Director
John E. Woods
Associate Director
Martin Stokes
Assistant Director
Rusty Rook
Project Assistant
Dina Rabadi
Please see entry for Center for Middle Eastern Studies for the list of
Middle Eastern Studies faculty, also available at http://cmes.uchicago.edu.
The Center for Middle Eastern Studies offers an interdisciplinary Master
of Arts program specifically designed for students who wish to use their
knowledge of the Middle East in careers other than university teaching
and research. Language and area studies preparation may be supplemented
by relevant course work in a professional school or department. Students
may be admitted to the Master of Arts program in either the Division of
the Social Sciences or the Humanities and will receive the degree from
the division through which they have registered. Students interested in
Middle Eastern or Islamic studies who wish to earn a graduate degree leading
to careers in research and college or university teaching should apply
for admission directly to one of the graduate doctoral departments or
committees of the University.
Admission
Applicants for the Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies are expected
to meet
the graduate admission requirements of the University and of the division
to which they apply. In addition, applicants to the Middle Eastern Studies
program must submit an academic writing sample. Students are encouraged
to enter the program in the autumn quarter. Although the program is designed
for full-time students, applications from those who can attend only on
a part-time basis will be considered.
Program Requirements
Only courses taken for a quality grade count toward fulfilling the requirements.
No P or R grades will be accepted.
The requirements are satisfactory completion of:
- Six quarters of a Middle Eastern language;
- One or two quarters of the core colloquium, Introduction to the Study
of the Middle East (All A.M.students are required to take the first
quarter of this course; those intending to pursue their studies at a
higher level are strongly advised to take both quarters);
- Three quarters of an approved integrated Middle Eastern survey course
such as Introduction to Judaic Civilization, or History of the Islamic
Middle East, 600 to the Present;
- Six or seven courses in relevant electives;
- One course in thesis preparation, or reading and research;
- A master’s thesis.
The Master of Arts program as described above (with six quarters in area
studies including the two-quarter core course and a three-quarter survey
course, and five relevant electives) is well-suited for the dual degree
option offered by the Harris School of Public Policy Studies. A student
may earn a one-year A.M. in Public Policy if he has appropriate study
in another graduate area of the university.
Language
Placement examinations will be given so that entering students may register
for courses at the appropriate level of instruction. All or part of the
language requirement may be met through the placement examination.
Students who elect to study Arabic will concentrate on either the modern
literary language or on one of the colloquial languages. Students who
elect to study Persian, Turkish, or Hebrew will concentrate on the modern
and contemporary idiom.
Middle Eastern Studies
All students in the A.M. program are required to take the first half
of the two-quarter core colloquium Introduction to the Study of Islamic
History (History 58000, 58100; Near Eastern History and Civilization 30631,
30632). Students must enroll in one of the two following three-quarter
sequences: Introduction to Judaic Civilization (Jewish Studies 31000,
31100, 31200) or History of the Islamic Middle East (History 35700, 35800,
35900; Near Eastern History and Civilization 30621, 30622, 30623). Those
with previous work in Islamic studies will be advised to substitute, where
appropriate, more advanced and specialized courses in the field.
Electives
In consultation with advisers, students select courses providing instruction
in skills related to their future careers. These courses may be in research
methodology; statistics; cross-cultural, demographic, or economic analysis;
or computer training. They may be selected from the offerings of departments
in the graduate divisions, such as the Departments of Economics, Statistics,
or Sociology; or of the professional schools, such as the Graduate School
of Business, the Law School, the Harris School of Public Policy Studies
or the School of Social Service Administration.
Students are strongly encouraged to consider participating in the University
Writing Program (“Little Red Schoolhouse”).
Master’s Thesis
Students are required to submit a master’s thesis that should deal
with a problem relevant to the student’s intended career and should
give evidence of the specialized disciplinary aspects of his or her training.
The student’s program adviser and a faculty member with special interest
in the subject of the paper will guide the research and writing of the
paper and judge whether it exhibits proof of competence in the field.
During the writing of the paper, the student will register for a thesis
preparation or reading and research course.
The thesis title will be listed on the student’s transcript.
Courses
Consult in these Announcements and in the quarterly Time Schedules the
listings of the Departments of Art History, Anthropology, English Language
& Literature, History, Music, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations,
Political Science, Sociology, South Asian Languages & Civilizations,
and the Committee on Geographical Studies.
This text last revised on 9/03/2003
|
