2000-01 Bulletin Entry for:
Objectives
The IMES concentration is an interdisciplinary curriculum sponsored by the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies in conjunction with the faculty from several other departments. It is designed to provide a strong foundation in Middle Eastern studies with a specialized knowledge of Islam. The concentration requires students to take elective courses from the departments represented by the faculty committee. Key contributing departments, in addition to Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, include politics, history, economics, sociology, African and Afro-American studies, and anthropology. With a solid training in language, political theory and praxis, history, economics, sociology, and anthropology, the concentration is especially appropriate for students wishing to pursue graduate work, particularly in the field of Middle Eastern studies, or for those who wish to pursue careers dealing directly or indirectly with the Middle East.
How to Become a Concentrator or Program Member
The student who wishes to concentrate in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies must take the core course in Islamic civilization (IMES 104a) and at least two full years of a Middle Eastern language. The two years of language may be comprised of either two years of Arabic or, alternatively, one year of Arabic and one year of another Middle Eastern language, such as Persian or Hebrew. In addition, with the goal of achieving a balanced understanding of the overall field of study, the student must take two courses in the classical period and two courses in the modern, as well as four courses to be chosen from the wide intellectual variety of elective courses. Study in the Middle East for a term or a year is encouraged. As a culmination of the student's education, he or she is encouraged to write a senior thesis, with emphasis on some aspect of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies.
The student who wishes to complete the program in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies must take the core course IMES 104a (Islam: Civilization and Institutions) and at least one full year of a Middle Eastern language. In addition, the student must take one course in the classical period and one in the modern, as well as two courses to be chosen from the variety of elective courses.
Committee
Yitzhak Nakash, Chair
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
Tzvi Abusch
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
Seyom Brown
(Politics)
Gordon Fellman
(Sociology)
Avigdor Levy
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
Kanan Makiya
(Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)
Leonard Muellner
(Classical Studies)
Wellington Nyangoni
(African and Afro-American Studies)
Luis Yglesias
(Romance and Comparative Literature)
Requirements for the Concentration
A. Either four semesters of Arabic (usually ARBC 10a, 20b, 30a, and 40b) or two semesters of Arabic and two semesters of another Middle Eastern language such as Hebrew (HBRW 10a and 20b).
B. Core course: IMES 104a (Islam: Civilization and Institutions).
C. At least two courses pertaining to the classical period from the following electives: NEJS 103a, 103b, 144a, 147a.
D. At least two courses pertaining to the modern period from the following electives: HIST 184a, NEJS 143b, 145b, 146b, 147b, 148a, 157a, 161b, 195b, 197b, SOC 157a.
E. Four additional courses from the list of electives below.
Requirements for the Program
A. Two semesters of a Middle Eastern language.
B. Core course: IMES 104a (Islam: Civilization and Institutions).
C. At least one course pertaining to the classical period from the following electives: NEJS 103a and b, 144a, 147a.
D. At least one course pertaining to the modern period from the following electives: HIST 184a, NEJS 143b, 145b, 147b, 148a, 157a, 161b, 195b, 197b, SOC 157a.
E. Two additional courses from the list of electives below.
Courses of Instruction
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
IMES 98a Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IMES 98b Independent Study
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
IMES 99d Senior Research
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
IMES 104a Islam: Civilization and Institutions
[ cl38 nw hum ]
This course considers major issues in Islamic history, providing an appreciation of Islamic religion, civilization, and culture. Topics include Islam's relations with other civilizations and its role in contemporary society. Usually offered in odd years.
Mr. Levy
Elective Courses
The following courses are approved for the program. Not all are given in any one year, so the Course Schedule for each semester should be consulted.
Economics of Third World Hunger
Economy and Society in Africa
Third World Ideologies
Political Economy of the Third World
Africa in World Politics
World Religions
Tradition and the Contemporary Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa
Selected Topics in Comparative Religion: Seminal Works in the Study of Religion
Comparative Economic Systems
Introduction to the Economics of Development
The Civilization of the Early Middle Ages
The Civilization of the High and Late Middle Ages
The Crusades and the Expansion of Medieval Europe
Nineteenth-Century Europe: Nationalism, Imperialism, Socialism (1850-1919)
Evolution of the International System, 1815 to the Present
Europe since 1945
World War II
NEJS 103a and b
Advanced Literary Arabic
Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages
Near Eastern Law: Source, Sense, and Society
Biblical Ritual and Cult
The New Testament: A Historical Introduction
Shi'ism and Political Protest in the Middle East`
Jews in the World of Islam
The Making of the Modern Middle East
The Destruction of the Ottoman Empire, 1800-1923
The Rise and Decline of the Ottoman Empire, 1300-1800
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Radical Islam
History of the State of Israel since 1948
The Monument and the City
Modern Jewish History to 1880
Modern Jewish History, 1880-1948
Politics and the Culture of the Contemporary Middle East
The Politics of Revolution: State Violence and Popular Insurgency in the Third World
Politics of Africa
War and Possibilities of Peace
Sociology of the Israeli-Palestinian Confrontation
Women Leaders and Transformation in Developing Countries
Environmental Sociology
The Woman's Voice in the Muslim World