Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies Major, Modern Middle Eastern Studies Concentration
Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 24 advanced, in addition to prerequisites
- Grade Requirement: Students must maintain a B average in all courses for the minor; grades of B- or higher must be earned in each language course in order to advance to the next level. Pass/No Pass grades do not count toward the prerequisites or the major.
Students who wish to major in Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies will select one of two specializations: Comparative Jewish and Islamic Studies or Modern Middle Eastern Studies.
Required Courses
Prerequisites
- Completion of either the Modern Arabic or Modern Hebrew language curriculum through the 1000 and 2000 level, by coursework or by placement exam. (A student who skips the first four semesters of Arabic courses by placement must successfully complete ARAB 3010 Third-Level Arabic I. A student who skips the first four semesters of Hebrew courses by placement exam must successfully complete HBRW 3040 Third-Level Modern Hebrew I or HBRW 3140 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew. Students who complete the third-level language course with a grade of B- or better will receive 6 units of back credit.)
- JIMES 2081 Introduction to Jewish Civilization: History and Identity and JIMES 2100 Introduction to Islamic Civilization. (Students with substantial prior coursework may substitute an additional upper-level course with permission of their advisor and the Director of Undergraduate studies.)
Requirements for the Modern Middle Eastern Studies Specialization
- 15 credits, distributed as the student wishes, in 3000- and 4000-level JIMES courses, including (but not limited to) those listed below (students should confirm the applicability of a course with their advisor):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| HINDI 3040 | Sacred Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent | 3 |
| JIMES 3184 | A Rainbow Thread: A History of Queer Identities in Judaism and Islam | 3 |
| JIMES 3410 | Jews and American Popular Culture | 3 |
| JIMES 3661 | The Sephardic Experience: 1492 to the Present | 3 |
| JIMES 3820 | The History and Politics of Middle East Studies: Producing Expert Knowledge | 3 |
| JIMES 4023 | Jewish Christian Relations: A Multimedia History | 3 |
| JIMES 4043 | Race and Ethnicity in the Middle East and North Africa | 3 |
- 3 to 6 credits in 3000- and 4000-level courses that are pertinent to the modern Middle East and that may be based outside of the department (e.g., based in Anthropology, History, Global Studies, Political Science, Religious Studies), including (but not limited to) the following (students should confirm the applicability of a course with their advisor):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| JIMES 3232 | Religion and Nationalism in the Middle East & South Asia | 3 |
| JIMES 3301 | Modern Islam | 3 |
| JIMES 3302 | International Relation of the Middle East | 3 |
| JIMES 3520 | Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi: Genre-Fiction in Arabic Literature | 3 |
| JIMES 4025 | Muslims in the Media and Popular Culture | 3 |
- At least 3 credits in 3000- and 4000-level pre-modern Middle Eastern studies courses, such as (but not limited to) the following (students should confirm the applicability of a course with their advisor):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| JIMES 3087 | From Israelite Religion to Rabbinic Judaism | 3 |
| JIMES 3510 | Muhammad: His Life and Legacy | 3 |
| JIMES 3562 | Exodus | 3 |
| JIMES 3750 | In the Beginning: Creation Myths of the Biblical World | 3 |
| JIMES 3770 | History of Slavery in the Middle East | 3 |
- 3 credits in a departmental capstone course to be taken during the senior year. (Students may take this course during their junior year with permission of their advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies.) Capstone courses include (but are not limited to) the following (students should check the course listings in a given semester to see which Capstone is being offered or consult with their advisor):
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| JIMES 4002 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
| JIMES 4009 | Beyond Geography: The Meaning of Place in the Near East | 3 |
| JIMES 4062 | Conflict or Convivencia? Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Medieval Spain | 3 |
Additional Information
Students enrolled in preapproved Washington University study abroad programs during the regular academic semester can earn a maximum of 9 credits subject to review by their advisor and the director of undergraduate studies. Summer programs and transfer courses can be granted as many as 6 credits subject to review by the student's advisor and the director of undergraduate studies. A limit of 9 credits in total can be applied to the major whether the credits are earned via study abroad, summer programs, or transfer credit. For more information about preapproved study abroad programs, please visit the Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies Study Abroad Programs website.
Students must maintain a B average in all courses for the major. A grade of B- or higher must be earned in each language course in order to advance to the next level.
No course taken Pass/No Pass can count toward the prerequisites or the major.
A student may request credit for courses taken outside of the department by seeking the permission of the director of undergraduate studies and the department chair.
To be eligible to write a senior thesis, a student must maintain a grade point average of 3.65 through the sixth semester. Senior thesis writers should sign up for an appropriate 3-credit course during both the fall and spring semesters. (The 6 credits from these courses may be applied to the primary area of study.)
Contact Info
| Phone: | 314-935-8567 |
| Email: | jimes@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://jimes.wustl.edu |