Middle East/North Africa Minor

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For the purposes of this minor, we define Middle East/North Africa loosely, to include the peoples, languages, religions and heritages of the wide swath of present-day states from Morocco (west) to Iran (east), and from Turkey (north) to Yemen (south), from ancient times to modern times. This proposal is for a “stand-alone” minor, which can be fulfilled by any UW student in any college, any major.

General Information

It is highly recommended that all students complete a prerequisite of two terms of a relevant Middle East language such as Arabic, Hebrew, Persian (Farsi) or Turkish, or demonstrate proficiency at the one-year level. Familiarity with the language that is spoken in the region of study will only help to enhance learning.
Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to complete the Minor.
Although Arabic is the only Language formally offered at UW, instruction in Hebrew for academic credit is at times available.
Students who are considering the Minor would typically need to begin planning for this during their Freshman or Sophomore years.

Arabic Language & Culture Track

Language courses for the minor, required

ARBC 1010 - First Year Arabic I Credits: 4
ARBC 1020 - First Year Arabic II Credits: 4
ARBC 2030 - Second Year Arabic I Credits: 4
ARBC 2040 - Second Year Arabic II Credits: 3

Language courses for the minor, optional:

Courses that can be counted towards the completion of the language requirement with approval of the MENA studies program director

ARBC 2475 - Independent Study in Arabic: Lower Division Credits: 1
ARBC 4475 - Independent Study in Arabic: Upper Division Credits: 1

Mandatory semester language study abroad or equivalent

Minimum of 3 credits must be from MENA language study abroad in a MENA country. For students that cannot travel abroad, this requirement may be fulfilled by participation in a domestic language immersion program (e.g. Concordia College’s Language Villages, among others)

Required Elective course: Select from the following

HIST 3220 - History of the Modern Middle East Credits: 3
INST 3400 - Politics and Society of Turkey Credits: 3
INST 4270 - Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa Credits: 3
INST 4275 - US Foreign Policy of the Middle East Credits: 3
Other courses may be considered eligible to satisfy the elective requirement, if approved the director of the MENA studies program

Total number of credits: 16

Middle East/North Africa Studies Track

Required Content courses

RELI 3220 - History of the Modern Middle East Credits: 3
OR
HIST 3220 - History of the Modern Middle East Credits: 3

Electives - 3 credits

HIST 3220 - History of the Modern Middle East Credits: 3
POLS 3300 - Model United Nations Credits: 1-3
INST 3400 - Politics and Society of Turkey Credits: 3
INST 4275 - US Foreign Policy of the Middle East Credits: 3
Other routes to receive elective credit may include:
- Up to 2 language courses in the Arabic program (such as ARBC 1010 or ARBC 1020)
- Honors/INST/POLS/ART topics courses with content focused on MENA themes (Approval of MENA studies director required)
- Internship credits from an internship focused on either supporting the MENA studies program or any other kind of internship in the MENA region/focusing on MENA themes
- Study abroad in The Middle East: Faculty led study abroad courses focused on Middle Eastern languages, cultures, politics, etc.
- Other courses with MENA content, at the discretion of the MENA studies program director