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 1950’s, 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. The Program 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. Ph.D. Program The Middle East Studies Program accepts Ph.D. students. Typical Middle East Studies Courses Click here to view full course descriptions - 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)
- Legal Problems in the Arab-Israeli Conflict (International Law and Organizations)
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