Learning Goals

By majoring in Middle Eastern Studies, students should:

• Develop proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, or another language widely spoken in the Middle East. By "proficiency" we mean: 
  • Ability to read newspapers, magazines, and popular literature.
  • Ability to converse with a native speaker on non-technical subjects.
  • Ability to write coherent paragraphs on non-technical subjects. 
• Develop knowledge of the history of the premodern and modern Middle East. 
• Develop knowledge of the arts, literature, religions, and philosophies of the Middle East. 
• Develop knowledge of the geography, politics, economics, and societies of the Middle East.

Faculty

This area of study is administered by the Asian Studies Committee:

Calvin Chen, Carol Hoffmann Collins '63 Professor of International Studies and Professor of Politics

Satyananda Gabriel, Professor of Economics, Teaching Spring Only

Sohail Hashmi, Professor of International Relations on the Alumnae Foundation and Professor of Politics

Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics, Teaching Fall Only

Susanne Mrozik, Professor of Religion, Teaching Fall Only

Naoko Nemoto, Professor of Asian Studies

Joshua Roth, Professor of Anthropology

Ajay Sinha, Julie '73 and Helene '49 Herzig Professor of Art History

Ying Wang, Felicia Gressitt Bock Professor of Asian Studies, Teaching Fall Only

Elif Babul, Associate Professor of Anthropology, On Leave 2024-2025

Amina Steinfels, Associate Professor of Religion

Lan Wu, Associate Professor of History

Kyae-Sung Park, Five College Senior Lecturer in Korean, Teaching Spring Only

Lisha Xu, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies

Jinhwa Chang, Lecturer in Japanese

Shin-Yi Kao, Language Instructor in Asian Studies

Minhee Kang, Visiting Instructor in Korean; UMass Teaching Associate

Jumee Lee, Visiting Instructor in Korean; UMass Teaching Associate

Alice Kao, Instructor of Chinese

The Five College certificate in Middle Eastern Studies is administered by the Five College Committee for Middle Eastern Studies, which includes the program advisor from Mount Holyoke:

Sohail Hashmi, Professor of International Relations on the Alumnae Foundation and Professor of Politics

Requirements for the Major

A minimum of 40 credits:

¹

Classes in Arabic and Modern Hebrew are currently taught in the Five Colleges. Additional courses in Arabic and in other languages are offered through the Five College Mentored Language Program. Students may count up to 4 credits toward the major for studying a Middle Eastern language through the Five College Mentored Language Program.

²

A full list of the approved courses for the major appears at the end of the Middle Eastern Studies Courses section.

³

In order to count toward the major, studio art or performance courses must be supplemented with analytical written work.

⁴

A course that is taught outside of Mount Holyoke College must be approved by the chair of the Asian Studies program to count as a 300-level course.

Additional Specifications

• Any course that devotes 50 percent or more of its substance to Middle Eastern countries, peoples, or issues may be counted toward the major. One course on Middle Eastern diasporas may count toward the major.

• A maximum of 16 lower-level language credits and a total of 24 language credits can be counted toward the major.

• Students who declare a Middle Eastern studies major automatically fulfill the College's "outside the major" requirement.

Requirements for the Certificate

Because of the wide range of courses available through the Five Colleges, students must design a program that will meet their intellectual, academic, and prospective professional needs in conjunction with a Middle Eastern Studies advisor from Mount Holyoke. Students are encouraged to declare intentions and begin work with an advisor during the sophomore year.

A minimum of seven courses:

¹

Classes in Arabic and Modern Hebrew are currently taught in the Five Colleges. Additional courses in Arabic and in other languages are offered through the Five College Mentored Language Program. This requirement may be fulfilled through course completion or by examination.

Additional Specifications

• Students are also encouraged to spend time in the Middle East, learning Arabic and other languages and immersing themselves in the culture of the area. Plans for study abroad should be designed in consultation with the student’s advisor.
• Courses offered at the Five Colleges in the upcoming semester that qualify for the Certificate are listed on the certificate’s website, as is the application students must submit when all requirements have been completed. Courses not listed, whether taken at one of the Five Colleges or elsewhere, must be approved by the committee on the recommendation of the campus advisor.
• Students must receive a grade of B or better in every course counted toward the certificate.
• Contact information: Sohail Hashmi, Professor of International Relations; Amina Steinfels, Associate Professor of Religion; https://www.fivecolleges.edu/academics/middle-eastern-studies.

Most Middle Eastern studies courses at Mount Holyoke are listed below, but students should also consult the catalogue entries or websites of other departments, including art history, history, international relations, politics, and religion.

Middle Eastern Studies majors should also plan to use the rich resources of the Five College Consortium in selecting their courses (listings are available through the Five College Class Schedule or individual college websites).

Please consult the chair of the Asian studies program for guidelines regarding Asian languages not taught in the Five Colleges.

Courses Counting toward the Major in Middle Eastern Studies

Courses Counting toward the Five College Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies

A list of currently offered courses approved towards the Five College certificate is maintained on the certificate's website.