Program: Minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Program Description
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.
Program Requirements
1. Core MEIS Requirement (3 units)
MEIS 100 Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. (3)*
2. Language Requirement (3-4 units)
Choose at least one of the following:
ARAB 102 Elementary Arabic II (4)*
ARMN 102 Elementary Armenian II (3)*
ARMN 201 Intermediate Armenian I (3)
HEBR 102 Elementary Hebrew II (4)*
PERS 102 Elementary Persian II (4)*
PERS 201 Intermediate Persian I (3)
3. History Requirement (3 units)
Choose at least one of the following:
HIST 185 Middle East from 600CE to the Present (3)*
HIST 424 Medieval Middle East (3)
HIST 425 Early Modern Middle East (3)
HIST 426 A History of Modern Middle East, 1798-1979 (3)
HIST 427/JS 427 Israel’s History and Peoples (3)
4. Society and Politics Requirement (3 units)
Choose at least one of the following:
GWS 420 Women and Gender in Islamic Societies (3)
POLS 420D International Relations of the Middle East (3)
POLS 438 Governments and Politics of the Middle East (3)
SOC 332 People, Society, and Culture in the Middle East (3)
5. Religion Requirement (3 units)
Choose at least one of the following:
RS 346 Sufism (3)
RS 363 Islam in the Modern World (3)
RS 365 Islam (3)*
RS 384 Approaching the Qur’an (3)
6. Culture Requirement (3 units)
Choose at least one of the following:
ANTH 338 Anthropology of Africa (3)
ANTH 356 Anthropology of the Mediterranean (3)
ARMN 310 Armenian Culture (3)*
ART 416 History of Ancient Near Eastern Art (3)
GWS 315 Gender, Sexuality and Islam in the U.S. (3)
*Courses that are also GE.
Total Units in the Minor: 18-19
Contact
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program
Director: Khanum Shaikh
Jerome Richfield (JR) 340L
(818) 677-7299
Program Learning Outcomes
Students receiving a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies will be able to:
- Demonstrate an ability to speak, comprehend and write one of the major Middle Eastern languages at novice/intermediate level.
- 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.
- Explain the current cultural, political and religious challenges facing Middle Eastern peoples.
- Describe and analyze significant Islamic religious beliefs, ethics, practices, philosophies and cultural expressions.
- Describe the principal social and cultural contours of Islamic communities, families and gender relations, and explain the complex and multifaceted forms of identities.
- Have knowledge of minorities (ethnic, cultural, religious) within the larger Middle Eastern societies, as well as the dynamics of the relationships among diverse groups.