Middle East Studies Minor

Why study the "Middle East"? The countries within and neighboring what is commonly referred to as the Middle East continue to play an important role in global affairs and dynamics. The economic and business elements of the region along with its political, cultural, and social realities factor heavily into contemporary world developments. Within such a context, for intrinsic and extrinsic reasons, there are strong reasons to focus one's study on this area of the world. KU combines education in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew with a rich selection of courses on or related to the region, including courses in Islamic studies, language, culture and art, history, and contemporary social and political dynamics. The minor also complements many majors within the College as well as other degrees across the University. The area's languages and knowledge of cultures, society, and politics in the region can prepare students for careers in business and the private sector, foreign or civil service, or jobs with non-profit organizations.

Requirements for the Minor

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Courses
REL 350/AAAS 349	Islam	3
or AAAS 102	Arabic and Islamic Studies
and
POLS 661	Politics of the Middle East	3
or HIST 328	The Modern Middle East
or ANTH 303	Peoples and Cultures of North Africa and the Middle East
Electives		12
These courses allow students to deepen their knowledge of the countries and issues in the region. Students must take at least one course from each emphasis—i.e. social science and humanities, as listed below--but can choose to take three courses from one emphasis and one from the other or take two from each.
Regularly offered and upcoming elective options are:
Social science emphasis: (minimum 3 credit hours)
ANTH 303	Peoples and Cultures of North Africa and the Middle East
ANTH 372	Religion, Power, and Sexuality in Arab Societies
GIST 424	Nationalism(s) in Turkey
GIST 530	Politics and Society in the Contemporary Persianate World
GIST 624	Social Movements in the Middle East
GIST 633	Iran, Turkey, and the Kurds
JWSH 329	Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Introduction
JWSH 410	Israel: From Idea to State
JWSH 414	Israel/Palestine: The War of 1948
JWSH 420	Politics and Government in Israel
JWSH 426	Polls and Public Opinion in Israel
JWSH 440	International Relations of the Middle-East
JWSH 681	Regimes in the Middle-East and North Africa
JWSH 679	Palestinians & Israelis: Advanced Topics in
POLS 661	Politics of the Middle East
POLS/GIST 667	Islam and Politics
POLS 670	United States Foreign Policy
SOC 532	Sociology of the Middle East
Humanities emphasis: (minimum 3 credit hours)
AAAS 102	Arabic and Islamic Studies
AAAS 415	Women and Islam
AAAS 433	Islamic Literature
AAAS 543	Language and Culture in Arabic-Speaking Communities
AAAS 545	Unveiling the Veil
GIST 535	Literature and Society in the Contemporary Middle East
HIST 327	The Premodern Middle East
HIST 328	The Modern Middle East
HIST 480	Travelers' Tales of the Middle East
HIST 481	From Harem to the Streets: Gender in the Middle East, 1900-Present
HIST 570	The Middle East After World War II
JWSH 382	Jerusalem Through the Ages
REL 311/JWSH 321	Religion of Ancient Israel
REL 355	Muslim Societies
REL 447	Islamic Law in the Digital Age
REL 551	Shari'a, Democracy, and Society
REL 557	Modern Islamic Reform Movements
Language Option: A student pursuing a Middle East Studies minor may also use one 300-level or above ARAB, PERS, TURK, or HEBR language course as an elective that counts toward three credit hours of “Humanities emphasis.”

Middle East Studies Minor Hours & GPA

While completing all required courses, minors must also meet each of the following hour and grade point average minimum standards:

Minor Hours
Satisfied by 18 hours of minor courses.

Minor Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 9 hours of junior/senior (300+) hours of KU resident credit in the minor. 

Minor Junior/Senior (300+) Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the minor.

Minor Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 GPA in all departmental courses in the Minor. GPA calculations include all departmental courses in the field of study including Fs and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.