The Program

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

  1. 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.
  2. articulate and critically evaluate main debates in the scholarship of Middle East and Islamic Studies through written assignments and class presentations.
  3. 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

Section A Courses
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 Middle East and North Africa in International Relations 4
IR 335 Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspectives 4

Section B: Arts and Culture

Section B Courses
Course Title Units
ARTH 417 The Art and Architecture of Islam 3
HUM 361/IR 363 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

Courses for Sections A/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

Part I Courses
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/IR 425 Imagining Power in the Middle East 4
PLSI/MEIS 431 Constructing Kurdistan 4
WGS 565 Muslim Feminisms 3

Part II: Arts and Culture

Part II Courses
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/IR 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 408/CINE 314 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/IR 260 History and Cultures of Iran 3
PRSN 290 Persian Literatures in Translation 3
PRSN/CINE 320 Iranian Cinema 3
PRSN/IR 415 Iranian Media in English 3

PRSN/PHIL/RELS 503

Religions in Iran 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

Core Courses
Course Title Days & times Instructor
HIST 380 Islamic World I: 500-1500 MW 11:00-12:15 in person Behrooz, Maziar
MEIS 301 Islam: Interpretation and Practice asynchronous Volk, Lucia
PHIL 516 Islamic Philosophy TTh 12:30-13:45 in person Azadpur, Mohammad

History and Social Sciences Electives

Electives
Course Title Days & times Instructor
HIST 380 Islamic World I: 500-1500 MW 11:00-12:15 in person Behrooz, Maziar
IR/PLSI 425 Imagining Power in the Middle East TTh 10:00-11:40 in person Volk, Lucia

Cultures and Arts Electives

Electives
Course Title Days & times Instructor
ARAB 450

Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature

asynchronous Kalem, Akachi
HUM 424 Multicultural Middle Ages TTh 12:30-13:45 in person Khanmohamadi, Shirin
JS 408 or CINE 314 Israeli Cinema M 17:00-18:15 online bi-chronous Kaplan, Eran
PHIL 516 Islamic Philosophy TTh 12:30-13:45 in person Azadpur, Mohammad
PRSN 290 Persian Literatures in Translation asynchronous Ara, Mitra
PRSN 320 or CINE 320 Iranian Cinema W 11:00-11:50 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)
MEIS 300 Introduction to Middle East and Islamic Studies Asynchronous Volk, Lucia
HIST 381 Islamic World II: 1500 - Present MW 14:00 - 15:15  Behrooz, Maziar

 

History and Social Sciences Electives

 
Course Title Days & times Instructor(s)
HIST 381 Islamic World II: 1500- Present MW 14:00 - 15:15 I  Behrooz, Maziar
HUM 403 Vikings, Caliphs & Carolingians: Europe in the Early Middle Ages MW 12:30 - 13:45 Rodriguez, Jarbel
IR/PLSI 416 Ethnicity and Nationalism Asynchronous Volk, Lucia
JS/IR/PLSI 430 Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions and Society TTh 11:00 - 12:15   Kaplan, Eran

 

Cultures and Arts Electives

 
Course Title Days & times Instructor(s)
ARAB 101* First Semester Arabic T 16:00 - 17:40 tba
ARAB 450 Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature Th 16:00 - 18:45 Zahzah, Omar
CWL 427 Travel and the Literary Imagination MW 12:30 - 13:45 Khanmohamadi, Shirin
CWL 445 Literatures of Migration and Diaspora TTh 11:00 - 12:15 Karim, Persis
HEBR 102 Second Semester Modern Hebrew TTh 9:30 - 10:45 Kaplan, Eran
PRSN 102 Second Semester Persian T 10:00 - 10:50 and Online Asynchronous Ara, Mitra
PRSN 411/IR 415 Iranian Media in English T 13:00 - 13:50 and 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.