Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor  {SF State Bulletin 2012 - 2013}

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Middle East and Islamic Studies Minor

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Paul Sherwin

 

Faculty

Professors: Astren, Banerjee
Associate Professors: Azadpur, Behrooz, Bertram, Ibrahim, Kaplan, Kavuri-Bauer, Millet, Modirzadeh, Monshipouri, Salama, Volk, Watts
Assistant Professors: Chekuri, Ellis, Khanmohamadi

 

Director: Lucia Volk
HSS 129
Phone: 415-338-2468
Email: lvolk@sfsu.edu

 

Program

Minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies

 


 

Program Scope

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.

 

Minor in Middle East and Islamic Studies

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.

Section A: History and Politics

Course Title
HIST 604 Islamic World I: 500-1500
HIST 605 Islamic World II: 1500-present
I R 324 The Middle East and North Africa in International Relations (4)
I R 335 Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective (4)
MEIS 300 Foundations in Middle East and Islamic Studies
PLSI 410 Middle East Politics (4)

Section B: Arts and Culture

Course Title
ANTH 319 Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa
ARAB 650 Modern Arabic Fiction in English
ART 504 The Art and Architecture of Islam
HUM 361 Cultural Expression in Islam
MEIS 301/
ANTH 318 
Islam: Interpretation and Practice
PHIL 516 Islamic Philosophy

Total for Core: 9 - 11 units

 

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

Course Title
HIST 583 Hindus and Muslims
HIST 584 India and the British Empire
HIST 604 Islamic World I: 500-1500
HIST 605 Islamic World II: 1500-present
HIST 606 History of Iran and Afghanistan 1500-Present
HIST 644 Seminar on Topics in the Middle East: 1700-Present
I R 323 The Persian Gulf in International Relations(4)
I R 324 Middle East and North Africa in International Relations(4)
I R 326 South and Southeast Asia Foreign Relations(4)
I R 335 Muslim Societies in Transnational Perspective(4)
JS 430/
I R 430/
PLSI 430 
Israeli Democracy: Politics, Institutions, and Society
MEIS 300 Foundations in Middle East and Islamic Studies
PHIL 436 Islamic Political Philosophy
PLSI 410 Middle East Politics (4)
PLSI 420 State-Society Relations in the Middle East (4)
PLSI 431/
MEIS 431 
Constructing Kurdistan (4)

 

Part II: Arts and Culture

Course Title
ANTH 319 Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa
ARAB 102 Second Semester Arabic (5)
ARAB 103 Third Semester Arabic (5)
ARAB 104 Fourth Semester Arabic (5)
ARAB 206 Intermediate Conversation
ARAB 300 Reading Quranic Arabic
ARAB 401 Arab Culture and Identity in English
ARAB 600 Modern Arabic Literature and Film in English
ARAB 650 Modern Arabic Fiction in English
ART 504 The Art and Architecture of Islam
CWL 424 Multicultural Middle Ages
CWL 430 Heroic Tales of the Mediterranean
HUM 361 Cultural Expression in Islam
HUM 375 Biography of a City: Istanbul
HUM 377/
JS 377 
Jerusalem
HUM 496 Islam and the Poetics of Space
JS 152/
HEBR 152 
Second Semester Modern Hebrew
JS 201/
HEBR 201 
Third Semester Modern Hebrew
JS 202/
HEBR 202 
Fourth Semester Modern Hebrew
JS 408/
CINE 408 
Israeli Cinema
JS 501/
HUM 501/
PHIL 501 
Judaism, Christianity and Islam
MEIS 301/
ANTH 318 
Islam: Interpretation and Practice
MUS 530 Musics of the Middle East and India
PHIL 516 Islamic Philosophy
PHIL 517 Islamic Mysticism
PRSN 102 Second Semester Persian (5)
PRSN 103 Third Semester Persian (5)
PRSN 104 Fourth Semester Persian (5)
PRSN 206 Basic Persian Conversation
PRSN 260 Persian Cultures and Civilization in English
PRSN 350 Advanced Persian
RRS 450/
ARAB 450/ 
Contemporary Arabic and Arab American Literature
WGS 565 Muslim Feminisms

Total Electives: 9 - 11 units

Total for Minor 18 - 22 units

 

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.

 

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