Middle East Studies (B.A.)

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School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Director: J. Beinin

Middle East Studies is an interdisciplinary program. Its policy is set by an advisory committee to the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, consisting of representatives of the departments of: Arabic Studies, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology, and the Arabic Language Institute. Middle East Studies courses are taught by faculty members from Anthropology, Arabic Studies, Economics, History, Management, Political Science, and Sociology. Through intensive study of the region’s history, culture, and current issues, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the modern Middle East. See faculty listings under departmental descriptions.

Bachelor of Arts

A minimum GPA of 2.7 is required in order to declare and maintain a major in the Middle East Studies program.

A total of 120 credits is required for the bachelor’s degree in Middle East Studies:

Core Curriculum (34 - 46 credits)

Non-Arabic speaking students must take six hours of colloquial or literary Arabic.

Concentration Requirements (45 credits)

Apart from the Core requirements, students must take two courses from the 200 and 300-level courses in each of the following six field fields: Anthropology, Arab Studies, Economics, History, Political Science and Sociology. In addition, the student must take a total of three, 400-level courses selected from the above fields. The rest of the courses beyond the Core and Middle East Studies major must be advanced level courses, unless they are part of the requirements of a Minor.

In the case of ARIC and HIST courses, if the student takes one of the courses listed below as part of the Core requirements, the student must take another course from the Core courses listed under these fields.

200 and 300-level course requirements (36 credits)

ANTH 202 - Cultural Anthropology (3 cr.)
ANTH 312 - Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa (3 cr.)
ARIC 246 - Survey of Arab History (3 cr.)
ECON 201 - Introduction to Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
ECON 239 - Economic History of the Modern Middle East (3 cr.)
HIST 355 - State and Society in the Middle East, 1699-1914 (3 cr.)
HIST 356 - Society and State in the Middle East, 1906-present (3 cr.)
POLS 202 - Introduction to Comparative Politics (3 cr.)
POLS 308 - Comparative Politics of the Middle East (3 cr.)
SOC 303 - Social Movements (3 cr.)
SOC 370 - Environmental Issues in Egypt (3 cr.)

Choose one of the following

ARIC 343 - Arab-Islamic Civilization in the Classic Age, 600-945 A.D. Credits: (3 cr.)

ARIC 336 - Studies in Ibn Khaldun (3 cr.)

400-level course requirements (9 credits)

In addition to the above courses, students are required to take three 400-level courses from the following list:

ANTH 425 - Women, Islam and the State (3 cr.)
ANTH 450 - Third World Development (3 cr.)
OR
ANTH 460 - Development Studies Seminar (3 cr.)
ARIC 439 - Islamic Law (3 cr.)
ARIC 451 - Islamic Institutions (3 cr.)
ARIC 454 - Modern Movements in Islam (3 cr.)
ECON 415 - Economic Development in the Middle East (3 cr.)
OR
ECON 460 - Development Studies Seminar (3 cr.)
HIST 412 - Selected Topics in Modern Egyptian History (3 cr.)
OR
HIST 462 - Selected Topics in the History of the Modern Middle East (3 cr.)
POLS 420 - Issues in Middle East Politics (3 cr.)
POLS 423 - Political Economy of North Africa (3 cr.)
POLS 442 - Environmental Politics (3 cr.)
SOC 450 - Third World Development (3 cr.)
OR
SOC 460 - Development Studies Seminar (3 cr.)

Electives (29 -41 credits)

Depending on the number of credit hours needed to complete the 120 stated above.

AUC New Cairo Campus

AUC Tahrir Square Campus

New York