Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor

The Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor offers courses in the civilizations, histories, languages, religions, geographies, politics, and literatures of the Middle East. Students take an interdisciplinary approach to the cultures of this region, which has had an important impact on the development of our civilization and plays a vital role in today’s world community. The minor’s course offerings treat the Middle East from ancient times to the modern period and emphasize methods of historical and interdisciplinary analysis. MEIS minors are expected to reach an intermediate level of proficiency in Arabic, which is the most widely spoken language in the region and the liturgical language of Islam. The minor requires a total of 21 credit hours. All students must complete six credit hours consisting of ARB 101 and ARB 102, then select six additional credit hours from the list of additional core courses, with each course in a different discipline. The remainder of the credit hours should be selected from the designated electives. Students must have a least a “C+” (2.33) average in courses counted toward the minor, and at least two courses counted toward the minor must be at or above the 300-level.

Requirements for a Minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies:

Core Courses (required)

All core courses in the below list must be completed for the minor (6 credit hours).

ARB 101 - Introductory Arabic I Credit Hours: 3
ARB 102 - Introductory Arabic II Credit Hours: 3

Core Courses (two from different disciplines)

At least two additional core courses from the below list, each from a different discipline, must be completed for the minor (6 credit hours).

INT 352 - The Contemporary Middle East Credit Hours: 3
PAR 230 - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Credit Hours: 3
PLS 338 - Political Systems of the Middle East Credit Hours: 3
HST 382 - History of Modern Middle East Credit Hours:
PAR 375 - Islam Credit Hours: 3

Electives (9 credit hours)

Elective credits from the list below count toward the remainder of the required 21 credit hours for the minor. Students may petition to include courses not on this list – including Directed Independent Study and special topics courses – as long as they incorporate significant Middle East-related content.

ARB 201 - Intermediate Arabic I Credit Hours: 3
ARB 202 - Intermediate Arabic II Credit Hours: 3
ARB 294 - Arabic Study Abroad I Credit Hours: 1 To 3
ARH 300 - Egyptian Art Credit Hours: 3
ARH 321 - Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East Credit Hours: 3
ARH 325 - Islamic Art Credit Hours: 3
HST 113 - Jewish History to 1492 Credit Hours: 3
HST 114 - Jewish History from 1492 to the Present Credit Hours: 3
HST 305 - The Ancient Near East Credit Hours: 3
HST 381 - History of Premodern Middle East Credit Hours: 3
HST 385 - Special Topics in Jewish History Credit Hours: 3
INT 350 - Topics in the Middle East Credit Hours: 3
INT 351 - The Contemporary Persian Gulf Credit Hours: 3
INT 353 - Modern Iraq Credit Hours: 3
INT 361 - Ethnic Conflicts and Territorial Disputes Credit Hours: 3
PAR 235 - Introduction to the Old Testament Credit Hours: 3
PAR 362 - Archaeology of Ancient Israel Credit Hours: 3
PAR 376 - Judaism Credit Hours: 3
PLS 338 - Political Systems of the Middle East Credit Hours: 3
PLS 428 - Global Terrorism Credit Hours: 3

Additional Information:

Students must have a least a “C+” (2.33) average in courses counted toward the minor, and at least two courses counted toward the minor must be at or above the 300-level.