2023-2024 Undergraduate Bulletin

Middle East Studies Program

Office: Sturm Hall, Room 186A
Mail Code: 2000 East Asbury Avenue Denver, CO 80210
Phone: 303-871-7464
Email: Maha.Foster@du.edu
Web Site: https://liberalarts.du.edu/academics-admissions/programs-ug/minor-middle-east-studies

This interdisciplinary minor offers students in any major the opportunity to demonstrate competency in the study of the Middle East.

The Middle East Studies minor provides students with an in-depth and substantive exposure to the politics, society, and religions of the Middle East through a variety of humanities and social sciences approaches, and through study of at least one major regional language. The minor helps DU undergraduates pursuing any major to develop deeper and more nuanced understandings of the Middle East, which they can use for careers in government, non-governmental organizations, business, and education.

This minor offers: 1) a range of courses taught by recognized experts in their fields 2) an inter-disciplinary approach which gives students a three-dimensional view of the region 3) language training and proficiency that prepares students for a global future.

This interdisciplinary undergraduate minor provides students with an in-depth and substantive exposure to the politics, society, and religions of the Middle East through a variety of humanities and social sciences approaches, and through study of at least one major regional language. The minor aims to strengthen DU undergraduates' knowledge of the Middle East, whatever their major, and to enhance their career opportunities. 

Minor Requirements 

20 credits including the following:

Language Sequence 18
Intermediate Arabic
and Conversation & Composition
or
Intermediate Hebrew
and Intermediate Hebrew 2
Three content courses: 312
Content course listing (may change depending on instructor availability; not all courses offered every year; please check with major advisor if you find a course not listed here that should count toward the minor)
Seminar in Art History (Content course listing (exact courses may change depending on instructor interest/availability; not all courses offered every year))
Mosques and Aniconism: Islamic Art and Architecture 650-1250
Dragons and Sultans: Islamic Art and Architecture 1250-1600
Modern Hebrew Literature in Translation: Against All Odds
Postmodern Visions of Israel
Israeli Television and Cinema: Representing Cultural Diversity in Israeli Life
Aspects of Modern Hebrew: Readings, Films, Songs, and Discussion
Jews in the Islamic World, 632 C.E. - 1948 C.E.
United States Involvement in the Persian Gulf, 1933-Present
Ancient Near East
Islam and United States Politics
Gender and Politics in Muslim Pop Cultures
Multicultural Israel: Food, Film and Beyond
Multicultural Israel through Popular Music
Israeli Television and Cinema: Representing Cultural Diversity in Israeli Life
History of the Middle East
Introduction to Middle East and Islamic Politics
Israeli Culture Through Film: Society, Ethnicity, and Inter-Cultural Discourse
Israeli Society Through Film: Narratives of the Holocaust, War and Terror in Israeli Life
The Emergence of Monotheism
Total Credits20
1

Students who demonstrate proficiency in Arabic or Hebrew to the 2100/2003 level will have the language course requirements waived, and instead will take five content courses.

2

Students pursuing this minor and the Judaic Studies minor must choose the JUST minor without the Hebrew emphasis, if they are using Hebrew for both minors. The second-year Hebrew requirement cannot be double-counted for the Middle Eastern Studies minor and the Judaic Studies minor with Hebrew emphasis

3

Students must take content courses in at least two departments/schools. (e.g., they cannot take all three courses from HIST.) Students can transfer up to 10 credit hours from appropriate study abroad courses into the minor. No more than 4 credit hours may be taken at the 1000 level.

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