Minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Dr. Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo

Coordinator: Lucia Volk
Humanities Building, Room 576
Phone: (415) 405-2468
Email: lvolk@sfsu.edu

Program Scope

The Minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies is a multidisciplinary minor designed to provide undergraduate students with a broad understanding of the history, politics, and culture of the Middle East and Islamic world. Students are required to fulfill both core and elective requirements designed to give a background of the complexity and diversity of the region as well as offer more specific, in-depth studies of select issues of the region. This program covers regions and peoples from or in the Middle East from the founding of Islam in the seventh century to the present. In concert with the “Islamic Studies” aspect of this program, this minor also extends beyond the Middle East to those cultures, societies, and areas that are associated with the historical and current spread of Islam. Students can select from a variety of courses across multiple disciplines, including history, religion, politics, culture, art, music, language, and literature.

The minor is useful to students planning careers in politics and government, business, education, international organizations, journalism, and art, as well as for those who simply desire a better understanding of the Middle East and Islam. The multidisciplinary nature of the program also prepares students for further study in a number of academic fields at the graduate level.

The Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor consists of a core curriculum of three courses that deal with the region as a whole from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, plus three upper-division courses taken upon advisement.

Professor

Fred Astren (1996), Professor in Jewish Studies. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.

Mohammad Azadpur (2003), Professor in Philosophy. Ph.D. University of Virginia.

Sanjoy Banerjee (1990), Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. Yale University.

Burcu Akan Ellis (2004), Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. American University.

Dina A. Ibrahim (2003), Professor in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts. Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin.

Eran Kaplan (2011), Professor in Jewish Studies. Ph.D. Brandeis University.

Santhi Kavuri-Bauer (2003), Professor in Art. Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles.

Shirin A. Khanmohamadi (2005), Professor in Comparative and World Literature. Ph.D. Columbia University.

Hafez Modirzadeh (1998), Professor in Music. Ph.D. Wesleyan University.

Mahmood Monshipouri (2007), Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. University of Georgia.

Mohammad Ramadan Salama (2005), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Lucia Volk (2003), Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. Harvard University.

Nicole Watts (2003), Professor in Political Science. Ph.D. University of Washington.

Associate Professor

Mitra Ara (2011), Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.

Maziar Behrooz (2002), Associate Professor in History. C.Phil., Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles.

Christopher Chekuri (2004), Associate Professor in History. Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor - 18-21 units

A minimum of 6 upper-division units are required to complete the minor.

All coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

Core (9-10 units)

Complete at least nine units in the core by taking one course from Section A, one course from Section B, and a third course from either section.  MEIS 300 and MEIS 301 may satisfy either Core Section A or B. Any core class taken beyond the required units can be counted towards the required elective units.

Section A: History and Politics3-4
Islamic World I: 500-1500
Islamic World II: 1500 - Present
Middle East and North Africa in International Relations
Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective
Section B: Arts and Culture3
Cultural Expression in Islam
Art, Architecture, and Space in the Islamic World
Islamic Philosophy
Section A or B:3
Foundations in Middle East and Islamic Studies
Islam: Interpretation and Practice

Electives (9-11 units)

In addition to the three core courses above, take a minimum of three additional courses as electives. Courses that are used to satisfy core requirements may not also be used as electives.

Select at least one course from Part I and at least one course from Part II. The third elective may be taken from either part I or II:
Part I: History and Politics
HIST 372India and the British Empire3
HIST 380Islamic World I: 500-15003
HIST 381Islamic World II: 1500 - Present3
HIST 382History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500 - Present3
I R 323The Persian Gulf in International Relations4
I R 324Middle East and North Africa in International Relations4
I R 335Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective4
JS/I R/PLSI 430Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions, and Society3
PHIL 436Islamic Political Philosophy3
Part II: Arts and Culture
ARAB 102Second Semester Arabic4
ARAB 300Reading Qur'anic Arabic3
CWL/HUM 424Multicultural Middle Ages3
HEBR 102Second Semester Modern Hebrew3
HEBR 201Third Semester Modern Hebrew3
HEBR 202Fourth Semester Modern Hebrew3
HUM 361/I R 363Cultural Expression in Islam3
HUM 375Biography of a City: United States Cities3
HUM/JS 379Jerusalem3
HUM/ARTH 496Art, Architecture, and Space in the Islamic World3
JS 408/CINE 314Israeli Cinema3
JS/HUM/PHIL 501Judaism, Christianity, and Islam3
PHIL 516Islamic Philosophy3
PHIL 5173
PRSN 102Second Semester Persian4
PRSN 206Basic Persian Conversation3
PRSN/I R 260History and Cultures of Iran3
RRS/ARAB 450Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature3
WGS 565Muslim Feminisms3

Foreign Language Requirement

Students are strongly encouraged to develop proficiency in a Middle Eastern language or a language pertaining to the Islamic world and to commit to more than one semester of language studies. Therefore, second-semester language courses and higher will count towards elective units. Each student will discuss how to incorporate language into their minor during advising sessions.

Study-Abroad Courses

Students completing the Middle East and Islamic Studies minor are strongly encouraged to participate in study-abroad programs, whether through the CSU system or another approved study abroad program. SF State’s bilateral exchange with Koç University in Istanbul is particularly suited for MEIS minors. Please attend OIP’s informational sessions and then see a MEIS advisor.