The Minor in Middle East Studies

Carleton offers an interdisciplinary minor in Middle East Studies designed for students who want to develop a broad, integrated understanding of the Middle East through courses drawn from multiple departments and disciplines.

The minor provides a framework for interdisciplinary study of the Middle East, bringing together different modes of analysis—historical, political, religious, literary, cultural, and artistic. Rather than approaching the region from a single disciplinary perspective, students learn to think comparatively and to understand how multiple analytical frameworks inform one another.

Why Minor in Middle East Studies?

The Middle East Studies minor complements majors in Religion, Political Science, History, Music, and related fields by allowing students to situate their disciplinary coursework within a wider regional and comparative context. It is also well suited for students in other majors who seek a deeper global or cross-cultural perspective.

The minor pairs especially well with the Arabic minor and the Hebrew language sequence, enabling students to connect language study with broader historical, cultural, political, and literary perspectives on the Middle East.

Structure of the Minor

The Middle East Studies minor requires a total of 45 credits, distributed across three components: foundational coursework, supporting courses drawn from two broad areas, and a senior capstone seminar. The structure of the minor ensures both coherence and interdisciplinary breadth, while allowing flexibility in course selection.

1. Foundations Courses (12 credits)

Students complete 12 credits of foundational coursework drawn from the list below. These courses introduce core historical, cultural, political, religious, and literary frameworks for studying the Middle East.

Once the foundations requirement has been fulfilled, additional courses from this list may count as electives.

Foundations Courses:

  • ARBC/MEST 148 – The Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
  • ARBC/MEST 185 – The Creation of Classical Arabic Literature
  • ARTH 155 – Islamic Art and Architecture (not offered 2025–26)
  • CCST 220 – East/West in Israeli, Palestinian Fiction & Film (not offered 2025–26)
  • HIST 165 – A Cultural History of the Modern Middle East
  • MEST 110 – Introduction to the Middle East
  • POSC 242 – Middle East Politics (not offered 2025–26)
  • RELG 120 – Judaism: Text, History, Practice
  • RELG 122 – Introduction to Islam
  • RELG 162 – Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings
  • Other approved 100-level courses (with permission of the Middle East Studies director)

2. Supporting Courses (30 credits)

Students complete 30 credits of supporting coursework, drawn from two broad groups, with a minimum of 12 credits in each group. This structure ensures interdisciplinary balance while allowing students to develop particular interests.

Up to 12 credits from approved OCS programs may count toward the supporting courses requirement with permission of the Middle East Studies director. OCS courses must have a content focus; language instruction alone does not count.

Group 1: History, Social Sciences, and Religion

(Minimum 12 credits)

  • ARBC/MEST 148 – The Israeli–Palestinian Conflict
  • ARCN 395 – Archaeology: Science, Ethics, Nationalism, and Cultural Property (not offered 2025–26)
  • HIST 131 – Saints and Society in Late Antiquity (not offered 2025–26)
  • HIST 165 – A Cultural History of the Modern Middle East
  • HIST 233 – The Byzantine World and Its Neighbors, 750–ca. 1453 (not offered 2025–26)
  • HIST 234 – Constantinople, 1453: History, Experience, Narrative
  • HIST 260 – The Making of the Modern Middle East
  • HIST 265 – Russophone Studies in Central Asia: Central Asia in the Modern Age (not offered 2025–26)
  • HIST 267 / HIST 360 – Muslims and Modernity (not offered 2025–26)
  • POSC 235 – The Endless War on Terror (not offered 2025–26)
  • POSC 242 – Middle East Politics (not offered 2025–26)
  • POSC 280 – Feminist Security Studies (not offered 2025–26)
  • POSC 282 – Terrorism and Counterterrorism (not offered 2025–26)
  • POSC 324 – Rebels and Risk Takers: Women and War in the Middle East
  • RELG 122 – Introduction to Islam
  • RELG 162 – Jesus, the Bible, and Christian Beginnings
  • RELG 221 – Judaism, Gender, and Other Intersections (not offered 2025–26)
  • RELG 235 – Religion and Identity in the Medieval Middle East (not offered 2025–26)
  • RELG 265 – Religion and Violence (not offered 2025–26)
  • RELG 266 – Modern Islamic Thought
  • RELG 322 – Apocalypse How?
  • SOAN 201 – Colonialism, Oil, and the War on Terror: The Global Middle East (not offered 2025–26)

Group 2: Literature, Culture, and the Arts

(Minimum 12 credits)

  • ARBC/MEST 135 – Imagining Arab Worlds
  • ARBC/MEST 185 – The Creation of Classical Arabic Literature
  • ARBC 206 – Arabic in Cultural Context
  • ARBC 222 – Music in the Middle East (not offered 2025–26)
  • ARBC 223 – Arab Music Workshop (not offered 2025–26)
  • ARBC 310 – Advanced Media Arabic (not offered 2025–26)
  • ARBC 315 – Readings in Premodern Arabic Anthologies (not offered 2025–26)
  • ARBC 387 – The One Thousand and One Nights
  • ARTH 155 – Islamic Art and Architecture (not offered 2025–26)
  • CAMS 236 – Israeli Society in Israeli Cinema (not offered 2025–26)
  • CCST 100.02 – Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Israeli and Palestinian Identity
  • CCST 220 – East/West in Israeli, Palestinian Fiction & Film (not offered 2025–26)
  • CCST 230 – Worlds of Jewish Memory
  • FREN 240 – Imagining North Africa: Arabs, Berbers, and Beurs
  • FREN 350 – Middle East and French Connection (not offered 2025–26)
  • FREN 360 – The Algerian War of Liberation and Its Representations (not offered 2025–26)
  • RELG 372 – Sensory Cultures of Religion

3. Senior Capstone Seminar (3 credits)

All students completing the minor take the senior capstone seminar:

  • MEST 395 – Middle East Studies Capstone

The capstone provides an opportunity to synthesize coursework from across the minor and to engage in advanced interdisciplinary discussion and research.

Additional Notes and Advising

  • The Middle East Studies minor does not have a language requirement. Students considering graduate study or careers related to the Middle East are nevertheless strongly encouraged to pursue one of the Middle Eastern languages offered at Carleton, Arabic or Hebrew.
  • No more than 24 credits may be taken from any one department, ensuring the interdisciplinary character of the minor.

Students are encouraged to consult with the Middle East Studies director when planning their coursework, particularly if they wish to integrate study abroad, language study, or a focused thematic pathway.