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 | 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/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
| 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/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
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 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 411/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
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARTH 496 | Art, Architecture and Space in the Islamic World | M 16:00-18:45 online synchronous | Kavuri-Bauer, Santhi |
| HIST 380 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | MW 14:00-15:15 in person | Behrooz, Maziar |
| MEIS 301 | Islam: Interpretation and Practice | asynchronous | Volk, Lucia |
| IR 324 | Middle East and North Africa in International Relations | TTh 14:00-15:40 in person | Monshipouri, Mohmood |
History and Social Sciences Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIST 372 | India and the British Empire | TTh 12:30-13:45 in person | Chekuri, Christopher |
| IR/PLSI 425 | Imagining Power in the Middle East | TTh 12:00-13:40 in person | Volk, Lucia |
| WGS 566 | Gender and Modernity in the Muslim and Arab Worlds | M 16:00-18:45 online synchronous | Abdulhadi, Rabab |
Cultures and Arts Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARAB 450 | Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature | W 16:00-18:45 in person | Zahzah, Omar |
| CWL 423 | Going Medieval: Medieval Literature and Contemporary Adaptations | MW 12:30-13:45 | Khanmohamadi, Shirin |
| JS/HUM 379 | Jerusalem | TTh 11:00-12:15 in person and online synchronous | Kaplan, Eran |
| JS 408/CINE 314 | Israeli Cinema | M 17:00-18:15 in person and online asynchronous | Kaplan, Eran |
| JS/HUM/PHIL 501 | Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | MW 15:30-16:45 in person | Gross, Rachel |
| PRSN/IR 260 | History and Cultures of Iran | Th 12:30-13:45 in person and online asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
| PRSN/PHIL/RELS 503 | Religions in Iran | TTh 9:30-10:45 online synchronous | Ara, Mitra |
**Please note that introductory language classes (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 11:00 - 12:15 | Behrooz, Maziar |
History and Social Sciences Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIST 381 | Islamic World II: 1500- Present | MW 11:00 - 12:15 | Behrooz, Maziar |
| HUM 696.2 | Proseminar: Muslims and Christians in Medieval Europe | M 16:00 - 18:45 | Rodriguez, Jarbel |
| IR/PLSI 416 | Ethnicity and Nationalism | TTh 10:00 - 11:40 In-Person | Volk, Lucia |
| IR 459 | Refugees in Global Perspective | TTh 12:00 - 13:40 | Monshipouri, Mahmoud |
| JS/IR/PLSI 430 | Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions and Society | T 14:00 - 15:15 In-Person + Asynchronous | Kaplan, Eran |
Cultures and Arts Electives
| Course | Title | Days & times | Instructor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CWL 424 | Multicultural Middle Ages | TTh 14:00 - 15:15 In-Person | Khanmohamadi, Shirin |
| HEBR 102 | Second Semester Modern Hebrew | TTh 9:30 - 10:45 In-Person | Kaplan, Eran |
| PHIL 302 | Medieval Philosophy | TTh 11:00 - 12:15 In-Person | Azadpur, Mohammad |
| PRSN/CINE 320 | Iranian Cinema | Th 11:00 - 12:15 In-Person + Asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
| PRSN 411/IR 415 | Iranian Media in English | T 12:30 - 13:45 In-Person + Asynchronous | Ara, Mitra |
| PRSN/PHIL 502 | World Religions | T 11:00 - 12:15 In-Person + 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.