Middle East Studies

Description

Middle East Studies (MES) is an interdisciplinary concentration that draws upon courses offered in the departments of Anthropology, Classics, Comparative Literature, Egyptology, History, History of Art and Architecture, Judaic Studies, Old World Archaeology, Religious Studies and Political Science. The Middle East is cradle of the three major monotheistic religions of the world and, for centuries it has been one of the most ethnically and religiously mixed regions of the world. The Middle East is an ideal site for considering the diversity and complexity of human interactions, along with the continuities and disruptions that such interactions involve in the long course of history. MES concentrators are thus uniquely poised to make significant contributions to an understanding of a broad range of contemporary problems that affect our world.

Student Goals

Students in this concentration will:

• Understand the history, politics, and expressive cultures of the Middle East from several disciplinary perspectives
• Acquire intermediate proficiency in Arabic or other Middle Eastern language
• Develop theoretical acumen in humanistic and social scientific research methods
• Design a unique concentration based around a geographic region or critical question relating to the Middle East
• Produce a significant piece of independent research

Requirements

Click here for a list of the Middle East Studies concentration requirements. For more information about this concentration, please visit the department's website.

Honors and Capstones

All concentrators are required to complete a capstone project, which may take the form of an undergraduate honors thesis or an independent study project. Students may graduate with Honors in Middle East Studies by completing an undergraduate Honors thesis under the supervision of a primary and a secondary reader. Please visit the concentration website for more information on the requirements for Honors.

Liberal Learning

This concentration allows you to address the following Liberal Learning goals:

• Expand your reading skills
• Collaborate fully
• Understand differences among cultures
• Embrace Diversity
• Learn what it means to study the past
• Evaluate human behavior
• Work on your speaking and writing

Download the full statement on Liberal Learning at Brown

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Affiliated Departments

• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• Classics
• Comparative Literature
• Egyptology/AWAS
• History
• History of Art and Architecture
• Judaic Studies
• Political Science
• Religious Studies

Advisors

• Beshara Doumani

Graduating Class

Alumni Pathways

Middle East Studies concentrators have gone on to become attorneys, management consultants, and diplomats.