UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
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The Middle East Studies (MES) Program was established in 1994 following
a three-year planning period. The Letters and Science Executive Committee
approved the major in May 1995, and it was endorsed by CEPAP in October
1995.
The purpose of MES is twofold: 1) to grant a BA in Middle East Studies;
and 2) to help graduate students in the various disciplines to obtain appropriate
language and area-studies training as part of their degree programs, and
to provide needed graduate financial assistance. In addition, MES provides
funding and helps to coordinate lectures, colloquia, and visiting scholars.
With the exception of two lower-division core courses, courses for the
BA are drawn from those already offered through various departments in
the College of Letters and Science. Twenty faculty members in a diversity
of departments -- including history, music and political science -- serve
on the advisory committee.
In 2000, a Center for
Middle East Studies was established to administer a federally-funded
National Resource Center grant secured by MES faculty for instructional,
programmatic and research support. Many of the Programmatic aspects of
MES are currently supported by this Center.
The Middle East Studies Major is an interdisciplinary major leading to
the Bachelor of Arts degree in which students explore the myriad peoples,
societies, languages, and cultures of the Near East and the Islamic worlds.
The program brings together two overlapping but quite distinct areas of
study: first, the Near East in the Ancient, Islamic, and modern periods;
second, the religious and cultural traditions of Islam, both within its
original Near Eastern homeland, and in other regions of the world where
Islamic traditions have come to play a major role -- South and Southeast
Asia, Africa, and, (more recently) Europe and North America.
As a key part of their studies Middle East Studies strongly recommends,
though does not require, that students spend a substantial period of time
abroad in the UC Education
Abroad Program centers in Jerusalem or Cairo, or in other suitable
programs. Members of the Advisory Committee will
work actively with interested students to help them identify appropriate
opportunities for study abroad.
The program does not offer the M.A. or Ph.D. However, it can help graduate
students to coordinate interdisciplinary study across departmental lines,
and it also provides an enrichment of UCSB's own resources through the
lectures, colloquia, and seminars which it sponsors. Likewise, Middle East
Studies can offer limited financial assistance, on a competitive basis,
to qualified graduate students. Finally, the program also collaborates
with the Von Grunebaum
Center for Near Eastern Studies at UC Los Angeles in areas of common
concern.
For more information about this program, contact:
Undergraduate Advisor
Global & International Studies
Tel: (805) 893-7860
cutler@global.ucsb.edu
Chair, Middle East Studies Program
Professor in Communication
Office: 4113 SSMS
Phone: 805-893-7105
w-afifi@comm.ucsb.edu
Links:
Requirements
Preparation for the major
* Middle East Studies 45 (same as History 45)
* Religious Studies 5 or History 46
* ONE of the following language series:
* Hebrew 1-2-3-4-5-6 (Modern Hebrew)
* Religious Studies 10A-B-C-D-E-F (Arabic)
* Religious Studies 17 A-B-C and 121 A-B (Biblical Hebrew and Targumic
Aramaic)
* Religious Studies 17 A-B-C and 122 A-B (Biblical Hebrew and Syriac)
* Religious Studies 57A-B-C-D-E-F (Persian)
Upper-division major
Before beginning the upper-division major, students must meet with their
faculty advisor to discuss their academic interests and have their academic
plan approved. The faculty advisor will help the student to develop a broad,
coherent plan that supports both the integrity of the major and their own
special interests.
A total of 36 upper-division units are required from the following courses.
No more than 16 units may come from a single department or more than 20
from a single area. Advanced language study is highly recommended, especially
for those students planning to pursue graduate study in a Middle East related
field.
Area A: Languages and Cultures
Languages:
Arabic: Religious Studies 148A-B-C Coptic: Religious Studies 139C-D-E Hebrew:
Hebrew 114A-B-C, 115A; Religious Studies 142A-B-C Persian: Religious Studies
157A-B-C
Cultures:
Anthropology 118TS, 138TS, 176TS; Religious Studies 115A-B-C, 116B, 130,
131J, 185, 186A, 189A-B-C; History of Art and Architecture 101D, 105C,
132A-B- C-D-E-F-G-I, 133AA-ZZ, 186Q; Music 160E, 168x, 175F, 170M, 170N
(up to 4 units)
Area B: History, Politics, and Societies:
Anthropology 121MS; History of Art and Architecture 132I; History 118A-B,
119,145A-B, 145D, 146A-B, 146P, 146PW, 146T, 146W; Law & Society
151, 161,194CS; Middle East Studies 194; Political Science 106IP, 150A-B;
Religious Studies 131H, 140A-B-C-D-E-F; Sociology 130SA, 131H
Courses
Lower Division
45. Introduction to Islamic and Near Eastern Studies
(4) Staff
Same course as History 45.
Exploration of the ancient, medieval, and modern cultures of the Near and
Middle East and North Africa, and the religion, music, art, language, and
daily life of Muslim societies from Africa to Asia.
Upper Division
194. Group Studies for Advanced Students
(1-4) Staff
Prerequisite: upper-division standing.
May be repeated for credit to a maximum of 12 units, but only 8 units may be
applied toward the major.
Topics vary according to instructor.
199. Independent Studies
(1-4) Staff
Prerequisites: upper-division standing; consent of department and instructor.
Students must complete two upper-division courses in the Middle East Studies
major requirements. Students must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 for
the preceding three quarters and are limited to 5 units per quarter and 30 units
total in all 98/99/198/199/199DC/199RA courses combined. INEST 199 may be repeated
for credit to a maximum of 8 units, but only 4 units may be applied toward the
major.
Directed research in Middle East studies.
Faculty Advisory Committee
Dwight
F. Reynolds, Ph.D., Chair (Religious Studies)
Marguerite Bouraad-Nash,
Ph.D. (Political Science)
Juan Campo, Ph.D. (Religious
Studies)
Magda Campo, M.A.(Religious
Studies)
Adrienne Edgar, PhD.
(History)
John Foran, Ph.D. (Sociology)
Roger O. Friedland, Ph.D.
(Sociology)
Nancy E. Gallagher,
Ph.D. (History)
W. Randall Garr, Ph.D.
(Religious Studies)
Richard D. Hecht, Ph.D.
(Religious Studies)
Barbara Holdrege,
Ph.D. (Religious Studies)
R. Stephen Humphreys,
Ph.D., (History)
Mark Juergensmeyer,
Ph.D. (Sociology)
Nuha N. Khoury,
Ph.D. (History of Art & Architecture)
Scott Marcus, Ph.D. (Music)
Gurinder Singh Mann,
PhD. (Global & International Studies/Religious Studies)
Stuart Smith, Ph.D. (Anthropology)
Devora Sprecher, M.A. (Germanic, Slavic, & Semitic Studies)
Christine Thomas, Ph.D. (Religious
Studies)
Fikret Yegül,
Ph.D. (History of Art & Architecture)