Queens College, Department of Classical, Middle Eastern, and Asian Languages and Cultures

Requirements for the Major in Middle Eastern Studies

• Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher in courses used towards the major.
• Students must earn a total of 42 credit hours or more to complete the major.
• The CUNYFirst code for the major is MIDES-BA

I.  Foreign Language Requirements (12 Credits)

Both A and B must be satisfied:

            A. Two semesters of college-level Arabic (at an appropriate level)*

            B. Two semesters of Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, or two more semesters of Arabic.

II.  Introductory Courses (6 Credits)

Two courses must be satisfied from A, B, or C:

            A.  MES 160:  Classical Islamic Literature and Civilization

            B.  MES 255W:  Modern Arabic Literature in Translation

            C.  One course in History from the following:

• HIST 146:  History of the Middle East, 18^th century
• HIST 147:  The Modern Middle East, 1789-1923
• HIST 148:  Islamic Civilization, 600-1517
• HIST 149:  Islamic Civilization, 1517-Present

III.  Core Courses (12 Credits)

Four courses must be satisfied from the following:

• HIST 204:  The Ancient Near East and Egypt
• HIST 256:  History Of Modern Israel
• HIST 298:  Women, Gender, and Sexuality in Islam
• MES 155:  Sephardic Literature in Translation
• MES 240:  Images of the Middle East (may be taken more than once for credit when topic changes)
• MES 250:  Literatures from the Islamic World
• MES 300: Topics in Islamic Studies
• PSCI 240:  Contemporary Middle East

IV.  Electives (9 Credits)

Three additional courses chosen in consultation with the MES advisor within the department’s offerings of Arabic, Hebrew, or Middle East Studies courses and/or any college-wide course relevant to the Middle East (with permission of the MES advisor).

• Elective courses may include any courses from the “Foreign Language,” “Introductory.” or “Core” courses that have not already been counted towards requirements for the major.
• Elective courses may also include any of the following courses:

• ANTH 204:  The Anthropology of Islam
• ANTH 212:  Peoples of the Middle East
• CMLIT 208:  Literature and Society in North Africa and the Middle East (with Prof. Khalil)
• CMLIT 245:  Cinema of North Africa and the Middle East (with Prof. Khalil)
• HEBRW 150:  Modern Hebrew Literature in Translation
• HEBRW 350W:  Biblical Narrative and Poetry in Translation
• HIST 255VT:  Transformational Moments in the Arab/Israeli Context
• HIST 295:  Sephardic Jewish History
• MES 170:  Islam
• MES 190:  Topics in Middle Eastern Culture and Literature (may be taken more than once for credit when topic changes)
• MES 270:  Religion, Society, and Empire in the Middle East

V.  Senior Seminar (3 credits)

Either A or B must be satisfied.

1. MES 380:  Research Seminar in Middle East studies
2. One 300-level seminar on a Middle East topic in any department (with permission from the MES advisor)

*If you have studied Arabic or Hebrew prior to enrolling at Queens College, please see the Arabic or Hebrew advisor for placement at the appropriate level. If your Arabic level is advanced, you may request to take independent studies or alternative classes for one of the four required language courses. Please see the MES program coordinator and advisor to discuss this.