F, S, SI
An introduction to Modern Standard Arabic. Skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing are developed. Not open to native speakers of Arabic.

Prerequisite: MEST 101 | F, S, SI
This is a continuation of MEST 101, with expansion of vocabulary and capability of both oral and written expression. Not open to native speakers of Arabic.

Prerequisite: MEST 102 | F, SI
This is a continuation of MEST 102, with increased emphasis on vocabulary acquisition. Not open to native speakers of Arabic.

Prerequisite: MEST 201 | S, SI
This course is the sequel to MEST 201 and continues to develop the four skills in language acquisition – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – to further refine the student’s ability to communicate in Arabic at the intermediate level. Not open to native speakers of Arabic.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F, S, SI
This course will examine the rise of Islam in the lands of the Near East as a distinctive period in the history of the region, beginning with the eclipsing of the Byzantine and Sasanid empires in the early 7th century and ending with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of WWI.

Upon demand
A critical study of theory and research related to topics in Middle Eastern studies not covered by other courses. The specific topics will be determined by interests of the students and the instructor.

F, S
A course in Modern Standard Arabic at the advanced level designed to provide Arabicspeaking B.C.I.S. Majors with the linguistic skills (writing, reading, speaking, listening) that serve as a solid foundation for journalistic expression in Arabic. Emphasis is placed on grammar review, vocabulary acquisition, and composition. Several modern literary texts are used in the course. This course is open only to students with significant prior knowledge/study of Arabic.

Prerequisite: MEST 301 | S
This is a continuation of MEST 301, with expansion of vocabulary and capability of expression, both orally and in writing. Literary texts of increasing sophistication are used in the course. Students exiting this course will be prepared to follow the Arabic track of the B.C.I.S. program.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F, S
This course explores various aspects of Islam as a civilization and the key achievements made by those who participated in the pursuit of knowledge under the cultural aegis of Islam. Developments in the fields of philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and medicine are some of the major themes highlighted as the course charts the role of Islamic civilization in the transmission of knowledge and ideas to the Mediterranean, Europe and beyond.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F
This course concentrates on the emergence of the modern Middle East by examining its transformation into nation states following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after WWI, the mandate period and the end of colonial rule. The course will focus on key events and developments across the region from Egypt to Iran, and from Turkey to the Gulf States during the last century.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S
This course considers a representative sample of Arabic prose, short stories, novels and plays with a brief account of critical background of the various genres.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F, SI
This course provides an overview of the various cultures in the Middle East within an anthropological framework. Concepts such as ‘family’, ‘gender’ and ‘society’ are used as the basis for comparison of various cultural groups in the region.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S, SI
This course looks at the political structures and systems of governance across the contemporary Middle East as well as the historical factors that led to their formation. The course also examines the complex but significant relationship between local politics and politics at the level of state and government within individual Middle East countries in order to explain how this relationship has shaped policies both at the regional and at the international levels

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F
This course examines the historical aspects of the Qur’an, such as the period of its ‘revelation’, its subsequent codification and the tradition of its interpretation. The course also focuses on the contents of the Qur’an as well as its place in various Muslim intellectual traditions, both medieval and modern.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F, S, SI
This course is a study of the Islamic religious tradition and its development during various historical periods. The course focuses on the beliefs and practices of Muslims across diverse cultural landscapes as well as on the major schools of thought within Islam. The scope of the course extends to the contemporary period to include an analysis of modern intellectual movements.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F
This course will focus on Islam as the language of politics at both the societal level and at the level of state and government. It will examine the influence of the teachings of Islam and Islamic political thought on the organization of society in the Muslim world, and account for the emergence of Islamic states, Islamist movements and the contemporary phenomenon of ‘political Islam’.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F, S, SI
This course is a general survey of Islamic art in its various forms from its beginnings in the 7th century to the early modern period. The development will be traced through the examination of architecture, manuscript illustration, textiles, pottery and other art forms.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F
This course surveys the history of this region from the period beginning with the rise of Sumerian city-states to the Jewish revolts of the 1st century C.E., taking in along the way some of the most significant inventions and innovations by ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. Parallel developments in the early history of monotheistic belief are also examined. This course contains an ancient language ‘familiarization’ component (Akkadian or Aramaic).

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S
This course examines a spectrum of intellectual (philosophical), gnostic and religious traditions (Judaeo-Christian, Manichaean, Mandaean) that cut across an ethnic mosaic of Middle Eastern communities living under the shadow of one of the two immense imperial systems of the period, the Byzantine Roman empire and the Persian Sassanian empire. The course contains an element of language ‘familiarization’ (Greek and Aramaic/Syriac).

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S
This course offers descriptive and prescriptive approaches to the economies of the Middle East. The course examines the current status of the economies in the region and how they developed. In addition, discussion will focus on economic challenges in the region. Suggestions for addressing these challenges as well as the consequences of ignoring them will also be discussed.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S
This course examines the beliefs, practices and institutions of the three Abrahamic faiths in the Middle East: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. This course also considers the shared origins and histories of these three religions, in particular the history of their interaction and interdependence in the Middle East.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F
This course examines the conflicts which have taken place in the Middle East since the end of the World War II. These conflicts include those between nations, cultures, and ideologies.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S
This course explores traditional gender roles in Middle East society, historically and in modern times. It focuses on the lives of key female figures in Middle East history with a view to delineating societal attitudes towards women in the region up to the modern day. The course also examines the role played by religion and religious authorities in the formation and confirmation of such attitudes. In addition, the imperatives of contemporary Middle Eastern women’s voices are surveyed as these manifest themselves in film, literature and other intellectual output.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | SI
This course looks at the modernization of the Gulf region since the withdrawal of Great Britain in 1971. It analyzes the advancements and the dynamics taking place in the Gulf in the political and economic sectors.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S (odd years)
This course examines the art, literature, and other aspects of culture in the nations of North Africa and how these important aspects have contributed to the shaping of those societies during various important recent historical periods.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F (odd years)
This course focuses on the area extending from the Turko-Syrian border to Syro-Palestine, encompassing also present-day Lebanon and Jordan. The region is analyzed in terms of cultural continuity and religious diversity against the background of major political events.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | F (even years)
This course surveys the history of the modern nation-state of Iraq in its religious, social and political dimensions. The background and long aftermath of both the Iraq-Iran War and the First Gulf War constitute some of the major focus of the course along with developments within the country since the fall of the Baath regime in 2003.

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 | S (even years)
This course examines the intricate relationship which has existed in Egypt between creative writers and the state since the coup d’etat of 1952. It explores the ways in which creative writers have navigated between the narrow straits of governmental restrictions and societal mores and how these writers have ultimately shaped current Egyptian culture.