The Middle East Studies Program offers policy-oriented courses as well as courses taking a more theoretical approach to the study of the region. Courses do not cover particular countries as much as they examine the traditions and other variables that shape the politics and life of the region. Students are exposed to material from area studies, comparative history, sociology, social psychology and political economy. Middle East Studies and the Arabic language were first introduced into the SAIS curriculum in 1946, but the department as it stands today did not really evolve until 1950 when Professor Majid Khadduri distinguished himself by creating at SAIS the country's first graduate program on the modern Middle East. Since then, the program in Middle East Studies has had a consistent vision: that of mixing the classic study of the culture and history of the region with contemporary political analysis. Graduates of the program have entered careers in public affairs and the private sector with a firm grounding in the historical themes and traditions of the Middle East, a working knowledge of Arabic, and a broad understanding of the politics and life of the Middle East. During the 1950s, the Middle East program under Khadduri boasted the largest area studies program and some of the first Ph.D. students at SAIS. When Khadduri retired in 1980, Lebanese-born Professor Fouad Ajami was appointed director and continues to oversee a small but thriving program today. As director of the Middle East Studies Program at SAIS, Fouad Ajami likes to "walk on the edge" between the topical and the historical since he feels there is no other way to understand the region and its lack of political stability. "You have to find the magic of the middle ground between that which passes under the name of policy analysis and that which passes under the name of cultural analysis - the study of history and civilization," he explains. Campus Options Students at the Bologna Center who have taken up to three Middle East Studies courses and have achieved an Intermediate-Low level of Arabic proficiency will qualify as Middle East Studies concentrators in their second year of studies in Washington, D.C. Co-curricular Activities Course work is complemented by a guest-speaker series, generally focused on current events in the region. Student-led activities (field trips during winter break, movie nights and other social events) offer additional opportunities to discover other aspects of the region. Click here for more information on program activities. Other Opportunities Scholarships are available to assist qualified students at the Washington, D.C., campus who wish to spend their summer break in the region studying Arabic and conducting primary research for their thesis. The program encourages students to carefully design their summer abroad in order to take full advantage of both research and language training opportunities. Click here for more information on program scholarships. Ph.D. Program The Middle East Studies Program does not accept Ph.D. applications. Typical Middle East Studies Courses Click here to view full course listing. - Arab Political Thought and Practice
- The Arab-Israeli Peace Process
- Behavioral Sociology of Conflict
- Global Jihad and Islamist Terrorism
- History of the Modern Middle East
- International Relations of the Middle East
- Islam in Domestic and International Politics
- Research Seminar in Modern Arab Politics
- States and Societies of the Middle East and Muslim Africa
- States, Revolutionaries and Terrorism
- U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Suggested Electives Offered by Other Programs - Europe and Islam (European Studies)
- Turkey and its Strategic Environment (European Studies)
- Comparative Law: The Islamic Legal System (International Law)
- Legal Problems in the Arab-Israeli Conflict (International Law and Organizations)
- Northeast Asia and the Islamic World (Japan Studies)
- Policy Options for State Building in Afghanistan (South Asia Studies)
- Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Approach of a Society in War (South Asia Studies)
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