Middle East and Islamicate World Studies
About the Minor
A minor in Middle East and Islamic Worlds Studies consists of five courses. Students must take at least one course from each of three divisions: language and literature; social sciences; and religion and culture. One course must be taken at the introductory (100) level, and one at the advanced (300 or 400) level.
A Sampling of Courses
Islamic History and Culture
An interdisciplinary exploration of Muslim societies from the 7th century to the present. Beginning with the origins of Islam, the history of the Quran, and the biography of the Prophet, the course examines how questions of political authority, religious practice, and cultural exchange were navigated as the Muslim community developed. We read texts from Islam’s rich literary heritage and pay close attention to the ways in which the Muslim past continues to animate contemporary debates, practices, and imagination.
Explore these select courses:
Meet Our Faculty
Kira Jumet
Associate Professor of Government, Director of Middle East and Islamicate World Studies
comparative politics, international relations, and Middle East politics
19th & 20th century Arabic literature; medieval Arabic travel writing and the Medieval Maqama; genre, translation, and postcolonial studies
archaeological history of South Asian religions, especially Buddhist and Hindu traditions; research in themes of inter-religious dynamics, syncretism and religious transformation; colonialism and reconfigurations of sacred centers; and religion and water management in the Buddhist and Hindu traditions
History of Islam in South Asia, specializing in Sultanate and Mughal India; Muslim devotional traditions, material culture, and gender and sexuality; history of pre-modern Iran and Persian culture
Shoshana Keller
Chair and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History, Director of Russian Studies
Russian and Soviet history, Central Eurasian history, and history of the modern Middle East
foreign-language education, specifically Arabic and the integration of storytelling into language learning
contemporary French and Francophone literature, culture, and film; literature and cinema of immigration; transnational immigrant identities in France
Israeli culture, ethnicity, and Hebrew language
Explore Hamilton Stories
Eleanna Sorensen ’23 Receives Critical Language Scholarship
Eleanna “Ele” Sorensen ’23 will hone her long-time interest in the Arabic language as the recipient of a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS).
De Bruin Awarded Grant to Study Militarized Policing
Assistant Professor of Government Erica De Bruin was awarded a research grant from the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA ) to support a new project on militarized policing.
A World of Choice Leads to the Middle East
That moment you realize you can take any course that sounds interesting: when it happened to first-year student Elliot Plaut ’19, he opted for Arabic.
Contact
Department Name
Middle East and Islamicate World Studies Program
Contact Name
Shoshana Keller, Director
Clinton, NY 13323
