This is an archive of the 2014-2015 University Catalog.
To access the most recent version, please visit catalog.csun.edu.

This is an archive of the 2014-2015 University Catalog.
To access the most recent version, please visit catalog.csun.edu.

Program: Minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Overview

The Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MEIS) Program at CSUN is an Interdisciplinary Minor that offers courses in the languages, histories, religions, cultures, sociology and politics of Middle Eastern peoples. It also seeks to enhance students’ understanding of Islamic cultures and Muslim communities both internationally and within the United States. In addition, MEIS provides an academic home for the study of the intellectual, cultural and material conditions that have shaped our current understandings of and relationships with the Middle East and Islamic societies. Among the primary beneficiaries of this program are students interested in becoming scholars, journalists, translators, interpreters, diplomats, businesspersons, negotiators and personnel in foreign offices. Some of the courses in the MEIS Program satisfy General Education requirements or may be used as electives in several majors.

Contact

Program Director: Nayereh Tohidi
Staff: Katherine Draper, Reyna Campos Kennedy
Jerome Richfield 340
(818) 677-7218
www.csun.edu/meis 

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate an ability to speak, comprehend and write one of the major Middle Eastern languages at novice/intermediate level;
  2. Identify the major events of Middle Eastern and Islamic history, and articulate the internal and external forces that led up to and shaped these events;
  3. Explain the current cultural, political and religious challenges facing Middle Eastern peoples;
  4. Describe and analyze significant Islamic religious beliefs, ethics, practices, philosophies and cultural expressions;
  5. Describe the principal social and cultural contours of Islamic communities, families and gender relations, and explain the complex and multifaceted forms of identities; and
  6. Have knowledge of minorities (ethnic, cultural, religious) within the larger Middle Eastern societies, as well as the dynamics of the relationships among diverse groups.