Middle East and North African Studies Minor

FACULTY:
Joan Friedman (Religious Studies, History),Chair
Tracy Cosgriff (Art History)
Elizabeth Derderian (Sociology and Anthropology, Museum Studies)
Sarah Mirza (Religious Studies)
Chan Sok Park (Religious Studies)

The interdepartmental minor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies is intended to complement students’ major academic work in other departments and programs. Its purpose is to cultivate a critical understanding of the region stretching from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east - a broad swath of the globe rich in history, diverse in cultures, and crucially situated with respect to political conflicts from ancient times until today - and of its peoples and cultures outside their places of origin. While a region as large and diverse as this cannot be seen as a single entity, nevertheless commonalities, past and present, necessitate an area-wide perspective. Students will acquire a critical perspective through a multidisciplinary set of minor requirements, including one semester of off-campus study in the region or one TREK program in the region.

Minor in Middle East and North African Studies

Consists of six courses plus regional off-campus study:

One course each in three historical periods: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern
Three other courses within the minor

Special Notes

Off-campus study: The minor in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Studies requires either the completion of one semester study abroad in an endorsed off-campus study or participation in a TREK program in the region. Acceptable programs are either Wooster-endorsed semester long programs (currently available in Israel, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia) or regional TREK programs led by Wooster faculty members (current program: Wooster In Israel and Palestine).
Language study: Language study is strongly recommended and may be pursued either on or off campus. Relevant languages offered on campus are Middle Egyptian, Ancient Greek, and Biblical Hebrew. Other relevant ancient and modern languages include, but are not limited to, Arabic (all forms), Aramaic, Modern Hebrew, Farsi, Turkish, and Ugaritic. MENA minors considering off campus language study should consult a member of the MENA faculty.
No more than two language courses may count toward credit in the minor.
No more than three off-campus courses may count toward the minor.
Approval of the MENA Curriculum Committee is required for all transfer credits.

Note to Archaeology, Art History, Classics, English, History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies Majors: By College policy, students may double count up to two courses for both for minor and major credit.

Cross-listed Courses Accepted for Middle East and North African Studies Credit

Anthropology

ANTH 23115.  Peoples & Cultures of the Middle East & North Africa [HSS, C]

Archaeology

ARCH 21908. Archaeology of the Ancient Near East [C, AH or HSS]

Art and Art History

ARTH 20100. The Bronze Age [AH]

ARTH 20600. Early Medieval Art [AH, R]

ARTH 22100. Islamic Art [AH, C ,R, GE]

Classical Studies

AMST 19000. Middle Egyptian

AMST 22600. History of Ancient Medicine [AH]

AMST 26100. Studies in Ancient History [AH]

French and Francophone Studies

FREN 22406. Mediterranean Crossing: North Africa and France in Historical Perspective [AH, C, D, GE]

Hebrew

HEBR 10100. Hebrew I

HEBR 10200. Hebrew II

History

HIST 10176. History of Islam [C, HSS, R]

HIST 22800. Israel/Palestine: Histories in Conflict [C, HSS]

HIST 27507. Iranian History & Cinema [C, HSS]

Political Science

PSCI 22912. Nuclear Politics of the Middle East [C, HSS]

Religious Studies

RELS 12002. The New Testament [AH, C, R]

RELS 12003. The Hebrew Bible and History [AH, C, R]

RELS 22200. Islam [AH, C, R]

RELS 22500. Jesus in History and Tradition [AH, C, R, W, GE]

RELS 23300. Judaism [AH, C, R]

RELS 26940. Pop Culture in Medieval Islam [R]