Major, Minor, and Honors Programs
Professor Philip Kennedy, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Content:
The Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MEIS) focuses on the past and present of a vast and culturally diverse region of the world that extends from North Africa to Central Asia and from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. It adopts interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to Middle Eastern societies from antiquity to the present day with particular focus on the period after the emergence of Islam. An MEIS major offers students the opportunity to master one of the regional languages, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hindi/Urdu, and ancient Egyptian. Students will also acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of this pivotal area of the world by studying with the Department's specialists in history, anthropology, political science, literature, law, religious studies and language.
In addition to courses offered by MEIS, students are encouraged to select cross-listed courses in other departments and programs, such as anthropology, fine arts, Hebrew and Judaic studies, history, politics, comparative literature, religious studies, and sociology that complement the department's offerings.
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Programs
The Major
LANGUAGE: To obtain the B.A. degree with a Middle Eastern studies major, students must meet the CAS language requirement in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Hindi or Urdu. This means:
- Studying one of these languages at least through the intermediate level (four semesters) at NYU;
- Demonstrating the completion of equivalent course work elsewhere; or
- Satisfying the CAS language requirement by exam in one of these languages. Under exceptional circumstances the director of undergraduate studies may exempt a student from having to fulfill the language requirement and in which case the student will be required to take ten MEIS non-language courses to satisfy the major.
Course Requirements: In addition to the language requirement, majors must successfully complete at least six MEIS courses. At least one of the six must be an undergraduate seminar offered under the Topics rubric; with the permission of the instructor, this requirement may be fulfilled with a graduate seminar.
Majors are required to take the following courses:
- Two courses from the MEIS history list
- One course from the MEIS literature list
- One course from the MEIS religion list
- Two elective courses from the MEIS course list of the undergraduate’s choosing
In any event, a student must complete at least 10 MEIS-approved courses in order to satisfy requirements for the major.
The Minor
Students who wish to minor in Middle Eastern studies must complete either
- At least four non-language courses that are either offered or cross-listed by MEIS, or are appropriate courses specifically approved by the director of undergraduate studies; or
- A four-course sequence in either Arabic, Persian or Turkish, provided that these courses are not also used to satisfy the CAS language requirement.
Awards for Excellence in Middle Eastern Studies
The department offers the following awards for excellence: the Rumi-Biruni Prize for excellence in Persian studies, the Ibn Khaldun Prize for excellence in Arabic studies, the Evliya Chelebi Prize for excellence in Turkish studies, and the Premchand Prize for excellence in Hindi and Urdu studies.
Honors Program
Eligibility: Any student majoring in the department who has spent at least two full years in residence at the College of Arts and Science and who has completed at least 60 points of graded work in the College. The student must maintain a general grade point average of 3.65 and a major average of 3.65.
Course Requirements:
- Completion of the major requirements.
- Completion of at least two graduate-level courses with a grade point average of 3.0. These courses may be used to complete part of the major requirement.
- Have no grade lower than a C in a Middle Eastern studies course.
- Write an honors paper of 50-60 double-spaced, typed pages under the supervision of an MEIS faculty member, for which up to four points of Independent Study credit may be awarded (V77.0997, 0998). The subject of the honors paper and the faculty supervisor will be chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.
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Majors
Initial Interview: All new majors will be interviewed by the DUGS who will assign them a regular faculty advisor.
Subsequent Interview: Majors should arrange to meet with their advisors prior to registration period of each semester. (See administrative calendar). Advisors review the transcripts with the students to ascertain the student's interests, remaining course work, and the proper distribution of credits.
See distribution guidelines for the major above.
Overseas study is encouraged, but the student must consult with the International Programs Office to see which programs have NYU approval. Before the student embarks, the Dean's office and advisor must approve the course work that will be taken. The Department will accept no more than four courses taken outside the University toward the major.
Students should be informed as early as possible in their undergraduate career about the possibilities for honors. Advanced planning is needed to complete the required graduate courses and to write a thesis.
Filing and Processing of New Registration: Advisors should ask students to fill in an interview form. This form serves as the record for general questions, processing/clearing a student for registration, and adjusting their status. The advisor must submit the form to MEIS Administrator, who then enters the data in the NYU database. The interview form remains part of the student's file.
Special cases: There may well be occasions when seniors are unable to fill the distribution requirements for the major given current course offerings. Advisors may e-mail a short letter explaining the circumstances and the substitution to the DUGS who will submit a version of it to the Registrar's office.
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