B.A. in Middle East Studies
Gaby Semaan, Advisor
Middle East Studies offers a bachelor of arts degree or a minor. Its offerings are designed to provide students an appropriate exposure to the history, religions, cultures, and socioeconomic systems of the Middle East, and in turn, that region’s relations with the rest of the world, as well as to create balanced perceptions of the various factors and phenomena in the Middle East in historical and contemporary contexts.
The Middle East Studies program requires a total of 31 semester hours in the major including 16 hours of required courses and 15 of electives chosen in consultation with MES adviser.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required courses 16 hours: | ||
| MES 2400 | Introduction to the Contemporary Cultures of the Middle East through Movies and Arts | 3 |
| MES 3200 | The Contemporary Middle East a Historical and Modern In-Depth Overview | 3 |
| MES 3800 | The Governments and Legal Systems of the Contemporary Middle East | 3 |
| MES 4200 | Current Issues in the Middle East | 3 |
| FLAN 3440 | Intercultural Communication: Principles And Practice | 4 |
| Electives: Chosen with Advisor Approval 15 hours | 15 | |
| Elementary Arabic I | ||
| Elementary Arabic II | ||
| Intermediate Arabic I | ||
| Intermediate Arabic II | ||
| Conversation and Composition I | ||
| Culture And Commerce In The French-Speaking World | ||
| French & Francophone Culture In The Modern World | ||
| Elementary French I | ||
| Elementary French II | ||
| Review Of Elementary French | ||
| Intermediate French I | ||
| Intermediate French II | ||
| Political Geography | ||
| German Culture And Commerce | ||
| Introduction To Modern German Culture | ||
| Elementary German I | ||
| Elementary German II | ||
| Intermediate German I | ||
| Intermediate German II | ||
| Spanish for Health Care Professionals | ||
| Culture & Commerce In The Spanish-Speaking World | ||
| Culture Of Latin America | ||
| Culture Of Spain | ||
| Elementary Spanish I | ||
| Elementary Spanish II | ||
| Intermediate Spanish I | ||
| Intermediate Spanish II | ||
| History Of The Middle East Since 1500 | ||
| Eastern Thought | ||
| Philosophy Of Religion | ||
| Old Testament/Tanakh | ||
| Introduction To Islam | ||
| The Qur'an And Hadith | ||
| Special Topics In Religious Studies | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
- 1
Students should take HIST 1120 toward the college’s distributive Humanities requirement.
| First Term | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 1110 | College Composition I | 3 |
| AR 1000 | First Year Orientation | 1 |
| MATH 1180 | Reasoning With Mathematics | 3 |
| Elementary Language I | 4 | |
| HIST 1120 | Middle East Civilization | 3 |
| UT Core Social Science | 3 | |
| Hours | 17 | |
| Second Term | ||
| ENGL 1130 | College Composition II: Academic Disciplines And Discourse | 3 |
| Elementary Language II | 4 | |
| ARBC 1090 | Culture of the Arabic-Speaking World | 3 |
| Natural Sciences Core | 3 | |
| Social Sciences Core | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Term | ||
| Intermediate Language I | 3 | |
| ENGL 2710-ENGL 2800 | UT Core Humanities - Literature | 3 |
| MES 2400 | Introduction to the Contemporary Cultures of the Middle East through Movies and Arts | 3 |
| UT Core Natural Science | 3 | |
| UT Core Natural Science Lab | 1 | |
| ARBC 1080 | Culture and Commerce in the Arabic-Speaking World | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Term | ||
| Intermediate Language II | 3 | |
| GEPL 4810 | Political Geography | 3 |
| MES 3200 | The Contemporary Middle East a Historical and Modern In-Depth Overview | 3 |
| Related or minor courses | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fifth Term | ||
| FLAN 3440 | Intercultural Communication: Principles And Practice | 4 |
| WGST 2010 | Introduction To Gender Studies: Gender, Sex And Difference | 3 |
| MES 3800 | The Governments and Legal Systems of the Contemporary Middle East | 3 |
| Related or minor courses | 3 | |
| Major elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Sixth Term | ||
| MES 4200 | Current Issues in the Middle East (US Multicultural Diversity) | 3 |
| Related or minor courses | 6 | |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Seventh Term | ||
| ARBC 4850 | Media in the Arab World | 3 |
| Related or minor course | 3 | |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Eighth Term | ||
| FLAN 4980 | Special Topics in Foreign Languages | 3 |
| Electives | 12 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Students learning outcomes:
1- List, distinguish and discuss what countries made up the traditional geography of the Middle East and the Greater Middle East.
2- List and discuss the major religions of the Middle East.
3- Explain the differences and similarities between the political systems of the Middle East.
4- Describe how political, economic, social and cultural structures work within the region.
5- Discuss some of the challenges facing Middle East as a region and as individual countries.
6- Compare and contrast the cultures within the region.
7. Language proficiency at entry or more advanced level in one of the languages of the region.
8- Research, write, present and explain about the relationships within the countries of the region and the international community.
1- List, distinguish and discuss what countries made up the traditional geography of the Middle East and the Greater Middle East.
2- List and discuss the major religions of the Middle East.
3- Explain the differences and similarities between the political systems of the Middle East.
4- Describe how political, economic, social and cultural structures work within the region.
5- Discuss some of the challenges facing Middle East as a region and as individual countries.
6- Compare and contrast the cultures within the region.
7. Language proficiency at entry or more advanced level in one of the languages of the region.
8- Research, write, present and explain about the relationships within the countries of the region and the international community.