African and Middle-Eastern Studies Website
Chair, Professor WILLIAM R. DARROW
Advisory Committee: Professors: DARROW, MACDONALD***, MCFARLAND*. Associate Professors: E. D. BROWN, D. EDWARDS***. Assistant Professors: BURTON, FARRED, GOLLIN*, KRAUS*, M. LYNCH, MUTONGI*, ROUHI, SAMSON. Senior Lecturer: E. GRUDIN***. Mellon Post-doctoral Fellow: WATENPAUGH.
African and Middle-Eastern Studies is an interdisciplinary program focusing on the politics, societies, cultures, and historical development of the peoples of Africa and the Middle East. The program offers a wide range of courses in the area, as well as opportunities to study abroad and possibilities for graduate fellowships and careers.
Students considering completing the concentration are urged to register with the chair of the program during their sophomore year. Normally, students will be expected to take six courses from at least three different departments. One of these courses should be from among the "Concepts Courses" listed below. Four should be from the "Core Courses." The sixth course will be African and Middle-Eastern Studies 401 or 402. In special cases the chair may permit substitution of an approved winter study project, or work completed elsewhere, for one or more of the electives. Proposals for honors work in African and Middle-Eastern Studies, normally involving at least a one semester thesis and an oral examination, must be submitted in writing by the beginning of the senior year and approved by the African and Middle-Eastern Studies Committee.
Fulfillment of the requirements of the concentration will be recorded on the student's official transcript.
Concepts Courses
All students are required to take at least one of the following courses, preferably near the beginning of their program.
ANSO 205 Ways of Knowing
Anthropology 101 The Scope of Anthropology
Anthropology 102/Environmental Studies 106 Human Evolution: Down from the Trees, Out to the Stars
Anthropology/Environmental Studies 209 Human Ecology
Economics 204/Environmental Studies 234 Economic Development in Poor Countries
Economics/Environmental Studies 212 Sustainable Development
Economics 215 The World Economy
Political Science 202 (formerly 120) World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations
Core Courses
All students are expected to take four of the following electives. Note that students are normally expected to present courses from at least three different disciplines to complete the program, and that in special cases credit can be given for a WSP or work done elsewhere.
Anthropology 224 Middle East Cultures
Anthropology/EXPR/Religion 273 Sacred Geographies
Anthropology 331 Witchcraft, Sorcery, and Magic
ArtH 278 The Golden Road to Samarqand
ArtH 279 Religion and the Arts of Islam
Classics/Religion 203 Introduction to Judaism
Critical Languages 201-202 (Arabic, Hebrew, or Swahili)
History/Environmental Studies 116 Environmental History of Africa
History 215 Introduction to the History of the Modern Middle East 1798-1998
History 269 A Survey of Modern African History, 1800-Present
History 270 Early African History Through the Era of the Slave Trade
History 275/Religion 231 The Origins of Islam: God, Empire, and Apocalypse
History 278/Religion 232 Women and Islam
History 325 South Africa and Apartheid
History 339 Nations and Nationalism: The Middle East and the Balkans
History 363/AMES 401/Religion 234 Religion and Revolution in Iran
History 373 African Political Thought
Music 125 Music Cultures of the World
Political Science 204 (formerly 140) Introduction to Comparative Politics: The Powers of Nationalism
Political Science 244 Middle East Politics: State Formation and Nationalism
Political Science 267 Arab-Israeli Relations
Religion 233 Islamic Mysticism: The Sufis
Religion 270T Father Abraham: The First Patriarch
Religion/Classics 274 Women's Religious Experiences in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Religion/Classics 275 Identity and Cultural Difference in Greco-Roman Egypt