Middle East & North African Studies Major
Middle East and North African Studies (MENA) trains students to develop critical and analytical thinking on the Middle East and the Maghreb through an interdisciplinary, transnational approach. The MENA major draws on a number of departments and programs across Tulane’s School of Liberal Arts to offer a wide array of courses introducing students to the rich history, layered politics, diverse cultures, linguistic, and religious traditions of a complex region. This background enables students to transcend simplistic generalizations and stereotypes about the region and its people while promoting students’ global literacy in an increasingly interconnected world. The MENA major prepares students to pursue careers in government, policy, trade, research, and a variety of other fields.
Students must complete at least ten courses (30 credits minimum) from an approved list of Middle East-related courses. These ten courses must be distributed as follows:
1. Arabic & Hebrew courses: Students must take at least one course in Arabic beyond ARBC 2030 Intermediate Arabic (normally, ARBC 3150) or at least one course in Hebrew beyond HBRW 2030 Intermediate Hebrew I (normally, HBRW 2130 Intermediate Hebrew II). Students who demonstrate proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, or Persian language in a suitable manner can substitute another Middle East-related course from the approved list for this requirement. Turkish and Persian are not offered at Tulane.
2. History courses: Students must take HISM 2200 History of Islam to 1400 and HISM 2210 History of Modern Middle East, 1750 to the Present. Students can petition to count similar courses at other universities or programs toward this requirement.
3. Arab-Israeli Conflict: Students must take one course on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
4. Politics courses: Students must take at least one of the following two courses: POLC 3340 Middle East Comparative Politics or POLI 4660 Middle East Security.
5. Electives: Students must select at least five elective courses from the approved electives list. These must be advanced content courses, at least one of which must be at the 4000 or 6000 level.
Students pursuing this bachelor’s degree must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in the Newcomb-Tulane College core curriculum, 120 credit hours in their degree and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.000. More information on degree and core curriculum requirements can be found here.
See Sample Plan of Study below.
Curriculum Requirements
Students must complete at least ten courses (minimum of 30 credit hours) as follows:
Required Courses
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic & Hebrew Requirements | ||
| Students must take at least one course in Arabic beyond ARBC 2030 Intermediate Arabic (normally, ARBC 3150) or at least one course in Hebrew beyond HBRW 2030 Intermediate Hebrew I (normally, HBRW 2130 Intermediate Hebrew II). 1 | 3 | |
Arabic Courses | ||
| Advanced Arabic | ||
| Media Arabic | ||
| Introduction to Arabic Literature | ||
| Arab Modern Culture | ||
| Arabic for International Relations and Diplomacy | ||
Hebrew Courses | ||
| Intermediate Hebrew II | ||
| Advanced Hebrew I | ||
| Advanced Hebrew II | ||
| History Requirements | ||
| Students must take both of the following courses. Students can petition to count similar courses at other universities or programs toward this requirement. 2 | ||
| HISM 2200 | Pre-Modern Islamic World | 3 |
| HISM 2210 | History of Modern Middle East since 18th Century | 3 |
| Arab-Israeli Conflict Requirement | ||
| Students must take one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Arab/Israeli Conflict | ||
or POLI 4670 | Politics of Arab Israeli Confl | |
or HISM 3220 | Arab/Israeli Conflict | |
or POLI 3550 | Conflict Mgmt in Arab-Israeli | |
| Politics Requirement | ||
| Students must take at least one of the following two courses: | 3 | |
| Middle East Comp Politics | ||
| Middle East Security | ||
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Students must select at least five elective courses from the approved electives list. These must be advanced content courses, at least one of which must be at the 4000 or 6000 level. | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
1 Students who demonstrate proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, or Persian language in a suitable manner can substitute another Middle East-related course from the approved list for this requirement. Turkish and Persian are not offered at Tulane.
2 These courses are offered at least once every other year. They must be taken in the first semester that they are offered after the student enters the program.
Elective Courses
Courses listed above taken in addition to the minimum required courses can also count as electives. Additional electives may be added with permission of the Program Director.
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology Courses | ||
| ANTH 3470 | Many Faces of Islam | 3 |
| French Courses | ||
| FREN 4530 | Islam and Enlightenment | 3 |
| FREN 4830 | Francophone Literature of the Maghreb | 3 |
| FREN 4831 | Writing Algeria | 3 |
| FREN 4850 | Morocco in Film and Literature | 3 |
| FREN 4870 | Women Writers of the Arab World | 3 |
| History Courses | ||
| HISM 3910 | Special Topics | 1-4 |
| HISM 6910 | Special Topics | 1-4 |
| Jewish Studies Courses | ||
| JWST 3740 | Israel: Culture, Pol, and Hist | 3,4 |
| JWST 4500 | The History of Zionism | 3-4 |
| Middle East North African Studies Courses | ||
| MENA 4100 | Home and the World: Arab American Experiences | 3 |
| Political Science Courses | ||
| POLI 3020 | Special Projects | 3-4 |
| Spanish Courses | ||
| SPAN 4300 | Literatures and Cultures of Al-Andalus | 3 |
Sample Plan of Study
This example plan of study for the BA in Middle East and North African Studies represents a fall semester start and encompasses all program requirements. Students are responsible for reviewing university, school, and program requirements, along with prerequisites and the sequencing of courses in coordination with their academic and major advisors.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| Language Prerequisite(s) (Courses vary based on Placement Test results) | Varies | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 16 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Language Prerequisite(s) (Courses vary based on Placement Test results) | Varies | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 15 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| ARBC 3150 or HBRW 2130 |
Advanced Arabic or Intermediate Hebrew II |
3 |
| HISM 2200 | Pre-Modern Islamic World | 3 |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| HISM 2210 | History of Modern Middle East since 18th Century | 3 |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one Arab-Israeli Conflict Requirement elective | 3 | |
| Select one Politics Requirement elective | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select two major electives | 6 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 10 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select two major electives | 6 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one major elective | 3 | |
| NTC Core and General Electives | 10 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
Program String and Field of Study: LABA_UG, MENA
For more information, contact the School of Liberal Arts.