foreign Relations | 4 |
| IR 335 | Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective | 4 |
| IR 433 | Model Arab League | 4 |
| IR 459 | Refugees in Global Perspective | 4 |
| IR 604 | Analysis of Global Issues (if topic related to MEIS) | 4 |
| JS/IR/PLSI 430 | Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions, and Society | 3 |
| PHIL 436 | Islamic Political Philosophy | 3 |
| PLSI 410 | Middle East Politics | 4 |
| PLSI 420 | State-Society Relations in the Middle East | 4 |
| PLSI 425 | Imagining Power in the Middle East | 4 |
| PLSI/MEIS 431 | Constructing Kurdistan | 4 |
| WGS 565 | Muslim Feminisms | 3 |
Part II: Arts and Culture
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARAB 102 | Second Semester Arabic | 4 |
| ARAB 103 | Third Semester Arabic | 4 |
| ARAB 104 | Fourth Semester Arabic | 4 |
| ARAB 206 | Intermediate Conversation | 3 |
| ARAB 300 | Reading Qur'anic Arabic | 3 |
| ARAB 400 | Islam and Fiction in English | 3 |
| ARAB 401 | Arab Culture and Identity in English | 3 |
| ARAB 450 | Contemporary Arabic and Arab Amerian Literature | 3 |
| ARAB 600 | Modern Arabic Literature and Film in English | 3 |
| ART 417 | The Art and Architecture of Islam | 3 |
| ART 421 | Global Perspectives in Art History (on Middle East) | 3 |
| CWL 424 | Multicultural Middle Ages | 3 |
| CWL 426 | Literary Orients and Orientalisms | 3 |
| CWL 430 | Heroic Tales of the Mediterranean | 3 |
| HUM 361 | Cultural Expression in Islam | 3 |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: Istanbul, Alexandria (or other Middle Eastern city) | 3 |
| HUM/JS 377 | Jerusalem | 3 |
| HEBR 102 | Second Semester Modern Hebrew | 3 |
| HEBR 201 | Third Semester Modern Hebrew | 3 |
| HEBR 202 | Fourth Semester Modern Hebrew | 3 |
| JS/CINE 408 | Israeli Cinema | 3 |
| JS/HUM/PHIL 501 | Judaism, Christianity and Islam | 3 |
| MUS 530 | Musics of the Middle East and India | 3 |
| PRSN 102 | Second Semester Persian Language | 4 |
| PRSN 103 | Third Semester Persian Language | 4 |
| PRSN 104 | Fourth Semester Persian Language | 4 |
| PRSN 206 | Basic Persian Conversation | 3 |
| PRSN 260 | Persian Culture and Civilization in English | 3 |
| PRSN 290 | Introduction to Persian Literature in English Translation | 3 |
| PRSN 411 | Persian Media | 3 |
| PRSN 450 | Religious Traditions in Iran | 3 |
| PRSN 550 | Persian Culture through Film in English | 3 |
| PHIL 516 | Islamic Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 517 | Islamic Mysticism | 3 |
Total Elective Units: 9 to 11 units
Total Units for MEIS Minor: 18-22 Units
Core Courses
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | MW 14:00-15:15 in person | Behrooz, Maziar |
| MEIS 300 | Foundations of Middle East & Islamic Studies | not offered |
History and Social Sciences Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I | MW 14:00-15:15 in person | Behrooz, Maziar |
| JS/PLSI/IR 430 | Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions, and Society | TTh 9:30-10:45 in person | Kaplan, Eran |
Cultures and Arts Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARAB 450 |
Contemporary Arab and Arabic American Literature |
online asynchronous | tba |
| JS/HUM 379 | Jerusalem | hybrid TTh 12:30-13:45 | Kaplan, Eran |
| JS 408 | Israeli Cinema | M 14:00-15:15 hybrid: in person and asynchronous | Kaplan, Eran |
| PRSN 102 | Second Semester Persian | MW 10:00-10:50 hybrid: in person and asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
| PRSN 290 | Introduction to Persian Literature in Translation | W 14:00-14:50 hybrid: in person and asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
| PRSN 411 | Persian Media in English | M 14:00-14:50 hybrid: in person and asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
**Please note that introductory language classes (ARAB 101, HEBR 101, or PRSN 101) do NOT count towards the minor. We count all units from language classes 102 and above.
Core Courses
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTH 417 | The Art and Architecture of Islam | M 12:30 - 13:45 Online Bichronous | Kavuri-Bauer, Santhi |
| HIST 381 | Islamic World: 1500 - Present | W 16:00 - 18:45 In-Person | Behrooz, Maziar |
| IR 335 | Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective | TTh 10:00 - 11:40 Online Synchronous | Ellis, Burcu |
| MEIS 301 |
Islam: Interpretation and Practice (can be counted toward A or B core) |
Online Asynchronous | Volk, Lucia |
History and Social Sciences Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIST/JS 332 | Ancient and Medieval Jews among Pagans, Christians and Muslims | TTh 12:30 - 13:45 Online Synchronous | Astren, Fred |
| HIST 382 | History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500-present | MW 11:00 - 12:15 In-Person | Behrooz, Maziar |
| JS 408/CINE 314 | Israeli Cinema | T 14:00 - 15:15 Online Bichronous | Kaplan, Eran |
| JS 560/IR 530 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict | TTh 11:00 - 12:15 In-Person | Kaplan, Eran |
Cultures and Arts Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARAB 102 | Second Semester Arabic | Online Asynchronous | Obeid, Khalid |
| PHIL 436 | Islamic Political Philosophy | Online Asynchronous | Kashani, Ali |
| PRSN 260 | Persian Culture and Civilization in English | Online Asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
| PRSN 550 | Persian Culture through Films in English | Online Asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
*Please note that first semester language classes (101) in Arabic, Hebrew or Persian do NOT count towards the minor. We will count all language classes 102 or above.
**The schedule will be updated as courses are added or cancelled.