AUC The American University in Cairo
Middle East Studies (BA)

New Cairo City, Egypt

DEGREE TYPE

DURATION

1 up to

3 years

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

EARLIEST START DATE

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

Key Summary

About: AUC’s Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Studies is a multidisciplinary programme drawing on anthropology, Arabic studies, economics, history, political science, and sociology. Based in Cairo, the programme connects students with academics, public intellectuals, writers, artists, research centers, and government practitioners. Faculty include Karim Haggag, an Egyptian career diplomat and professor of practice who directs the Middle East Studies Center and brings expertise in diplomacy, regional security, arms control, and nonproliferation.

Career Outcomes: Graduates may pursue careers in journalism, politics, nongovernmental work, academia, and international consulting, and related roles such as policy analysis, diplomacy, research, media, education, and NGO management.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the modern Middle East. AUC’s Bachelor of Arts in Middle East studies is a multidisciplinary program that draws on a broad range of course offerings provided by different academic units and centers from across the University, including anthropology, Arabic studies, economics, history, political science, and sociology. Studying this critical region at AUC gives our students the advantage of being in Cairo, the heart of the Middle East, which allows us to draw on a range of resources beyond the University, including academics, public intellectuals, writers, artists, other research centers and government practitioners. All of these elements are integrated into our program, enriching the academic study of our students.

Expert Faculty

Karim Haggag ’92

Karim Haggag is an Egyptian career diplomat with over 25 years of service in Egypt’s diplomatic corps. He currently serves as a professor of practice at the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and director of the Middle East Studies Center at The American University in Cairo. Throughout his career, he has served in numerous capacities focusing on U.S.-Egyptian relations, Middle East regional security, arms control and nonproliferation, and Arab-Israeli diplomacy. Haggag is a graduate of The American University in Cairo and has earned a master’s degree in war studies from King’s College London.

What You’ll Learn:

The history, culture, and current issues of the Middle East region
The critical skills needed to compete in today’s global marketplace, including critical thinking, research, communication and presentation, and digital literac

Core Curriculum (40 credits)

Non-Arabic speaking students must take six hours of colloquial or literary Arabic.

Concentration Requirements (45 credits)

Apart from the Core requirements, students must take two courses from the 200 and 300-level courses in each of the following six field fields: Anthropology, Arab Studies, Economics, History, Political Science, and Sociology. In addition, the student must take a total of three, 400-level courses selected from the above fields. The rest of the courses beyond the Core and Middle East Studies major must be advanced level courses unless they are part of the requirements of a Minor.

In the case of ARIC and HIST courses, if the student takes one of the courses listed below as part of the Core requirements, the student must take another course from the Core courses listed under these fields.

200 and 300-level course requirements (36 credits)

ANTH 202/2101 - Cultural Anthropology (3 cr.)
ANTH 312/3301 - Anthropologies of the Middle East and North Africa (3 cr.)
ARIC 246/2346 - Survey of Arab History (3 cr.)
ECON 201/2021 - Introduction to Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
ECON 215/2051 - Economic History of the Modern Middle East (3 cr.)
HIST 355/3213 - State and Society in the Middle East, 1699-1914 (3 cr.)
HIST 356/3214 - State and Society in the Middle East, 1906-present (3 cr.)
POLS 203/2003 - Introduction to Political Science II (3 cr.)
POLS 308/3408 - Comparative Politics of the Middle East (3 cr.)
SOC 303/3303 - Social Movements (3 cr.)
SOC 370/3085 - Environmental Issues in Egypt (3 cr.)

Choose one of the following

ARIC 343/3343 - Birth of Muslim Community and Rise of the Arab Caliphates (3 cr.)
ARIC 321/3321 - Zawiyas, Harems, Coffee shops, Everyday Life in the Pre-Modern Mideast (3 cr.)
ARIC 353/3353 - Muslim Political Thought (3 cr.)

400-level course requirements (9 credits)

In addition to the above courses, students are required to take three 400-level courses from the following list:

ANTH 425/4030 - Women, Islam and the State (3 cr.)
ANTH 450/4050 - Critical Approaches to Development (3 cr.)

ANTH 460/4560 - Development Studies Seminar (3 cr.)
ARIC 439/5142 - Islamic Law (3 cr.)
ARIC 451/5133 - Islamic Institutions (3 cr.)
ARIC 454/5134 - Modern Movements in Islam (3 cr.)
ECON 415/4051 - Seminar on Economic Development and Policy in the Middle East (3 cr.)
HIST 412/4290 - Selected Topics in Modern Egyptian History (3 cr.)

HIST 462/4288 - Selected Topics in the History of the Modern Middle East (3 cr.)
HIST 462/4288 - Selected Topics in the History of the Modern Middle East (3 cr.)
MEST 430/4301 - Special Topics in Middle East Studies (3 cr.)
POLS 420/4420 - Issues in Middle East Politics (3 cr.)
POLS 423/4523 - The Political Economy of Poverty and Inequality (3 cr.)
POLS 442/4542 - Environmental Politics (3 cr.)
SOC 450/4106 - Critical Approaches to Development (3 cr.)