Minor in Middle Eastern Studies
Minor requirements
Required semester hours: 20 sh
Course requirements
Required core courses
MES 2720; BTS 2700 or MES 2710; HIST 3320; POGO 3370
Elective
Choose one from the following: ARAB 1010 or ARAB 1020; CTS 3400; HIST 3310; POGO 2200, POGO 2300, or POGO 3390
Notes and restrictions
- Students must complete a form listing the courses they have taken to complete the minor, to be obtained from the department and on the department website.
- Students must turn in a simple portfolio to the chair of the department containing the following:
- A statement of their specific goals upon entering the program
- A self-assessment of the achievement of those goals- including what educational experiences most enhanced their learning, curricular and extracurricular.
- Two samples of student work from each course: completed projects, essays, or exams.
MES 2710 Children of Abraham: the Three Major Monotheistic Religions of the Middle East (4 sh)
The course will examine in depth the origins of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in their respective Middle Eastern contexts. Various sects and denominations within each religion will be studied, noting theological and political differences. Special attention will be given to contemporary political dynamics and manifestations of each religion in the Middle East and North America. Students will have first-hand encounters with local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders and observe how their respective faith communities are adapting to western secular culture. Theological Emphasis. Prerequisite: BTS 1850.
MES 2720 Palestine and Palestinian Christianity from Pentecost to 2000. (4 sh)
The course will be a multi-disciplinary survey of Palestinian Christianity from the time of Jesus until the year 2000. Each major period will be studied in terms of the political, historical, theological, and interreligious context of Palestine. Emphasis will be placed on the origins and diversity of early Palestinian Christianity, the initial tension with Judaism, Roman occupation, Byzantine Christianity, Islam, the Crusades, Palestine under the Ottoman Empire, the rose of Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the British Mandate, and the decline of Christianity in contemporary Israel and the Palestinian territories. Students will also be required to complete 12 hours of service learning in a religious or human rights institution related to the issues studies in class.
MES 3910 Topics in Middle Eastern Studies (2-4 sh)
An intensive examination of a selected theme.