Minor in Middle Eastern Studies
 


Blue Mosque, Sultanahmet

 


 

Middle Eastern Studies at MIT offers students the opportunity to explore the connections among culture, society, politics, economics, technology, and environment in the Middle East, including North Africa. MIT offers a number of subjects open to undergraduates which provide a variety of perspectives on the ancient, Islamic, and modern Middle East. The goal of the HASS Minor Program in Middle Eastern Studies is to lead the student from the basic language into survey subjects and then into more focused studies of individual countries or specific historical periods and to encourage analysis of the main methodological and conceptual issues in Middle Eastern Studies.

The Minor Program in Middle Eastern Studies consists of six subjects (at least three of which must be MIT subjects) arranged into four areas of study.

Area I: Language

Area II: Humanities and the Arts

Area III: Social Sciences

Area IV: Historical Studies

As with all HASS Minors, only five of the six minor subjects may be counted toward the eight-subject Institute HASS Requirement. Of these five, at most one shall count toward satisfaction of the HASS Distribution Requirement. Of the six subjects required for the minor, at least four must count only toward that minor (and not toward any other degrees, major or minor).

 

Click here for the latest listing of eligible subjects.

 

This list is not exhaustive. Relevant subjects that are no longer offered and subjects with variable topics (such as “special subjects” or “selected topics” courses, for example) may also be counted at the discretion of the minor advisor.

A substantial number of courses dealing with Middle Eastern Studies are available to our students at Wellesley College and Harvard University. Students may take relevant courses at these institutions provided they receive permission in advance from the HASS Middle Eastern Studies Minor Advisor.

 

Additional information can be obtained from the History Office, E51-255, x3-4965, or by emailing shass-ug@mit.edu.