Middle Eastern Studies: MES

Lower-Division Courses

MES X01C. Gateway to the Middle East.

MES X01J. The Ancient Middle East.

Survey the history of the Middle East from the beginning of the Neolithic period (9000 BCE) through the invasion of the region by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE and into the pre-Islamic era.

MES X01K. Introduction to the Middle East: Religious, Cultural, and Historical Foundations.

A survey of the history and civilization of the Middle East from the sixth to the fourteenth century.

MES X01L. Introduction to the Middle East: Adjustment and Change in Modern Times.

The responses of the societies of the Middle East and North Africa (Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, and the Arab world) to Western cultural and political challenges, primarily since about 1800.

MES X04M. Ancient Cities.

Introduction to the urban centers of the ancient Mediterranean world.

MES X10. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

Studies of areas and issues in the Middle East and North Africa.

MES X10.4. Social Transformation of Love and Relationships.

Examination of the social, psychological, and spiritual perspectives toward the ideas of love and intimacy; how love and intimacy interact with rapid social, economic, and cultural change; and how the subsequent change transformed the social world and the meaning of love. Subjects include the aspects of self and identity; differentiation in the context of love in the modern age; the family and the individual; the impact of industrialization on private lives and the public order; gender, communication, love; intercultural love and intimacy; and personal choice and arranged marriages.

MES X10.5. Introduction to Music in World Cultures.

Exploration of practices, beliefs, and issues through the study of various musical genres in the regions of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.

MES X10.6. Jewish Civilization: Beginnings to 1492.

Introduction to the history, culture, and religion of the Jewish people from around 1000 BC to the end of the medieval period. Subjects may include ancient Israel, late Second Temple sectarianism, the rise of Christianity, rabbinic Judaism, medieval Jewish philosophy, Jewish mysticism, and Hebrew poetry.

MES X10.8. Introduction to Jewish Studies.

MES X10C. Introduction to the Old Testament.

Introduction to the many interpretations of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) and its meaning in the context of its historical and cultural setting in the ancient Near East.

MES X10D. Introduction to Islam.

The beliefs, theology, history, and main social and legal institutions of Islam, including the concept of God and society, the role of women, and Islamic government and movements.

MES X10N. Introduction to Modern North Africa.

Introduction to the major themes of North African history from the sixteenth century to the present.

MES X10P. Revolution and Decolonization in North Africa.

Examine the history of anti-colonial struggles in North Africa and the victory over European colonial powers.

MES X10R. Introduction to Middle East Religions.

Introduction to the religious landscape of the Middle East including the various expressions of Eastern Christianity, Islam, and Judaism as well as Zoroastrianism.

MES X11. The History of Israel.

An introduction to the history of Israel, from the emergence of the modern Zionist movement beginning in 1881 to the present.

MES X11C. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: An Introduction.

Examines the intertwined historical developments of the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and explores the principal beliefs and practices of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

MES X19S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded to work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

MES X29S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

Upper-Division Courses

MES X19S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded to work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

MES X23C. Engaging the Middle East.

MES X27. Middle Eastern Cultural Exchange.

Provides an opportunity for students to interact with peer groups in Middle Eastern countries in which Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish are spoken. Students engage in a variety of cultural activities and correspond with peer groups via blogs and Internet discussion forums.

MES X28D. Material Cultures of Coexistence.

Dicuss Muslims living in regions where non-Islamic socio-political systems and infrastructures predominate, exploring the material cultures produced in places where Islam did not originate as, or is not, the dominant authority.

MES X29S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

MES X31C. History of the Ottoman Empire.

A survey of Ottoman society and culture and of the empire's place on the world scene.

MES X31O. Twentieth-Century Arab World.

Introduction to 20th-century Arab world history, primarily focusing on the Eastern Mediterranean, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt. Explore the transformation of this region from a single cultural and political entity under imperial Ottoman rule, through colonial rule to the age of the nation-state and its struggles. Discuss key themes including colonial rule and relation to Europe and the US, Arab nationalism, revolutionary modernism, the impact of Zionism and Israel, the Palestinian revolution, the emergence of political Islam, civil wars, and the oil revolution. Examine internal and external forces and pivotal processes that have shaped the region over the past century through political, social, intellectual, and economic factors.

MES X34C. Music Cultures of the Middle East, Past and Present.

A historical and ethnomusicological survey of the Arab, Turkish, and Persian music cultures.

MES X41. Topics in the Middle East: Social Science.

MES X41.10. Cultural Geographies of Israel.

Examines critical spatial theory, landscape phenomenology, histories of Zionist architecture and urban planning as applied to Israel from the Yishuv period to the present.

MES X41.11. Rule of Law in the Middle East.

MES X41.12. Muslim Women in Politics.

MES X41.13. Sex and Sexuality in the Muslim World.

MES X41.18. Contemporary Jerusalem.

Explore what life is like in today's contested, rapidly growing, and increasingly diverse Jerusalem.

MES X41.19. Ottoman State and Society.

Explore the social and economic life, religion, law, government, ideology, arts, and sciences of the Ottomans. Examine the Ottoman political governance and the course of its development through a socio-historical lens.

MES X41.20. The Politics and Art of Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising.

Analyze the politics and art of Iran's 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom Uprising movement. Develop a digital humanities resource on the movement through collaboration.

MES X41.22. Veiling in the Muslim World.

MES X41.3. The Cities of the Middle East.

Anthropological and sociological analysis of space, with a special emphasis on urban theory and culture in the Middle East.

MES X41.5. Arab-Israeli Politics.

In-depth study of domestic, regional, and international factors involved in politics in the Middle East, including simulation of diplomatic interaction in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

MES X41.6. Negotiating Urbanization: Case Studies in Turkey.

Examines local and transnational forces that have driven and continue to drive contemporary urbanization in Turkey. Focuses on key issues that emerge in rapidly growing cities of the developing world, such as growing income inequality and socioeconomic exclusion, environmental challenges, and rising violence.

MES X41.7. Gender Politics in the Islamic World.

Study of the Islamic world and major sociological concepts such as gender, social organizations, culture, and politics. Examines how culture is mediated by politics, resulting in diverse interpretations of Islam and in different policies with respect to women's rights.

MES X41.8. Multicultural Israel.

Examines the complex social fabric that comprises contemporary Israeli society, and that shapes Israeli identity, practice and politics.

MES X41.9. Islam and Politics.

An introduction to Islamic political thought.

MES X42. Topics in the Middle East: Arts and Humanities.

MES X42.1. Introduction to Arabic Literature.

General survey of major themes, genres, and artists in the Arabic literary tradition from the sixth century to the modern era.

MES X42.10. Persian Literature, Past and Present.

MES X42.11. Iranian Women Writers.

MES X42.13. Iranian Literature in Exile.

MES X42.14. Iranian Film and Fiction.

MES X42.16. The Qur'an.

Explore the history, language, style, and themes of the Qur'an.

MES X42.19. Self-Revelation in Women's Writing.

MES X42.2. Loyalty and Rebellion in Arabic Literature.

MES X42.20. Autobiography: A Modern Literary Species.

MES X42.22. Biblical Archaeology.

MES X42.23. The Dead Sea Scrolls.

MES X42.25. Politics of Court Literature.

MES X42.26. Arab Women Poets.

MES X42.27. Islamic Law.

Designed to give students a foundation in the substantive teachings of the shariah, which comprises not only what we normally think of as law, but also ethics and etiquette.

MES X42.28. Gender in North and West Africa.

Examines gender discourses through North African and West African literary works by looking at the role(s) played by Islam and Christianity in the creation of the identities of African men and women. Includes discussion of the question of what gender is, and whether it is socially constructed.

MES X42.3. Memory and Identity in Ancient Arabia.

MES X42.31. Palestine and the Palestinians: A Journey Through Time.

MES X42.32. Women Filmmakers in the Middle East.

MES X42.33. Love in the East and West.

MES X42.35. Islamic Theology.

MES X42.36. Rumi and the Persian Sufi Tradition.

MES X42.37. Biblical Prophecy.

An introduction to the diversity of prophetic literature in the Old Testament, its historical development, social context, and Near Eastern parallels.

MES X42.38. Comparative Jewish Literature: Israel, France, and the United States.

MES X42.4. The Arabian Nights.

MES X42.40. Gender and Art in the Muslim World.

MES X42.42. Archaeology of Greek Prehistory.

Explore the development of complex societies in ancient Greece by studying its prehistory through archaeology.

MES X42.44. Graffiti and Poster Art in the Islamic World.

MES X42.45. Lost Languages and Decipherment.

MES X42.5. Israel Through Its Literature.

MES X42.51. Daily Life in Ancient Egypt.

Delve into all areas of Egyptian daily life from the dawn of the dynasties to the age of Cleopatra.

MES X42.52. Abraham and Abrahamic Religions.

Examines the figure of Abraham as portrayed in the Bible and the reception of that portrayal in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

MES X42.53. Angels, Demons, and Magic in Early Christianity.

Examine angelology, demonology and magic influence on the lives of early Christians and Christianity.

MES X42.54. Hermits, Monks, and Saints in Early Christianity.

Examine individual and communal forms of Christian monasticism from the first through fifth centuries CE. Explore the social, economic and religious factors that may have made a life of self-denial attractive to many early Christians and the role of authority in these movements.

MES X42.55. Ancient Egypt.

Discussion of Egypt's culture, language, and history from the prehistorical period (13,000 BC) to the New Kingdom (1069 BC).

MES X42.56. Israel and Palestine: A Cultural Perspective.

MES X42.57. Divine Persuasion in Biblical Times and Place.

Explore the use of persuasive strategies in an ancient and non-Western culture, that of the Hebrew Bible. Using rhetorical techniques, analyze three types of texts: narratives of interactions between ordinary people and God; interactions between people, God, and authorized prophets; and prayers in prose and poetry.

MES X42.58. Islamic Ethics.

MES X42.59. Classic Lyric Poems.

MES X42.6. Love and the State in Contemporary Israeli Literature.

MES X42.60. The Persian Epic and Popular Culture.

MES X42.61. Forugh Farrokhzad and Her Poetry.

MES X42.62. Iranian and Iranian-American Identity.

MES X42.63. Twentieth-Century Persian Literature.

MES X42.64. Youth and Violence in the Middle East and Eurasia.

MES X42.65. Debating Genesis.

MES X42.66. Law and Justice in the Bible.

Examine the legal traditions of the Torah (Pentateuch) and what they reveal about the practice of law and justice in ancient Israel and the wider biblical world.

MES X42.67. The Book of Job.

MES X42.68. The Five Books of Moses.

Study the socio-historical circumstances that gave shape to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Examine how these five books achieved the status of sacred literature.

MES X42.69. Cultural Translation.

Examine theoretical readings and concrete examples of how translation politics, translation-induced reconstruction of literary systems, censorship, manipulation, and market dynamics affect the production, distribution, and reception of translated products in the realm of arts and entertainment, news media and politics, and various academic disciplines in the Middle East, United States, and beyond.

MES X42.7. Postmodernist Israeli Literature.

Study of the first decades of Israeli literature. Themes include the establishment of a new state in the aftermath of the Holocaust, conflict between Israel and Arab nations, and conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

MES X42.70. Soundtrack of Revolutions.

Examine the significance of music in the social and political uprisings of countries across the Middle East.

MES X42.71. Humor and Hardship in Arabic Literature.

Examine Arabic literary works (ninth through twentieth centuries) that display humor and its unspoken counterpart, hardship. Consult modern theories of humor and premodern Arabic-Islamic ideas of the jocular.

MES X42.72. Major Islamic Texts.

Introduction to key religious, philosophical, and political ideas from part of the Islamicate world through sustained readings of core texts.

MES X42.73. Contemporary Middle Eastern Cinema.

Introduction to some of the most pertinent social and political themes in celebrated films across Arab countries, Turkey, Iran, and Israel and Palestine.

MES X42.74. Global Cult Cinema.

Explore the relationship between movies and fans within a global perspective. Examine case studies from and through the Middle East to understand the resonance of cult media texts around the world.

MES X42.75. Envisioning Muslims: The Middle Ages and Today.

Examine representations of Muslims in the dominant cultural media of the European Middle Ages, and in cultural media of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Explore how Europeans envisioned Muslims, and how Muslims envisioned themselves.

MES X42.76. Childrearing in Israel.

Examine the coalescence of educational theories and national aspirations in the process of shaping child-rearing practices within the Jewish population of Palestine under the Ottoman Empire and the British Mandate and into the first two decades of the State of Israel.

MES X42.77. The Shock of Modernity in the Middle East.

Explore cross cultural contacts between the East and the West during the modern period. Analyze Islamic civilization in the Middle East of the modern era by addressing the development of religion, law, government, and morality during and after the colonial period.

MES X42.78. Modern Egypt in Film and Fiction.

Explore the history and culture of modern Egypt through selected readings in twentieth-century film and fiction.

MES X42.79. Culture in Turkey: Myths and Realities.

Explore how Turkish culture is neither static nor monolithic but is continuously contested and redefined. Investigate tensions between secularism and Islam, Orientalist and Occidentalist fantasies, and imperialist and nationalist desires to better understand the sociopolitical dynamics that define Turkish society today.

MES X42.8. The Sacred and the Secular in Contemporary Jewish Literature.

MES X42.80. Cultures of Revolution in the Middle East.

Examine the cultural production that surrounds key moments of political and social change in the Middle East.

MES X42.81. Gender and Translation in the Arab World.

Examine complex politics and poetics behind the translation and marketing of Arab women's writing in the West.

MES X42.82. Arab Francophonie.

Explore French-language cultural production by authors of Arab origin in France and across France's former colonial and mandate territories. Examine the fraught relationship many of these authors have with French language, literature, and culture, in dialogue with postcolonial theory.

MES X42.83. Media and the Middle East.

Addresses the role of media in the Middle East, considering communication texts, processes and industries in political, social, economic, and cultural contexts.

MES X42.85. Myths and Legends of the Ancient Near East.

Explore myths and legends contained in a variety of ancient sources, including texts from Israel, Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.

MES X42.86. Minorities in the Middle East.

Explore the diversity of ethnic and religious minorities found in the Middle East through their history, languages, beliefs, and cultures.

MES X42.88. Multiculturalism in Jordan.

Explore how past, present, local, and regional events inform current Jordanian culture and identity.

MES X42.89. Introduction to the Music of the Middle East.

MES X42.9. Mizrahi Writing in Israel.

MES X42C. Art and Architecture of Late Antiquity.

Examination of early Christian and late Roman art and architecture, including related traditions, such as Jewish, Coptic, Armenian, Georgian, Persian,and Syriac.

MES X42M. Ancient Mediterranean Religion and Astrology.

Explore the role of astrology in ancient Mediterranean religious life.

MES X42S. Sufism: Islamic Thought and Spirituality.

Explore Sufism and other Islamic mystical traditions that color cultural milieus spanning four continents and fourteen centuries. Focus on the historical developments in the Islamic theosophical tradition, as well as the relationship between Sufism and poetics, colonialism, and post-colonial resistance movements.

MES X43. Topics in the Middle East: History.

MES X43.1. Modern Egypt: A History.

Critically examines the social, political, and intellectual dynamics that shaped the different forms of political community, economic organization, and public culture over the past century. Covers colonialism, liberalism, Arab socialism, authoritarian capitalism, and Islamic republicanism.

MES X43.10. Origins of Monotheism.

MES X43.11. Medieval Middle East History in One Hundred Objects.

Survey the history of the medieval Middle East, from the period of Late Antiquity (in the seventh century) to the rise of early modern empires of the Safavids, Ottomans, and Mughals (in the seventeenth century), through close examination of the meaning and significance of 100 objects.

MES X43.12. Modern Middle East History in One Hundred Objects.

Survey the history of the medieval Middle East, from 1500 to the present, through close examination of the meaning and significance of 100 objects.

MES X43.13. Arabs and Vikings: Art and Culture.

Explore the art and culture of the global Middle Ages through close examination of recent films, popular and academic publications, and works of art and architecture that reveal the interconnection between the European and the Islamic worlds.

MES X43.15. Africa and Rome.

Explore the history of Roman Africa with emphasis on what is now Tunisia and northern Algeria.

MES X43.16. Jews: Nation or People.

MES X43.17. Restitution and Restorative Justice after the Holocaust.

Examine attempts to find a measure of justice after the Holocaust. Explore themes of human rights and international law.

MES X43.2. Re-forming the Arab East, 1914-Present.

Introduction to the history of the Middle East in the twentieth century. Examines forces that transformed the area from a relatively peaceful region to a radicalized environment. Explores colonialism, nationalism, secular modernism, impact of Zionism, rise of political Islam, status of women, and the oil revolution.

MES X43.20. Islam in the Early Modern World: Religion and Culture.

Examine a history of the religious and cultural development across the Islamic world between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries, stemming from the rise of the Mongols and the end of the caliphate. Explore the early modern Muslim empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and the Mughals.

MES X43.21. Transnational Asia: From the Middle East to the Far East.

Examine how various groups of people understood, experienced, and imagined concepts such as "the East" and "Asia" with a primary focus on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

MES X43.22. French Empire: The West and Islam.

The development of regions within the Mediterranean, variously called the West and East or Europe and Islam, with an emphasis on the role of modern France and France's Mediterranean empire.

MES X43.23. Muslim Travelers and Traders.

Introduction to modern Middle Eastern and Islamic history in the broader context of globalization, with a primary focus on the nineteenth century to the present.

MES X43.24. Arab Citizens of Israel.

Examine the historical, social, and political processes of change experienced by the Palestinian-Arab community in Israel, including the fundamental aspects pertaining to the founding of Israel as "a Jewish and democratic state" and the relations between the Arab minority and the Jewish majority.

MES X43.25. The Arab-Israeli Conflict.

Examine the elements of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including the main figures involved, events, and turning-points in its history.

MES X43.26. The Levant: From Colonialism to Coexistence.

Examine the history of the Levant, a region that includes Syria, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan.

MES X43.27. Middle East Outlaws and Lawmen.

Explore the evolution of crime and law enforcement in the modern Middle East.

MES X43.28. Food History of Asia and the Middle East.

Explore the history of food and beverages in the Middle East and Asia, including Palestine/Israel, Egypt, Iran, India, China, and Japan. Investigate themes of identity, capitalism, and globalization to reflect on the role of food consumers in an interconnected world.

MES X43.29. History of Sephardi Jews.

Examine the early-modern networks established by the Sephardi Jews (Sephardim) across the Mediterranean and Atlantic, the rich Ladino Judeo-Spanish culture that thrived in the Ottoman Empire, and Sephardi encounters with the modern world.

MES X43.3. History of Iran to 1800.

A survey of the social, economic, and religious components unique to Iran from the pre-Islamic empire of the Achaemenids through the development of Iran as a medieval and premodern Islamic state.

MES X43.30. Archaeology of Jesus's World.

Explore archaeological methods in examining texts and artifacts from first century CE.

MES X43.31. Religions in the Ottoman Empire.

Examine Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in the Ottoman Empire (fourteenth to twentieth centuries), with a focus on dynamics both within and between the communities.

MES X43.4. Islamic Spain and North Africa to 1492.

An introduction to the impact of Islam on Spain and North Africa, with emphasis on social, economic, and cultural development.

MES X43.6. Modern Iran.

Explore the development of modern Iran; special attention is given to the impact of the West, the constitutional movement, nationalism, the oil crisis, and the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

MES X43.7. History of the Pilgrimage to Mecca, Hajj.

Survey of the Hajj, Islam's major pilgrimage to Mecca and the nearby Holy Places. It will examine the Islamic pilgrimage from its beginnings in the seventh century C.E. through today.

MES X43.8. Prophet of Islam: His Life and Times.

A detailed study of the prophet Muhammad's life and message, and of the means by which his life was recorded and popularized.

MES X51. Mediterranean Crossroads Seminar.

Reading and discussion about the lands, cultures, and societies of the eastern Mediterranean from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Students prepare to study in the Middle East (in Middle Eastern Studies 352) and begin work on their individual research projects.

MES X52. Mediterranean Crossroads Study Abroad Seminar.

Students study and conduct research in the Middle East.

MES X53. Mediterranean Crossroads Conference Course.

Under supervision of a faculty member, students complete their research projects following participation in Middle Eastern Studies 352.

MES X60. Conference Course.

Supervised individual research, discussion, and writing of papers about various general and specialized Middle Eastern subjects.

MES X70. Practicum: Internships in Applied Middle Eastern Studies.

Research and staff experience working in an appropriate agency or business.

MES X79H. Honors Tutorial Course.

Supervised individual reading for one semester, followed by research and writing to produce a substantial paper on a special topic in middle eastern studies, to be completed during the second semester.

Graduate Courses

MES X19S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded to work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

MES X29S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

MES X80. International Business Fellows Seminar.

Multidisciplinary seminar for students in area studies, business administration, law, and public policy. The faculty includes both academics and business leaders.

MES X81. Topics in Seminar in Middle Eastern Civilizations and Cultures.

Advanced studies of various aspects of the civilizations and cultures of the Middle East and North Africa.

MES X81.11. Regional Geography of the Middle East and North Africa.

Topics include developmental activity and spatial change in the Middle East, comparative regional studies.

MES X81.22. Politics of the Middle East and North Africa.

Readings and research on the political systems of the Arab world, Israel, Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. Precise topics vary.

MES X81.26. Turkic Cultures and Languages in Central Asia.

MES X81.29. Environment and Development in the Middle East.

MES X81.30. Language and Politics in Language Planning.

MES X81.33. Translation: Theory, History, and Practice.

MES X81.37. Intellectual History of Indo-Iranian Islam.

MES X81.38. Music Cultures of the Middle East: Past and Present.

MES X81.39. Translating Arabic Texts.

MES X81.41. Gender, Clothing, and Identity in Muslim Society.

MES X83. Internships in Applied Middle Eastern Studies.

Students conduct research and participate in other work in an appropriate agency or business.

MES X84. Topics in the Middle East: Social Science.

Advanced studies of various aspects of social sciences in the Middle East.

MES X84.10. The Military in Politics.

MES X84.11. Nationalism and Gender.

MES X84.12. Comparative Middle Eastern Law.

Exploration of legal structures of the modern Middle East from a comparative approach.

MES X84.3. Law and Religion in the Modern Middle East.

Examine the laws that govern religion and religious expression in Middle Eastern national constitutions, with a special focus on both the free exercise and establishment clause of Islam as the religion of the state.

MES X84.6. Cities and Citizenship.

MES X84.7. Culture, History, and Power.

MES X84.8. Gender and Development.

MES X85. Topics in the Middle East: History.

Advanced studies of various aspects of history in the Middle East.

MES X85.1. Middle East Police and Criminals.

Examine scholarship on crime and criminals, as well as police and law enforcement across the Middle East. Discover how crime and law enforcement have evolved over the past two centuries in the Modern Middle East.

MES X85.10. Modern Arab Renaissance: An Inquiry.

MES X85.11. State and Society in the Middle East.

MES X85.12. European Imperialism: British Empire.

Study of the British empire in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

MES X85.13. The Ideas of the East.

Examine the significance of the transnational movement of people, ideas, and goods in the process of constructing geocultural categories such as the West, the East, and Asia; and their subcategories such as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Asia.

MES X85.14. Global Iran.

Examine modern Iranian history from the nineteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on a body of scholarship that critiques methodological nationalism.

MES X85.2. Nationalisms in the Middle East.

Examine theories, methods and debates associated with nationalism in the Modern Middle East, including the histories of national and translational manifestations of nationalism, as well as the nationalisms of minorities in the region, and thematic topics such as race and ethnicity, gender, historiography, and religion.

MES X85.3. Islamic Historiography.

MES X85.4. Islamic Revolution of Iran.

MES X85.5. Modern Iranian History and Historiography.

MES X85.6. Shi'ite Religious and Political Ideologues.

MES X85.7. Women in Islamic Societies.

MES X85.9. Method and Theory in Middle Eastern Studies.

MES X86. Topics in the Middle East: Arts and Humanities.

Advanced studies of various aspects of the arts and humanities in the Middle East.

MES X86.1. The Arabic Humanities.

Explore the traditions formed in pre-modern Islamic humanities.

MES X86.11. Islamic Ornament.

MES X86.12. Islamic Studies: Disciplinary Introduction.

MES X86.14. Mizrahi Writing in Israel.

MES X86.15. Post-Zionist Perspectives in Israeli Literature.

MES X86.16. Readings in Contemporary Persian Political Writings.

MES X86.18. Seminar in Music, Gender, and Sexuality.

MES X86.19. Women in Scripture.

MES X86.2. Iranian Film and Fiction.

MES X86.21. Middle Eastern Modernities.

Explore how Arabic literature and thought changed over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through extended studies of poetry and prose written in Arabic. Examine the relationship of modernity to modernist literature in order to define what modernism means in an Arab/ic context.

MES X86.22. Reading the Maghreb.

Examine Maghrebi literature and film of both French and Arabic expression, along with works of psychoanalytic and postcolonial theory.

MES X86.23. Late Ottoman State and Society.

Study of state and society in the late Ottoman Empire (c. 1700-1922), focusing on social and economic life, religion, law, government, ideology, arts, and sciences.

MES X86.24. Islamic Feminism.

Exploration of the idea, history, figures, and writings of Islamic feminism, covering the 20th and 21st century.

MES X86.25. Gender, Clothing, and Identity in Muslim Societies.

MES X86.26. The New Middle East: A Critical Approach.

Examine new analytical approaches to understanding the Middle East, including its social and political dynamics, utilizing an interdisciplinary approach.

MES X86.27. Gender, Islam and Representation in the Modern Middle East.

Examine representations of women across majority Muslim countries and explore how women producers and consumers navigate within the framework of regulations set by religious and governmental bodies.

MES X86.28. The Qur'an and Its Interpretations.

MES X86.3. Reading Arabic Literature.

Examine the canons of Arabic literature through readings in translation.

MES X86.30. Space and Place in Literature.

Examine how the representation of space and place in literature contributes to understanding the global, social, and cultural dynamics since the nineteenth century. Explore the poetics of space as expressed in literature from the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.

MES X86.5. Theory and Practice in Literary Translation.

MES X86.6. Modern Arabic Poetry.

Explore Arabic poetic production.

MES X86.7. Arab Women Poets.

MES X86.9. Classical Arabic Ahkbar.

MES X89. Conference Course.

Supervised individual study of selected problems in Middle Eastern Studies.

MES X90M. Applied Methods and Practice in Middle Eastern Studies.

MES X94. Professional Development in Middle Eastern Studies.

MES X97. Proseminar.

Introduces the incoming Master of Arts student cohort to the Center of Middle Eastern Studies' faculty and their research.

MES X98. Thesis.

MES X98R. Master's Report.

Preparation of a report to fulfill the requirement for the master's degree under the report option.

MES X98T. Supervised Teaching in Middle Eastern Studies.

Teaching under the close supervision of a faculty member; weekly group meetings with the instructor, individual consultation, and reports throughout the teaching period.

Professional Courses

MES X19S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded to work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.

MES X29S. Topics in Middle Eastern Studies.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program.