Princeton - Class of 2004 Sophomore Academic Handbook - Department of Near Eastern Studies/Program in Near Eastern Studies

PrincetonUniversity
Class of 2004 Sophomore Academic Handbook

Department of Near Eastern Studies/Program in Near Eastern Studies

Princeton's Department of Near Eastern Studies offers courses in Near Eastern cultures and civilizations, stretching from the Atlantic shores of Morocco through the Arab world, Israel, Turkey, and Iran to Afghanistan. If you are interested in the medieval Near East, or in any aspect of the modern and contemporary Middle East, you will find a wide range of study options. With a faculty of fifteen and a small body of undergraduate concentrators, students receive especially close attention, both in courses and in independent work.

Concentrators in the department are of course free to find more courses in other departments. In the past, our students have attended courses in
the departments of art, comparative literature, religion, history, politics, economics, and anthropology. Similarly, those majoring in the social sciences with an interest in the modern Middle East have taken courses in the department, and obtained a certificate in Near Eastern studies while satisfying the requirements in their own departments. Flexibility in planning programs is a hallmark of the department. Examples of recent theses developed by students include "Critique of Arab Nationalist Resources," "Polarization of Palestinian Identity," "Turkish Women and Education," "The Bible as a 'Jewish Qur'an' in the Middle Ages," "Secular Writings (poetry, letters) of the Andalusian Courtier Rabbis of the 10th to 12th Centuries." The department also regularly gives prizes for the best junior and senior independent work. Details on the many options can be found on our Web site at www.princeton.edu/~nes.

Whatever you wish to study, language is the bedrock, and we recommend that you start the one you choose as soon as possible. The languages offered include Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish. Summer language programs are available both in the United States and the Near East to speed the process and help those who have a late start. The Near East program is frequently able to offer financial assistance to students taking such language courses. Another option that many students choose is to spend an academic year or semester right in the Middle East, studying the language and living the culture.

Concentrators in Near Eastern studies have been able to apply their training directly in careers in international business, banking, the media, the foreign service, and teaching and research. At the same time, an undergraduate concentration in Near Eastern studies is an appropriate liberal arts field within the broader area of the humanities and social sciences for those considering entirely different occupations.

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