
The Middle East studies certificate introduces undergraduate students to a multidisciplinary course of study that provides them with an informed overview of the history, civilizations, religions, politics, geographies, and economic factors that shape the cultural landscape of this dynamic and often volatile region.
The certificate provides in-depth training in a special area that may be particularly useful as students pursue careers in a variety of fields. These can include academia, law, public history, education, business, and even medicine, where they will practice their profession abroad or use their international experience to expand their understandings of these regions as they work with topics on or populations from diverse societies in the Middle East.
Students interested in declaring the undergraduate certificate should contact the IRIS Assistant Director for Students and Curriculum.
Certificate Requirements
18 credits are required, as follows:
Core course
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
The Middle East in the 20th Century | ||
Introduction to the Middle East |
Middle Eastern language course
One course required from:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Second Semester Persian | ||
Elementary Summer Immersion Persian | ||
Second Semester Hebrew | ||
Second Semester Arabic | ||
AFRICAN 327 | ||
Second Semester Summer Arabic | ||
Elementary Summer Immersion Turkish | ||
Second Semester Turkish |
HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE Courses
One course required from:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
The Origins of Civilization | ||
Language and Culture | ||
Globalizing Education | ||
International Migration, Health, and Human Rights | ||
World Regions in Global Context | ||
Women's International Human Rights | ||
Women's Global Health and Human Rights | ||
The Ancient Mediterranean | ||
Culture & Society in the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
The World of Late Antiquity (200-900 C.E.) | ||
The Middle East in the 20th Century | ||
The Making of the Islamic World: The Middle East, 500-1500 | ||
Introduction to Modern Jewish History | ||
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Braided Histories | ||
An Introduction to Central Asia: From the Silk Route to Afghanistan | ||
The Crusades: Christianity and Islam | ||
Introduction to Byzantine History and Civilization | ||
Modern Political History of the Jews: Era of Mass Movements, 1870-1970 | ||
Islam in Iran | ||
Islamic History From the Origin of Islam to the Ottoman Empire | ||
Reading Seminar in History | ||
Byzantine Medicine and Pharmacy | ||
Honors Seminar: Studies in Science, Technology, Medicine | ||
Topics in Global Security | ||
Introduction to Modern Jewish History | ||
Elementary Topics in Jewish History | ||
Elementary Topics in Jewish Studies: Social Sciences | ||
Governments and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa | ||
Islam and World Politics | ||
Terrorism | ||
Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
Israeli Politics and Society |
RELIGION AND CULTURE Courses
One course required from:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Introduction to Arabic Literary Culture | ||
Islam: Religion and Culture | ||
Advanced Readings in Arabic Texts | ||
History of Western Art I: From Pyramids to Cathedrals | ||
A History of the World in 20 Buildings | ||
History of Islamic Art and Architecture | ||
Icons, Religion, and Empire: Early Christian and Byzantine Art, ca. 200-1453 | ||
Great Cities of Islam | ||
Art and Architecture in the Age of the Caliphs | ||
Art and Power in the Arab World | ||
The Qur'an: Religious Scripture & Literature | ||
The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome | ||
The Egyptians: History, Society, and Literature | ||
Ancient Epic | ||
Prophets of the Bible | ||
King David in History and Tradition | ||
Jewish Literature of the Greco-Roman Period | ||
Classical Mythology | ||
Biblical Archaeology | ||
Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
Introduction to Music Cultures of the World | ||
The Making of the Islamic World: The Middle East, 500-1500 | ||
Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
Elementary Biblical Hebrew, I | ||
Elementary Biblical Hebrew, II | ||
Elementary Biblical Hebrew, I | ||
Elementary Biblical Hebrew, II | ||
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew, I | ||
Intermediate Biblical Hebrew, II | ||
Prophets of the Bible | ||
Introduction to Hebrew Literature | ||
Introduction to Hebrew Literature | ||
Topics in Modern Hebrew / Israeli Literature and Culture I | ||
Topics in Modern Hebrew / Israeli Literature and Culture II | ||
Introduction to Biblical Literature (in English) | ||
Elementary Topics in Jewish Literature | ||
Elementary Topics in Jewish History | ||
Elementary Topics in Jewish Philosophy and the Arts | ||
Introduction to Biblical Archaeology | ||
Food in Rabbinic Judaism | ||
Modern Jewish Literature | ||
Israeli Fiction in Translation | ||
Jewish Literature of the Greco-Roman Period | ||
Jerusalem, Holy City of Conflict and Desire | ||
Israeli Fiction in Translation | ||
Topics in Modern Hebrew / Israeli Literature and Culture I | ||
Topics in Modern Hebrew / Israeli Literature and Culture II | ||
Intermediate Topics in Jewish Literature | ||
Intermediate Topics in Jewish History | ||
Intermediate Topics in Jewish Philosophy and the Arts | ||
Jewish Philosophy from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century | ||
Readings in Contemporary Hebrew Literature | ||
Readings in Contemporary Hebrew Literature | ||
Literatures of Muslim Societies in Translation | ||
Modern Jewish Literature | ||
Classical Rabbinic Literature in Translation | ||
Israeli Fiction in Translation | ||
Jewish Philosophy from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century | ||
Religion in Global Perspective | ||
Exploring Religion and Sexuality | ||
The Making of the Islamic World: The Middle East, 500-1500 | ||
The Qur'an: Religious Scripture & Literature | ||
Introduction to Judaism | ||
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Braided Histories | ||
King David in History and Tradition | ||
Jewish Literature of the Greco-Roman Period | ||
Islam, Science & Technology, and the Environment | ||
Islam: Religion and Culture | ||
Jewish Philosophy from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century | ||
Islamic History From the Origin of Islam to the Ottoman Empire | ||
Introduction to Sufism (Islamic Mysticism) | ||
Classical Rabbinic Texts | ||
Islam: Religion and Culture | ||
Introduction to Sufism (Islamic Mysticism) | ||
Cities of Asia |
electives
Additional course work from the categories above, or the following may be used to meet reach the minimum 18 credits required. 1
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Colloquial Arabic | ||
Colloquial Arabic | ||
Fifth Semester Arabic | ||
Sixth Semester Arabic | ||
Fifth Semester Summer Arabic | ||
Sixth Semester Summer Arabic | ||
Advanced Readings in Arabic Texts | ||
Fifth Semester, A Language of Northern Africa | ||
Sixth Semester, A Language of Northern Africa | ||
AFRICAN 527 | ||
Anthropology of Religion | ||
Language and Culture | ||
Fifth Semester Persian | ||
Sixth Semester Persian | ||
Advanced Summer Immersion Persian | ||
Love Poetry of the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
Religions of the Ancient Mediterranean | ||
Advanced Summer Immersion Turkish | ||
Fifth Semester Turkish and Azeri | ||
Sixth Semester Turkish and Azeri | ||
Introduction to Hebrew Literature | ||
Introduction to Byzantine History and Civilization | ||
Introduction to Hebrew Literature | ||
Topics in Modern Hebrew / Israeli Literature and Culture I | ||
Topics in Modern Hebrew / Israeli Literature and Culture II | ||
Byzantine Medicine and Pharmacy | ||
Introduction to Biblical Literature (in English) | ||
Jewish Philosophy from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century |
1 | A maximum of 3 credits of Advanced Language may apply to the Certificate. |
Residence and quality of work
- A minimum of 9 Certificate credits must be in residence
- Minimum 2.000 GPA in all Certificate courses
Certificate COMPLETION REQUIREMENT
This undergraduate certificate must be completed concurrently with the student’s undergraduate degree. Students cannot delay degree completion to complete the certificate.
- (Historical and Cultural Grounding) understanding the historical, political, and cultural forces and conditions that have given rise to the unity and diversity in the region today.
- (Multi-disciplinarity) analyzing contemporary political, economic, and cultural realities in the region from at least two disciplinary perspectives, ideally including humanities, social sciences and sometimes natural science approaches.
- (Depth of knowledge) mastering at the undergraduate generalist level a particular facet of life in the region by taking courses on a particular sub-region or country, or by studying a regional language, or by taking at least two courses on the region in one discipline.
Advising for the certificate is run by the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS). The IRIS Assistant Director for Students and Curriculum can assist you in developing your plan of study for the certificate, track progress toward your certificate, explore study abroad and international internship options, and begin the career exploration process. We offer walk-in advising, advising workshops, and scheduled appointments. We strongly encourage students to begin career exploration early on and to make use of the many resources available on campus.
Resources:
- Language and International Directions Advising (Language Institute)
- International Internship Program
L&S career resources
SuccessWorks at the College of Letters & Science helps students leverage the academic skills learned in their major, certificates, and liberal arts degree; explore and try out different career paths; participate in internships; prepare for the job search and/or graduate school applications; and network with professionals in the field (alumni and employers). In short, SuccessWorks helps students in the College of Letters & Science discover themselves, find opportunities, and develop the skills they need for success after graduation.
SuccessWorks can also assist students in career advising, résumé and cover letter writing, networking opportunities, and interview skills, as well as course offerings for undergraduates to begin their career exploration early in their undergraduate career.
Students should set up their profiles in Handshake to take care of everything they need to explore career events, manage their campus interviews, and apply to jobs and internships from 200,000+ employers around the country.
- SuccessWorks
- Set up a career advising appointment
- INTER-LS 210 L&S Career Development: Taking Initiative (1 credit, targeted to first- and second-year students)—for more information, see Inter-LS 210: Career Development, Taking Initiative
- INTER-LS 215 Communicating About Careers (3 credits, fulfills Com B General Education Requirement)
- Handshake
- Learn how we’re transforming career preparation: L&S Career Initiative
Middle East Studies Program Steering Committee: El Nossery, Layoun, Pruitt, Quraishi-Landes, Shelef.
As a regional center within the Institute for Regional and International Studies, we support and enhance international and global awareness in our student communities and inspire informed thinking about the complexities of our world. We encourage our students to connect to international networks and our regional communities through our program’s lecture series, film screenings, and varied outreach events and activities. We encourage our students to study abroad, do international internships, and learn foreign languages, and we expect them to gain an interdisciplinary grounding in global and regional affairs. We provide resources and expertise on our world area to students, and prospective students, and more broadly to K–12 teachers and students, postsecondary educators and graduate students, businesses, the media, the military, the community at large, and anyone else who is interested.
Information about funding through the Middle East Studies Program is available on our website. We also encourage our students to explore funding options available through the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) Awards Office.