Undergraduate Program

PLEASE NOTE: the course requirements for the MEIS Major and Minor have changed. The new requirements will effect students who declare their Major or Minor after September 2012.

The Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MEIS) focuses on the past and present of a vast and culturally diverse region of the world that extends from North Africa to Central Asia and from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. It adopts interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to Middle Eastern societies from antiquity to the present day with particular focus on the period after the emergence of Islam. An MEIS major offers students the opportunity to master one of the regional languages, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hindi/Urdu, and ancient Egyptian. Students will also acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of this pivotal area of the world by studying with the Department's specialists in history, anthropology, political science, literature, law, religious studies and language.

In addition to courses offered by MEIS, students are encouraged to select cross-listed courses in other departments and programs, such as anthropology, fine arts, Hebrew and Judaic studies, history, politics, comparative literature, religious studies, and sociology that complement the department's offerings.