The certificate program should be of potential interest to all baccalaureate degree candidates. Students who following graduation will seek employment within the Middle East will gain a deeper understanding of the environment – historical, cultural, and political – which will serve them well; regardless of the profession they choose.

Study Abroad students benefit from the structured study of the Middle East as a means of complementing the understanding gained from living in the region.

The Certificate serves to complement the undergraduate degree program in which the student is enrolled, the result being a broadening of cultural knowledge and sensitivity – both of which play a role in professional endeavor and success.

The Middle Eastern Studies Certificate is an 18-credit hour program designed to give students in the area an appreciation and understanding of the region in which they are currently studying and in which many will be pursuing professional careers. It is an opportunity for these students to enhance their knowledge of the cultural, historical, and political factors that have shaped the Middle East through time and to a large extent, explain the profile and texture of the current Middle Eastern landscape.

For students outside the region (Study Abroad, etc.), the certificate program offers the unique opportunity to develop their interest in and awareness of Middle Eastern culture by living in a Middle Eastern country while earning credit at an American-accredited university.

The Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies program seeks to:

• educate students to such a level that they can function successfully in a contemporary global forum with an understanding of other ethnicities and nationalities, specifically those in the Middle East;
• provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the culture(s) of the Middle East region;
• provide students with the necessary skills to critically analyze current situations/events in the Middle East region, considering both cultural and historical backgrounds; and
• provide students with an understanding of the geopolitical role of the region in the context of the current concept of “globalization”.

Upon completion of the Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies, students will be able to:

• demonstrate required familiarity with Modern Standard Arabic;
• exhibit a geographic knowledge of the region including both physical and economic aspects;
• identify and discuss the historical underpinnings of the region;
• explain the basic tenets of the Islamic faith and the role various religions play in the societies of the Middle East;
• identify and discuss the various cultures whose presence contributes to and presents challenges to the cohesiveness of the region;
• identify the various political systems historically and currently practiced in the region; and
• identify significant contributions to human culture by civilizations in the region.