Undergraduate Program in
Middle Eastern Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
Website: https://mec.fsu.edu/
Director and Advisor: Zeina Schlenoff (Modern Languages and Linguistics, DIF 342)
Assistant Director and Advisor: Zafer Lababidi (Modern Languages and Linguistics, DIF 337)
Coordinating Committee: Schlenoff (Chair, Modern Languages), Lababidi (Modern Languages), Liebeskind (History), Levenson (Religion), Gaiser (Religion), Hanley (History), Pullen (Classics), Özok-Gündoğan (History)
The Departments of Anthropology, Art History, Classics, Economics, History, International Affairs, Modern Languages and Linguistics, Public Administration, and Religion offer an interdisciplinary major and minor in Middle Eastern Studies at the undergraduate level. The program is designed for: (1) general liberal arts students who wish to learn more about the Middle East; (2) students who wish to pursue graduate work in this field; and (3) students who seek employment in or relating to the Middle East. The Middle East Center, housed in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, administers the major. A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Middle Eastern Studies responds directly to a national and regional demand for resources and information to educate students, professionals, and the surrounding community about this important region of the world. An increasing number of jobs are available nationally and throughout the world for those with expertise in the Middle East and its languages.
For more information, please refer to https://mec.fsu.edu/.
Admission
Students must complete fifty-two semester hours with an adjusted GPA of 2.0 on all University coursework and have completed at least half the required liberal studies hours or an AA degree.
Requirements for a Major in Middle Eastern Studies
Students majoring in Middle Eastern studies are to construct their study program, in consultation with an advisor, around three components in addition to the University requirement for liberal studies and electives. A total of fifty-four semester hours beyond the liberal studies requirement is required. A list of approved courses is available with the program advisors or online at https://mec.fsu.edu/.
Major Components for a BA in Middle Eastern Studies
- Major requirement. Students are to take a minimum of thirty-six semester hours from among those area-specific upper-level courses listed for their major track. The hours should be distributed among at least three departments participating in the program.
- Middle East Seminar requirement. Students are required to take Middle East Research: An Interdisciplinary Seminar (ASH 3230), a three-semester hour course.
- Language requirement. Fifteen semester hours of coursework are required in a relevant area language (Arabic, Hebrew, or any other Middle Eastern language that might be offered on campus in the future). The hours must be focused on one specific language.
Students are encouraged to bring their chosen language up to an effective level of proficiency in both reading and speaking by either taking additional coursework on the FSU campus or by participating in a semester or Summer abroad program in their relevant cultural area as such programs are available. To encourage the achievement of language proficiency, language coursework hours taken beyond the fourth semester of foreign language requirement may be counted toward the required thirty-six hours for the major. A separate minor is not currently required for the Middle Eastern studies major, as a secondary area of major coursework constitutes a collateral minor. A minimum of twenty-one hours must be taken at Florida State University.
State of Florida Common Program Prerequisites
The state of Florida has not identified common program prerequisites for this University degree program; however, students are encouraged to take lower-level introductory courses in some of the related disciplines (e.g., culture/history courses relating to the Middle East) and to begin study in Arabic or Hebrew earlier so that they might be able to leave the program with the highest level of proficiency possible in their chosen language.
Computer Skills Competency
All undergraduates at Florida State University must demonstrate basic computer skills competency prior to graduation. As necessary computer competency skills vary from discipline to discipline, each major determines the courses needed to satisfy this requirement. Undergraduate majors in Middle Eastern studies satisfy this requirement by earning a grade of "C–" or higher in CGS 2060, CGS 2100, or EME 2040.
Minor in Middle Eastern Studies
The Middle Eastern studies minor is concerned with the cultures of the Middle East from ancient times to the present. Utilizing the resources of several departments and programs, it allows the student to study the region from an interdisciplinary perspective. The minor can provide a Middle East focus for work in another discipline, can build a foundation necessary for advanced degrees in Middle Eastern studies, and can enable those planning to work in the region to gain a fuller understanding of its cultures.
Requirements for a Minor in Middle Eastern Studies
The minor will consist of fifteen semester hours and must include intermediate-level (2000 level) competence in Hebrew (biblical or modern), Arabic, or another Middle Eastern language approved by the committee. No more than eight semester hours of language courses may be counted toward the minor. No course taken for the minor may be used to fulfill any University language requirement. The remaining required hours must come either from the courses listed below or be approved by the coordinating committee. A minimum of seven to nine hours have to be taken at Florida State University.
Core Courses
Note: Course descriptions can be found in the chapter corresponding to the department in which each course is taught.
Anthropology
ANT 4175 Archaeology of the Islamic World (3)
Art History
ARH 4118 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (3)
ARH 4173r Studies in Classical Art and Archaeology (3)
ARH 4210 Early Christian and Byzantine Art (3)
ARH 4571 Islamic Art and Architecture, 7th-21st Centuries (3)
Classics
ASH 3200 History of the Ancient Near East (3)
CLT 3378 Ancient Mythology, East and West (3)
Criminology and Criminal Justice
CCJ 3661 Terrorism and Violence (3)
Economics
ECS 4504 Economics of the Middle East (3)
English
LIT 4652 Middle Eastern Literature and Translation (3)
Geography
GEA 4635 Geography of the Middle East (3)
History
AFH 4302 Northern African History: A Survey (3)
ASH 1044 Middle Eastern History and Civilization (3)
ASH 3200 History of the Ancient Near East (3)
ASH 3230r Middle East Research: An Interdisciplinary Seminar (3–6)
Note: ASH 3230 is a required course for all students majoring in Middle Eastern studies.
ASH 4223 Modern Middle East (3)
ASH 4261 Central Asia Since the Mongols (3)
Modern Languages
ABT 3504 Trailblazing Arab Women (3)
ABT 3520r Arab Culture and Civilization (3)
ARA 1120 Elementary Arabic I (4)
ARA 1121 Elementary Arabic II (4)
ARA 2220 Intermediate Arabic (4)
ARA 2240 Beginning Conversation (3)
ARA 3222 Mid-Intermediate Arabic (3)
ARA 3241 Immediate Arabic Conversation (3)
ARA 3300 Advanced Arabic I (3)
ARA 4421 Media Arabic (3)
ARA 4905r Directed Individual Study (3)
ARA 4970r Honors Thesis (1–6)
FOL 3930r Experiments in Modern Language (3)
Note: The required topic is: Topics in Arabic (3)
HBR 1120 Elementary Modern Hebrew I (4)
HBR 1121 Elementary Modern Hebrew II (4)
HBR 2220 Intermediate Modern Hebrew (4)
IDS 3450 Through an Arabic Lens: The Intersection of Film and Culture (3) online
Political Science
CPO 3403 Comparative Government and Politics: The Middle East (3)
INR 3084 Terror and Politics (3)
INR 4274 Studies in International Politics: The Middle East (3)
Public Administration and Policy
PAD 4374 Introduction to Terrorism: Preparedness and Response (3)
PAD 4375 Advanced Topics in Terrorism (3)
Religion
HBR 1102 Beginning Hebrew I (4)
HBR 1103 Beginning Hebrew II (4)
HBR 2222 Intermediate Hebrew (4)
IDS 2420 Heretics, Rebels, and Militants in the Islamic World (3)
REL 2210 Introduction to the Old Testament (3)
REL 2240 Introduction to the New Testament (3)
REL 3209 Dead Sea Scrolls (3)
REL 3224 The Hebrew Prophets (3)
REL 3363 The Islamic Tradition (3)
REL 3367 Islamic Traditions II: Islam up to the Modern World (3)
REL 3607 The Jewish Tradition (3)
REL 4214 The Book of Genesis: Literacy and Historical Approaches (3)
REL 4215 Judaism in the Graeco-Roman World (3)
REL 4203r Readings in Classical Hebrew Texts (1–3)
REL 4323 Religions of the Graeco-Roman World (3)
REL 4366 Seminar on Shi'ite Islam (3)
REL 4393 Islam in North America (3)
REL 4510 Christianity after the New Testament (3)
REL 4511 Christianity in Late Antiquity (3)
Women's Studies
WST 4930 Topics in Women's Studies (3)
Note: The required topic is: Women and Gender in Africa or the Middle East (3)
Related Courses
Note: The following courses require an advisor's approval.
Art History
ARH 3800r Methods of Art Criticism (3)
ARH 4151 Art and Archaeology of the Early Roman Empire (3)
Classics
CLA 4437r Studies in Greek History (3)
Note: The required topic is Hellenistic Greek.
CLA 4930 Special Topics in Classics (3–9)
CLT 4372r Studies in Ancient Mythology (3)
EUH 4408 The Age of Alexander the Great (3)
English
ENG 3310 Film Genres (3)
Note: The required topic is Middle East Films
ENG 4905 Directed Individual Study (1–3)
Note: The required topic is: Critical Theory of Globalization (1–3)
LIT 4205 Literature of Human Rights (3)
LIT 4233 Anglophone Postcolonial Literature (3)
LIT 4514 Postcolonial Literatures and Feminisms (3)
Geography
GEA 3563 The Mediterranean (3)
History
ASH 3930r Studies in Asian History (3)
HIS 4930r Special Topics in History (3)
Humanities
HUM 2944r University Honors Colloquium (1) (S/U grade only.)
Note: The required topic is: the Middle East
HUM 3930r Humanities: Special Topics (1–3)
Note: The required topic is the Middle East
Music
MUS 3934 Special Topics in Music (1–3)
Note: The required topic is: Music of the Middle East (3)
Political Science
INR 3004 Geography, History and International Relations (3)
INR 3933r Special Topics in International Relations (3)
INR 4075 International Human Rights (3)
INR 4078 Confronting Human Rights Violations (3)
INR 4083 International Conflict (3)