Description
During the past 35 years, issues pertaining to the Middle East have preoccupied the world at large and pushed the region into the limelight. The international events closely related to the Middle East since September 2001 has made the study of the history, religion, politics, international relations, sociology, geography, economics, culture and literature of the region more attractive to students.
Events of December 2010, dubbed as the Arab Spring and preceded by Irans Green Movement have added to the interest in this region. Issues such as the economic might and political muscle of the Gulf States, implications of the rise of political and radical Islam in the world, reactions to Islamic radicalism and growing Islamophobia in the west, the models of transition to democracy experimented in the region are all piquing the interest and curiosity of students who witness the ever increasing interlacing of the Middle East with their own lives and academic curiosities as well as its impact on the world at large. The study of the Middle East has become a medium and an optic of understanding the world.
The Major in Middle East Pluralities is designed to expose students to the broad Middle East, including North Africa, as a region composed of countries with their own specificities; geographic, ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural, anthropologic, social, political and economic. The BA in Middle East Pluralities informs students about the heterogeneity as well as the similarities within Middle Eastern countries and the Middle East as a region as whole.
The courses in the major introduce students to the actors and factors which make up the region and the countries in it as well as the interaction of each particular country with one-another and the world community. This major combines a social science approach to regional studies without neglecting the humanities approach.
The BA in Middle East Pluralities is a degree which includes, yet transcends the traditional Middle East Studies degree at the BA level. This degree has four salient features:
- This is not a degree where students can pick and choose random courses from random disciplines, somehow related to the Middle East. This degree has a solid, inflexible core course component, establishing a common multi-disciplinary foundation for understanding and situating the Middle East.
- This degree is constructed on the belief that understanding the Middle East requires the knowledge of a language of the region, therefore the degree places emphasis on language acquisition.
- This degree exposes students to the diversities and pluralities in the Middle East, highlighting the inadequacies of homogenization as a method, bringing greater precision and clarity to the understanding of the subject matter.
- In addition to the core courses, the BA degree in Middle East Pluralities expects students to engage in a more in-depth study of particular topics of interest to them. This is done through the choice of two elective courses and the pursuit of a more focused and specialized research topic, culminate in a BA thesis.
Detailed Course Facts
Application deadline Fall Admission : Round 1 by 15 November; Round 2 by 1 February; Round 3 by 15 March; Round 4 by 1 June; Round 5 after 1 June; Spring Admission: Round 1 by 1 October; Round 2 by 15 November; Round 3 after 15 November Tuition fee- EUR 26590 Year (EEA)
- EUR 26590 Year (Non-EEA)
- English
Course Content
Requirements for the Major in Middle East PluralitiesRequired Core
- ME 2010 Situating the Middle East I: Socio-anthropological and politico-geographical diversities
- ME 2020 Situating the Middle East II: Religious, Cultural and Linguistic diversities
- ME 2030 Encounters between the Middle East and the West
- PO 3072 Politics of the Middle East
- HI 1006 World History from 1500
- AB/PN 1010 Elementary I (Arabic or Persian)
- AB/PN1020 Elementary II (Arabic or Persian)
- AB/PN 1030 Intermediate I (Arabic or Persian)
- AB/PN1040 Intermediate II (Arabic or Persian)
- ME/IS 3095 Senior Project
Electives
Choose two from the following.
- ES/HI 2010 Early Islamic History
- ES/HI 3017 The Islamic City
- ES/HI 3029 Jerusalem, Navel of the World
- FM 3076 Arab Cinema
- ME 3091 Topics in Middle East studies
- IS 3091 Topics in Islamic studies
The list of electives can increase as a function of new electives proposed by the Middle East and Islamic Studies MA program. Relevant courses from other departments subject to departmental approval could also add to the elective list.
Requirements
Application requirements - what you need to submit to usAn application to The American University of Paris requires several supporting documents and sometimes tests. Most requirements can be uploaded directly in your online application. We cannot provide you with a decision until we receive all of your documents.
- Online application form
- Personal statements
- Extracurricular activites and work experience
- Two letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts
- English language test
- SAT/ACT test scores (optional)
Work Experience
No work experience is required.
Want to improve your English level for admission?
Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.
- ✔️ Flexible study schedule
- ✔️ Experienced teachers
- ✔️ Certificate upon completion
📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.
Related Scholarships*
- Academic Excellence Scholarship
"The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."
- Alumni Study Travel Fund
Scholarships for students who are already attending the University of Reading.
- Amsterdam Merit Scholarships
The University of Amsterdam aims to attract the world’s brightest students to its international classrooms. Outstanding students from outside the European Economic Area can apply for an Amsterdam Merit Scholarship.
* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than The American University of Paris.
Funding
Financial aid and scholarshipsAn AUP education is an important investment in your future, and we work hard to make it an affordable one. Our tuition and costs are competitive with those of small, selective universities in the United States, and we offer merit scholarships and need- and merit-based financial aid that make affording AUP even more manageable.
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