Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies with a Concentration in Middle East Studies
(Revised January 2006)
This program provides an opportunity for students to explore the interdisciplinary field of Middle East Studies. Students select from a variety of courses on the Middle East offered in a range of disciplines, including religious studies, political science, history, geography, women’s studies and art history. Students are required to study Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, or another appropriate Middle East language. This major is designed to prepare students for further graduate study in the field or for careers in government, the non-profit sector or the military. If interested, please contact Dr. Dona J. Stewart, director of the Middle East Institute at (404) 413-6140 or djstewart@gsu.edu.
Program Degree Requirements
Please refer to the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies section 3030.50 of this catalog for detailed admission and academic regulations for this program.
In addition to the Program Degree Requirements, students must fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements (see section 3030) and the University Degree Requirements (see section 1400).
B.I.S. with a Concentration in Middle East Studies
Area F: Courses Appropriate to the Major (18)
1. Language: competency in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, or another Middle Eastern language through 2002 level is required (9).
2. Middle East Studies courses chosen in consultation with adviser. (9)
Area G: Area of Concentration (27-33)
1. Select two courses (6)
HIST 4780 The Middle East, 600-1800
HIST 4790 The Middle East since 1800
POLS4260 Politics of Middle East/North Africa
GEOG 4408 Geography of the Middle East
RELS 3400 Introduction to Judaism
RELS 3500 Introduction to Islam
AH 4010 Art of Ancient Egypt and Nubia,
AH 4020 Art and Architecture of the Ancient Near East
2. Select one course (3-4)
JST 3000 Introduction to Jewish Studies
HIST 3000 Introduction to Historical Studies
ANTH 4020 Anthropological Theory
SOCI 3010 Social Statistics
POLS 3800 Introduction to Political Research
ECON 3900 Macroeconomics
ECON 3910 Microeconomics
GEOG 2206 Introductory Mapping and GIS
RELS 3050 Introduction to Religion
3. Eighteen to twenty-one hours taken at the 3000 level or above in consultation with the adviser. Students select upper level courses from the Middle East Studies course list. Courses must be taken in at least two departments.
4. Additional courses to complete concentration. Additional language beyond the 2002 level is strongly recommended.
Current courses include:
AH 4010 Art of Ancient Egypt and Nubia
AH 4011 Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt I: 4000 - 1600 BC
AH 4012 Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt II: 1600 BC – 31 BC
AH 4020 Art and Architecture of the Ancient Near East
AH 4900 Special Topics in Art History (when appropriate) recent topics have included: Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Iconography and Symbolism in Ancient Funerary Art, Art of Persia and Mughal India, Islamic Art 1, Islamic Art 2, Ancient Egyptian Portraiture, and Orientalism
ARBC 3001 Advanced Arabic 1
ARBC 3002 Advanced Arabic 2
ARBC 3501 Arabic Literature in Translation 1
ARBC 3502 Arabic Literature in Translation 2
GEOG 4408 Geography of the Middle East
HIST 4780 The Middle East, 600 – 1800
HIST 4790 The Middle East since 1800
POLS 4260 Politics of the Middle East and North Africa
POLS 4285 Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective
POLS 4952 Model Arab League
RELS 3520 Sufism and Islamic Mysticism
ENGL 3100 Introduction to Jewish Studies
RELS 3400 Introduction to Judaism
RELS 3500 Introduction to Islam
RELS 4280 Religious Dimensions of the Holocaust
HIST 4245 Worlds of Eastern Christianity (to 1300)
RELS 4450 Modern Judaism
RELS 4480 Islamic Fundamentalism in the Modern World
RELS 4570 Special Topics in Islam
SOCI 3228 The Holocaust
New courses are regularly added to this list, please check with the Middle East Institute for the most recent list of courses.
Area H: Allied Field (15-21)
1. Non-Middle East Studies courses chosen in consultation with the adviser.
Area J: Electives
Electives are used to build the hours in Areas G-J to 60 hours.
Study Abroad
Students are strongly encouraged to participate in a study abroad program to the region. Currently MEI faculty conduct programs to Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia.
Download PDF: BIS Requirements in Adobe Acrobat Format
Contacts
Middle East Institute
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 4089
Atlanta, GA 30302-4089
Director
Dona J. Stewart, Ph. D.
Room 2006, 34 Peachtree
404/413-6140
djstewart@gsu.edu
Outreach Director
Alta Schwartz
Room 2017, 34 Peachtree
404/413-6146
aschwartz@gsu.edu
Business Manager
Letitia Williams
2010, 34 Peachtree
404/413-6145
daslaw@langate.gsu.edu
Location - Directions
34 Peachtree Street
Suite 2010
Atlanta, GA 30302
Fax: 404/413-6141
