Interdepartmental MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES MINOR

College of Arts and Sciences

Coordinating Committee: Peter Garretson (History; Committee Chair), Winnifred Adolph (Modern Languages), David Levenson (Religion), John Kelsay (Religion), Daniel Pullen (Classics).

The Middle Eastern Studies Minor is concerned with the cultures of the Middle East from ancient times to the present. Utilizing the resources of a number of departments and programs, it allows the student to study the region from an interdisciplinary perspective. The minor can provide a Middle East focus for work in another discipline, can build a foundation necessary for advanced degrees in middle eastern studies and can enable those planning to work in the region to gain a fuller understanding of its cultures.

Requirements for a Minor in Middle Eastern Studies

The minor will consist of fifteen (15) semester hours and must include intermediate-level competence in Hebrew (Biblical or Modern), Arabic or another Middle Eastern language approved by the committee. No more than six (6) semester hours of language courses may be counted towards the minor. No more than three (3) semester hours used to fulfill any university language requirements may be counted towards the minor. The remaining required hours must come either from the courses listed below or be approved by the coordinating committee.

Languages

• ARA 1120 Elementary Arabic I (4)
• ARA 1121 Elementary Arabic II (4)
• ARA 2200 Intermediate Arabic (4)
• HBR 1102 Beginning Hebrew I (4)
• HBR 1103 Beginning Hebrew II (4)
• HBR 1120 Elementary Modern Hebrew I (4)
• HBR 1121 Elementary Modern Hebrew II (4)
• HBR 2200 Intermediate Modern Hebrew (4)
• HBR 2202 Intermediate Hebrew (4)
• XXX XXXX Conversational Arabic (3)

Art History

• ARH 3800r Methods of Art Criticism (3) (when relevant)
• ARH 4118 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (3)

History

• AFH 4302 Northern African History: A Survey (3)
• ASH 1044 Middle Eastern History and Civilization (3)
• ASH 3200 History of the Ancient Near East (3)
• ASH 4223 Modern Middle East (3)
• HIS 4930r Special Topics in History (3)

Political Science

• CPO 3403 Comparative Government and Politics: The Middle East (3)
• INR 4274 Studies in International Politics: The Middle East (3)

Religion

• REL 2210 Introduction to the Old Testament (3)
• REL 3293r Topics in Biblical Studies (3) (when relevant)
• REL 3363 The Islamic Tradition (3)
• REL 3600 The Jewish Tradition (3)
• REL 4203r Readings in Classical Hebrew Texts (1–3)
• REL 4290r Undergraduate Biblical Studies Seminar (3) (when relevant)
• REL 4323 Religions of the Ancient Near East (3)
• REL 4613 Modern Judaism (3)
• REL 4617 Judaism in the Graeco-Roman World (3)