Professors—Astren, Banerjee
Associate Professors—Behrooz, Monshipouri
Assistant Professors—Azadpur, Bertram, Chekuri, Ellis, Ibrahim, Kavuri-Bauer, Khanmohamadi, Millett, Modirzadeh, Salama, Volk, Watts
Lecturer—Shenoda
Minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies
The Middle East and Islamic Studies minor 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. The 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 9-11 units of upper division courses taken from the following list upon advisement.Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated. On-line course descriptions are available.
| Core Complete at least 9 units in the core, by taking one course from Section A, one course from Section B, and a third course from either section. | Units | |
| Section A: History and Politics | ||
| HIST 604 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | |
| HIST 605 | Islamic World II: 1500-present | |
| PLSI 410 | Middle East Politics (4) | |
| PLSI 420 | State-Society Relations in the Middle East (4) | |
| Section B: Arts and Culture | ||
| ANTH 319 | Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa | |
| HUM 361 | Cultural Expression in Islam | |
| ART 504 | The Art and Architecture of Islam | |
| PHIL 516 | Islamic Philosophy | |
| Total for core | 9-11 | |
| Electives: (9-11 units) In addition to the three core courses above, take a minimum of three additional courses as electives. At least one course must be from Part I, and at least one course from Part II. The third elective may be taken from either part. Courses that are used to satisfy core requirements may not also be used as electives. | ||
| Part I: History and Politics | ||
| HIST 584 | History of the Indian Subcontinent | |
| HIST 604 | Islamic World I: 500-1500 | |
| HIST 605 | Islamic World II: 1500-present | |
| HIST 606 | History of Iran, 1500-present | |
| IR 323 | The Middle East: Periphery(4) | |
| IR 324 | The Middle East: Heartland(4) | |
| IR 326 | South and Southeast Asia Foreign Relations(4) | |
| IR 335 | Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective(4) | |
| IR 433 | Model Arab League | |
| JS/IR/PLSI 430 | Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions, and Society | |
| PHIL 436 | Islamic Political Philosophy | |
| PLSI 410 | Middle East Politics (4) | |
| PLSI 420 | State-Society Relations in the Middle East (4) | |
| PLSI 425 | Imagining Power in the Middle East (4) | |
| Part II: Arts and Culture | ||
| ANTH 319 | Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa | |
| ARAB 102 | Second Semester Arabic (5) | |
| ARAB 103 | Third Semester Arabic (5) | |
| ARAB 200 | The Art of Arabic Calligraphy | |
| ARAB 206 | Intermediate Conversation | |
| ARAB 300 | Reading Quranic Arabic | |
| ARAB 401 | Arab Culture and Identity in English | |
| ARAB 650 | Modern Arabic Fiction in English | |
| ART 504 | The Art and Architecture of Islam | |
| CWL 420 | Medieval Europe and Islam | |
| CWL 430 | Heroic Tales of the Mediterranean | |
| ETHS 420 | Arab American Identity: Memory and Resistance | |
| ETHS 430 | Arab Media Images in America: Impact on Arab Americans | |
| ETHS 440 | Islam in America: Communities and Institutions | |
| ETHS/ARAB/CWL 450 | Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature | |
| HUM 361 | Cultural Expression in Islam | |
| HUM 375 | Biography of a City: Istanbul | |
| HUM/JS 377 | Jerusalem | |
| HUM 496 | Islam and the Poetics of Space | |
| JS/HEBR 152 | Second Semester Modern Hebrew | |
| JS/HEBR 201 | Third Semester Modern Hebrew | |
| JS/HEBR 202 | Fourth Semester Modern Hebrew | |
| JS/CINE 408 | Israeli Cinema | |
| JS/HUM/PHIL 501 | Judaism, Christianity and Islam | |
| MUS 530 | Musics of the Middle East and India | |
| PHIL 515 | Semitic Religious Thought: Islamic Mysticism | |
| WOMS 565 | Women in the Muslim and Arab Worlds | |
| Total Electives | 9-11 | |
| Total for Minor | 18-22 | |
Foreign Language Requirement
Students are strongly encouraged to develop proficiency in a Middle Eastern language or a language pertaining to the Islamic world. 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. Currently, SFSU is in the process of creating a partner university program in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Consult advisor for details.