Middle East/Islamic Studies Programs

REGIONAL MIDDLE EAST STUDIES CENTERS AND PROGRAMS

These sites include both centers and institutions with Middle East/Islamic Studies majors and minors in the Southeast.

ALABAMA

Middle East Center, University of Alabama

Website under development. Contact waleed.hazbun@ua.edu for information.

Middle East Studies Concentration, University of South Alabama

Rich in history, clothed in mystery, the Middle East is a region at the center of many thorny issues in contemporary politics. The Middle East Studies concentration of the International Studies major equips University of South Alabama students with the linguistic skills in Arabic and the knowledge of geography, history and politics essential for understanding the complexity of this important region.  

FLORIDA

Middle East Center, Florida State University

The Middle East Center (MEC) at Florida State University is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to the scholarly and dispassionate study of the Middle East. Its mission is to create a bridge between a variety of disciplines on campus in order to provide an academic environment for students who are seeking a greater understanding of the Middle East.  Although the MEC welcomes all disciplines with an interest in the Middle East, it is, at present, particularly concerned in strengthening its core disciplines:  Anthropology, Arabic, Archaeology, Criminology, Hebrew, History, Modern Languages, Political Science, Religion, and Urban and Regional Planning.

The Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies, Florida International University

The Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Center for Muslim World Studies is devoted to the study of the challenges facing the Muslim world, the promotion of healthy dialogue among the world’s faiths and Islam’s sects, and the production of objective research and analysis to inform national policy. On campus, the center is a space for Muslim student life and a hub for intellectual and cultural activities for Muslim and non-Muslim students alike. The Center houses Florida International University’s Middle East Studies program

Center for Global Islamic Studies, University of Florida

The University of Florida's Center for Global Islamic Studies’ mission is to deepen our understanding of the diversity of Muslim cultures and societies in the contemporary global context. The center is inter-disciplinary in nature and includes faculty from the departments of Religion, Anthropology, History, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and Political Science, as well as the Center for African Studies and the Center for European Studies.

Islamic Studies Program, University of Central Florida

The Islamic Studies program at the University of Central Florida establishes connections among students and faculty for talking religion, theology, and social issues. The goal of the program is to create an environment that fosters intercultural awareness, especially as it concerns Islam and Muslims, and to establish a hub for interfaith dialogue on the UCF campus, allowing students to ask questions and discover answers.

Kurdish Political Studies Program, University of Central Florida

The Kurdish Political Studies Program (KPSP), hosted at the School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs, is the first and only academic program dedicated to the study of politics of Kurds and Kurdistan in the United States. KPSP promotes academic studies and public awareness of Kurdish politics, organizes events addressing contemporary issues affecting Kurdish people, facilitates exchanges and collaborations between UCF and Kurdish universities, and develops curriculum focusing on themes related to the Kurdish experience. KPSP is integrated with the Security Studies doctoral program.

 Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Studies minor, Rollins College

Nationwide, there has been an increased interest in the Middle East and North Africa, a region not well understood by most Americans. The minor in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Studies offers a thorough survey of the cultures, politics, and religions of the region throughout history, with a strong focus on the contemporary period. Short-term or semester-long field studies are also encouraged, with students in recent years electing to spend time studying in Morocco, Jordan, and Israel.

Florida Society for Middle East Studies
The mission of FSMES is to foster a better understanding of all matters related to the region among our members. We focus on the historical, political, economic, cultural and social issues of the region and do this through a continuing series of lectures by experts from academia, think tanks and government. The sessions encourage both audience participation and a frank exchange of ideas on every facet of life in the Middle East.

GEORGIA

Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies (MESAS), Emory University

The Department of Middle Eastern and South Asian Studies (MESAS) in Emory College is a humanities-based, cross-disciplinary area studies department. It is built upon strengths in the cultures, literatures, and histories of the region that spans from the Pillars of Hercules to the Bay of Bengal. MESAS is dedicated to understanding the region through primary sources, whether textual, oral, or material, as well as through multiple theoretical and disciplinary perspectives

Middle East Studies Center, Georgia State University

The Middle East Studies Center at Georgia State University promotes greater understanding of the Middle East, its diverse cultures, languages, and people. 

MISSISSIPPI

Middle East Studies minor, Mississippi State University

As the Middle East continues to be a region of critical global importance, gaining an understanding of the cultures, politics, religions, and languages of this area is increasingly important. Mississippi State's MES minor provides an interdisciplinary background in Middle Eastern Studies that benefits a range of career paths in both the public and private sectors. Many students with training in Middle Eastern Studies go on to careers in non-governmental organizations, international business, governmental work, and consulting. Having an area studies focus as an undergraduate is also helpful for those pursuing postgraduate (MA and PhD) work. 

NORTH CAROLINA

Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill

The Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies promotes understanding of the Middle East through teaching, research, and community outreach. Our center is distinguished by its cross-regional approach to Middle East studies, one that breaks down area studies barriers in order to track global flows of ideas, commodities, and people. The Center is part of the Duke-UNC Consortium for Middle East Studies, a collaboration between Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Duke University Middle East Studies Center, Duke University 

The Duke University Middle East Studies Center (DUMESC) is a hub for research, policy, education, and outreach about the Middle East. DUMESC supports in-depth Middle Eastern language training and a variety of interdisciplinary courses on the region's geopolitics, culture, and society.

Middle East Studies minor, Davidson College

The Middle East Studies interdisciplinary minor is open to students majoring in any department or program who also wish to pursue the disciplined study of the history, politics, culture, and religions of the Middle East.

Middle East Studies minor, Elon University

Elon’s Middle East Studies minor offers students an interdisciplinary program, designed to promote a deeper understanding of regional issues and perspectives

Islamic Studies minor, UNC-Greensboro

Islamic Studies at UNCG is a thriving area of study that consists of two main components: the minor, which allows interested students to minor in the field by taking courses in History, Religious Studies, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, and other departments and programs; and public events aimed at promoting awareness and understanding of Islamic history and culture in North Carolina and in a wider, global context.

Jewish and Middle East Studies minor, UNC-Pembroke

The Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies Minor presents a multi-disciplinary program committed to innovative teaching in a broad range of fields including Ancient Near East, Jewish Studies, Islamic and Middle East Studies, and Israel Studies. Dedicated to intellectual openness and pedagogic excellence, the program offers courses that engage critical questions of the history, religion, culture, language, and social and political science of Middle Eastern civilizations

Middle East and Islamic Studies minor, UNC-Wilmington


The Middle Eastern 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. MES 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.


SOUTH CAROLINA

Middle East Studies, Columbia International College

Because in the Middle Eastern Studies program you can walk where Jesus walked! Not only will you develop cross-cultural communication and ministry skills, you will gain personal experience in Middle Eastern life and culture as you study for one year in Israel at Jerusalem University College (JUC). While in Israel, you will study and explore in Christian, Jewish, and/or Arab contexts to develop your ministry skills according to your vocational goals. This will help you understand the beliefs and practices of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as well as acquire a firsthand knowledge of the geography of Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

Islamic World Studies minor, University of South Carolina

The minor in Islamic World Studies challenges you to think differently about Islam, Muslim societies and their role in shaping the modern world. The program uses a unique, interdisciplinary approach that focuses on several regions. You will explore historical and contemporary issues in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and their centuries-old ties through vast networks created by trade, religion, imperialism and human migration. 

Middle East and North Africa studies program, Wofford College

Drawing on courses in art history, English, government, history, modern languages and religion, the Middle Eastern and North African Studies (MENA) program encourages students to learn about the history, culture, politics and languages of the Middle East and North Africa. It culminates in an independent capstone project designed to integrate learning from diverse areas of study. The MENA program is not a major or a minor. Courses applied toward requirements for the Middle Eastern and North African program may be counted toward requirements in other programs, majors or minors. Successful completion of the program will be noted on the transcript and on the program for Commencement exercises.

TENNESSEE

Middle East Center, Middle Tennessee State University

The MTSU Middle East Center, the first of its kind in Tennessee, was established to promote an understanding of the various populations and cultures of the Middle East among the student body as well as in the surrounding community. An enduring, vital component of the university, the Center builds on existing programs such as those in Global Studies, Public History and Historic Preservation, Jewish Studies, Media and Entertainment, and the Business and Economic Research Center.

Jewish, Islamic and Middle East studies minors, Rhodes College

Jewish, Islamic and Middle East studies illuminates the general questions of our liberal arts and sciences curriculum from the purview of Jews, Muslims, and other Middle Easterners. The program allows students interested in Jewish and Islamic religion and Middle Eastern history, politics, and culture to focus on a deeper understanding of the contribution of Judaism and Islam to the development of world civilizations. Part of what distinguishes this program from others like it nationally is that it will require students to understand the entangled and interconnected histories, cultures, and politics of Jews, Muslims, and other religious groups over time and in different contexts, as well as the similarities and conflicts between these groups. Furthermore, this program seeks to incorporate college-wide conversations about integration and diversity on campus with the rigors of academic investigation.

Middle East Studies, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Middle East Studies is an interdisciplinary major that focuses on the region of the Middle East, past, present, and future.  The program requires students to study at least two languages that are spoken in the region so that they will have more direct access to its texts and people, whether they are doing their research in Knoxville or abroad.  Our curriculum introduces students to the complex history of the Middle East, which in turn helps students understand the contemporary region as well.  Our goal is to provide students with top-level interdisciplinary training in the history, culture, literature, politics, languages, and religions of the Middle East in order to prepare them for a variety of careers related to this significant region of the world.

Judaic Studies, University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Judaic Studies is the center for the study of Jews and Judaism at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.  It offers a variety of public and academic programs that enhance student learning, promote Jewish Studies scholarship, and contribute to the intellectual life of the Knoxville community and beyond.  The University of Tennessee at Knoxville offers an interdisciplinary Judaic Studies major and minor as well as several scholarships to support student learning.  Courses in Judaic Studies range from the Hebrew Bible to the Holocaust and include both modern and Biblical Hebrew.

Arabic and Islamic Studies minor, Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University offers undergraduate minors in Islamic Studies (IMST), and Arabic Language. Graduate studies may be pursued within the "Critical Studies in Asian, Islamic and Jewish Traditions" area of the Graduate Department of Religion, and within the graduate wing of the History Department.

VIRGINIA

Middle East and North Africa studies minor, Christopher Newport University

The minor in Middle East and North Africa studies is an interdisciplinary program that provides a foundation of knowledge of Middle Eastern and North African history, politics, cultures, languages, religions, and peoples as well as enhances student understanding of European and American interactions with culturally diverse and politically important regions of the world. The Middle East and North Africa encompasses vast regions (from Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean to Iran on the Persian Gulf) with diverse cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The minor provides students with a framework to understand the development of the contemporary Middle East and North Africa against the background of a long and vibrant history and the diversity of the region’s religions, ethnic groups and cultures. 

Middle East and Islamic Studies (MEIS), George Mason University

George Mason’s program in Middle East and Islamic Studies (MEIS) equips students with the tools and analytical skills for understanding major issues and debates in the study of the Middle East, Islam, and Muslim societies. Students study historical and contemporary aspects of society, economy, politics, and culture from both regional and global perspectives—with a strong emphasis on theory and methodology.

Middle East Studies minor, Old Dominion University

The minor (15 hours) in Middle Eastern studies focuses upon the study of several aspects of Middle Eastern culture, language, politics, geography, and history.  Students can elect Track I which would include 12 hours of 100 & 200 level Arabic, French, Hebrew, or any other language used for research in the region. Languages such as Armenian and Turkish could meet this requirement upon the taking of a proficiency examination. Students can also choose Track II, which is a non-language option. Credit earned by studying abroad in the Middle East may also be included in the minor requirements. An internship taken in the Middle East or related to organizations that focus on the Middle East may also count within the minor.

Middle East studies concentration, Roanoke College

Our new Middle East studies concentration brings together scholars of language, politics, history, economics, archaeology, anthropology, literature, sociology and other fields. There are many paths within this concentration, allowing students to come into this concentration through their own particular interests. Successful students will graduate with the cultural and historical knowledge necessary to explore higher-level learning related to the field both inside and outside of the classroom.

Center for Islam in the Contemporary World, Shenandoah University

At the Center for Islam in the Contemporary World, we:

Middle East Studies Program, University of Virginia

The Middle East Studies Program, with its interdisciplinary approach, provides a unique opportunity to learn about the languages and peoples, literatures and cultures, religions and histories of the region from the Maghreb in the west to Afghanistan in the east. The program encompasses the study of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic civilizations from antiquity to the modern era as they struggle to retain their roots, while coping with regional conflicts and the challenge of modernity.

Persian Studies, University of Virginia

The UVa Persian Program seeks to promote greater awareness and appreciation of the cultural richness of an ancient civilization; at the same time, it seeks to foster a better understanding of contemporary Iran. Our program focuses principally on Iranian studies; however it bears mention that as the official language in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Persian has been designated a “critical language” and has become a crucial area of study for many students seeking degrees in Politics and Foreign Affairs. 

Middle Eastern Studies minor, University of Mary Washington

The minor in Middle Eastern Studies is an interdisciplinary program that seeks to familiarize students with the histories, geographies, religions, cultures, arts, languages, and politics of the region known as the Middle East. It draws on courses in Geography, History, Modern Foreign Languages, Political Science, and Religion, fostering connections between different disciplinary approaches to the study of the region. The program thus provides a foundation of knowledge and learning about the Middle East (including the Arab World, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and Israel), while privileging no single country, theme, or political position. Through this program, students will gain both specialized knowledge and broad understanding about this dynamic region, in a manner that promotes dialogue, understanding, and awareness of the Middle East and its place in the world.

Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies minor, Virginia Commonwealth University

Middle East Studies minor, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech’s minor in Middle East Studies helps students to gain an appreciation for the history, religion, and culture of Middle Eastern regions, while understanding their role in international relations. 

WEST VIRGINIA

Africa and the Middle Middle East minor, West Virginia University 

Middle East and African Studies Certificate, Shepherd University

The certificate in Middle Eastern and African Studies is an interdisciplinary 18-credit hour foundation in the history, politics, economics, geography, language, and culture of the Middle East and Africa. It provides students with a regional specialization that complements related disciplinary concentrations in the social sciences and humanities.