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Students following this curriculum were:
     » Admitted to GW as freshmen in or after Fall 2010, or
     » Admitted to GW as transfer students in or after Fall 2011.

If you do not meet these criteria, your curriculum is here.


Middle East Studies Major: Requirements

The Middle East studies major helps students understand the forces and issues that shape this dynamic region: religion, politics, economics, culture, history, and geography. It builds upon the same disciplinary core that is found in the international affairs degree and moves quickly to topics central to the region. It gives students knowledge of one of the languages in the region and encourages them to spend a semester or a year studying in the Middle East. After four years of study, students will have the basic intellectual tools they need to understand this important region.

Foundation (3 Credits)

Required: (choose one)
IAFF 2040 Basic Topics in International Affairs: Middle East – An International Affairs Survey

Foreign Language

Students must prove 3rd year proficiency in one of the following modern foreign languages by examination or coursework.
» Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

Arabic

ARAB 1001, 1002, 2001, 2002, 3001 and [3301 or 3302]
– or –
ARAB 1201, 1202, 2201, 3201, and [3301 or 3302]

Hebrew

HEBR 1001, 1002, 2001, 2002, 3001, and [3301 or 3302]

Persian

PERS 1001, 1002, 2001, 2002, 3001, 3002


Regional Foundation (3 Credits)

Students must take one course from the lists below to gain an understanding of a region of the world outside of the Middle East and the United States.

Select One:

Africa

IAFF 2093 Africa: Problems and Prospects
ANTH 3708 Cultures of Africa
GEOG 3164 Geography of Africa
HIST 3501 Topics in African History Since 1880
PSC 2381 Politics of Middle and Southern Africa
PSC 2482 African International Politics


Asia

IAFF 2091 East Asia Past and Present
ANTH 3704 Cultures of Southeast Asia
ANTH 3705 East Asian Ethnography
GEOG 3165 Geography of South Asia
HIST 3001 Pre-approved Special Topics
Academic Advisor approval required for courses not listed here.

  • Modern South Asia: 1750 to present

HIST 3640 History of Southeast Asia
HIST 3840 History of Central Asia
PSC 2369 Comparative Politics of South Asia
PSC 2373 Comparative Politics of South & Southeast Asia
PSC 2475 International Relations of East Asia


Europe and Eurasia

IAFF 2092 Russia and Eastern Europe: An Introduction
IAFF 2094 Europe: International & Domestic Interactions
ECON 2133 Economies of the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
HIST 3001 Pre-approved Special Topics (Academic Advisor approval required.)
HIST 3125 Europe in the 20th Century
HIST 3126 European Integration: A History
HIST 3168 The Two Germanys and the Cold War
HIST 3178 The Making of the Modern Balkans
PSC 2330 Comparative Politics of Western Europe
PSC 2331 Comparative Politics of Central and Eastern Europe


Latin America

IAFF 2090 Latin America: Problems and Promise
ANTH 3702 Cultures of Central and South America
ECON 2185 Economic History and Problems of Latin America
GEOG 3161 Geography of Latin America

HIST 3001 Pre-approved Special Topics in History
Academic Advisor Approval required for courses not listed below.

  • Latin America and the World since 1820

HIST 3711 History of Latin America (1820-Present)
PSC 2383 Comparative Politics of Latin America
PSC 2484 International Relations of Latin America


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Research Methods (3 Credits)

Students must complete one course pertaining to qualitative or quantitative social science research methods.

  • Credit for only one of the following courses may be applied toward a degree: STAT 1051, 1053, or 1111.

  • STAT courses may not be double-counted between the Math requirement and the Research Methods requirement.

Select One:

ANTH 3531 Methods in Sociocultural Anthropology
ECON 2123 Introduction to Econometrics
GEOG 2104 Introduction to Cartography/GIS
GEOG 2105 Techniques of Spatial Analysis
PSC 2101 Scope and Methods of Political Science
PSYC 2101 Research Methods in Psychology
SOC 2101 Social Research Methods
SOC 2111 Field Research
STAT 1051 Introduction to Business & Economic Statistics
STAT 1053 Introduction to Statistics in Social Science
STAT 1111 Business and Economic Statistics I
STAT 2105 Statistics in the Behavioral Sciences
STAT 2112 Business and Economic Statistics II


Middle Eastern Literature (3 Credits)

Select One:

ARAB 3501 Arabic and Arab Identity
ARAB 4001 Genres in Modern Arabic Literature
ARAB 4002 Arabic Narratives through the Ages
CLAS 3101 Modern Hebrew Literary Classics
CLAS 3102 Israeli Society and Culture: Literary Perspectives
HEBR 4001 Advanced Hebrew Literature
HEBR 4002 Advanced Hebrew Literature


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Multi-disciplinary Core (21 Credits)

NOTE: these are not exhaustive lists; new classes are offered each year, so please consult with the MES Program Director if there is a new course you would like to count toward one of these requirements.

History (6 Credits)

Select Two:

HIST 2803 The Ancient Near East and Egypt
HIST 2804 History of Ancient Israel
HIST 3060 Modern Jewish History
HIST 3801 Special Topics in Middle East History
HIST 3810 History of the Middle East
HIST 3811 History of the Modern Middle East


Economics (3 Credits)

Select One:

ECON 2136 Natural Resources and Environmental Economics
ECON 2151 Economic Development
ECON 2180 Survey of International Economics
ECON 2181 International Economics
ECON 2182 International Economics


Political Science (6 Credits)

Select Two:

PSC 2377 Government and Politics of the Middle East
PSC 2379 Israeli Politics and Foreign Policy
PSC 2476 The Arab-Israel Conflict
PSC 2478 International Relations of the Middle East


Religion (6 Credits)

Select Two:

REL 1009 Bible: Hebrew Scriptures
REL 3211 Rabbinical Thought and Literature
REL 3231 Jewish Mysticism
REL 3401 Islam
REL 3414 Islamic Philosophy and Theology
REL 3431 Sufism (Islamic Mysticism)
REL 3475 Islamic Religion and Art
REL 3481 Women in Islam


Select two courses related to the Middle East from any discipline, including IAFF courses, and submit a Related Coursework Declaration form to Academic Advising with the Program Director's signature.

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