of 3.5 in the major and 3.3 overall, and permission of the Director of International and Area Studies.
• Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
MEIS 204 Introduction to Islamic Culture and Civilization Introduction to the societies and cultures in which Islam has been the dominant religious tradition, focusing on the Middle East. Historical, cultural, and social context of the emergence of Islam; the great diversity that exists in the Muslim world, modern currents in Islam, and the historical and contemporary encounter between Islam and the West. MEIS 211X Judaism and Islam (ie) (Religion 211) Beliefs, scriptures, understanding of life, and historical development of Judaism and Islam; relationships of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The impact of Judaism and Islam on the world today. This course satisfies the International Exploration requirement. MEIS 225X Comparative Politics in the Middle East and North Africa (ie) (Political Science 225) Interaction of culture, economy, society, intellectual and ideological currents, international environment, and the nature of change and nation-building in selected nations of the Middle East and North Africa. Emphasis on Egypt, Iran, and Turkey; the Levant states of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria; the Gulf states of Iraq and Saudi Arabia; and Algeria in North Africa. This course satisfies the International Exploration requirement. MEIS 245X Geography of the Middle East (ie) (Geography 245) The Middle East as a cultural crossroads; the region’s rich diversity of people, life, and landscape; and its dependence on oil production and scarce water supplies. This course satisfies the International Exploration requirement. MEIS 326X Contemporary Islamic Legal Thought: Law, State, and World Order (Political Science 326) Contemporary Islamic thought on the legitimacy of national and international legal orders, and contemporary Islamic legal theories on the topics of legislation, constitution, legal system, nation-state, international relations, war, and world order, with regard both to ideal objectives and actual conditions. MEIS 415X America’s Approach to the Middle East (Political Science 415) American foreign policy in the Middle East under two distinct geopolitical paradigms: (1) the older, realist, multilateral strategy based on containment of threats, reconstruction of economic infrastructure, and advancement of liberal political ideas; and (2) the post-9/11 American strategy based on a unilateral, power-based approach to dominating regions to impose order. Major case studies: Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict. MEIS 460 Independent Study Advanced research in a specific area of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, under the supervision of a faculty member. Prerequisites: junior or senior status and permission of the Director of International and Area Studies.
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