DEGREE UPDATE
No new students for the Middle Eastern and North African Studies BA degree are being admitted as of Fall 2026. This degree is now being offered as Global Studies with an emphasis in Middle Eastern and North African Studies.
Overview
- 120 total units to complete the degree
- 35 units in the major; 18 of which are upper-division
- 42 of upper-division units total
- Minor (or dual-major) required
- Elective credit to reach 120/42 may be required
- Maximum of 6 units of independent study courses can be used toward the major
Foundations
- 1st Year English or equivalent
- Math: PHIL 110, LING 123, MATH 105, 107, 112 or higher
- 4th semester second language proficiency
General Education
- UNIV 101: Introduction to General Education
- Exploring Perspectives: Artist
- Exploring Perspectives: Humanist
- Exploring Perspectives: Social Scientist
- Exploring Perspectives: Natural Scientist
- Building Connections
- Building Connections
- Building Connections
- UNIV 301: Portfolio
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Core Series
SBS majors who start their coursework in Fall 2024 will also be required to complete a total of nine (9) units in the SBS Core Series, three (3) units in each category. Click each category to see a list of eligible courses:
Minor
18 units in a minor or a double-major are required.
Introductory Courses
Complete all the following courses (9 units):
- MENA 277A: History of the Middle East: 600-1453
- MENA 277B: A People's History of the Modern Middle East
- MENA 334: Islamic Thought
Senior Capstone
Complete MENA 498: Senior Capstone (1 unit)
Language Tracks
Complete one of the following language tracks (10 units):
Arabic
- ARB 401: Intermediate Arabic I
- ARB 402: Intermediate Arabic II
Hebrew
- JUS 203A: Intermediate Modern Hebrew
- JUS 203B: Intermediate Modern Hebrew
Persian
- PRS 401: Intermediate Persian I
- PRS 402: Intermediate Persian II
Turkish
- TURK 401: Intermediate Turkish I
- TURK 402: Intermediate Turkish II
Major Electives
Complete 2 of the following courses (6 units):
- ARB 426: Introduction to Arabic Linguistics
- ARB 448: Arabic Literature in English Translation
- ARB 496M: Special Topics in Arabic Linguistics
- LING 454: Structure of a Middle Eastern Language
- MENA 160A1: The Religion of Islam
- MENA 160A2: Middle East Humanities
- MENA 330: Languages and Societies of the Middle East
- MENA 337: Language and Power in the Middle East and North Africa
- MENA 353: Islamic Spirituality through the Poetry of Rumi
- MENA 354: Food Traditions of the Middle East and North Africa
- MENA 365: Muslim Views of the West
- MENA 379: The Ottoman Turkish Empire
- MENA 385: Introduction to Political Islam
- MENA 406B: Modern Iran
- MENA 430A: Language and Society in the Middle East
- MENA 422: Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa
- MENA 436: Love, Sex and Desire in the Islamicate Imaginary
- MENA 459A: Turkey: Culture, Power and History
- MENAS 463: Gender Issues and Women's Literature in the Middle East
- MENA 466: The Middle Eastern City and Islamic Urbanism
- MENA 471: Iranian Cinema, Gender Issues, and Social Change
- MENA 485A: History of the Iranian Plateau, 600-1501
- MENA 485G: Modern Arabia and the Gulf
- MENA 485P: Palestinian Culture and Society, 1900-Present
- MENA 496C: The Literature of Identity in the Modern Middle East
- MENA 496D: The Late Ottoman Empire
- MENA 496E: Marxism and the Middle East
- PRS 496A: Topics in Classical and Ancient Persian Literature and Culture
- PRS 496B: Topics in Modern Persian Literature and Iranian Culture
- TURK 410: Topics in Turkish Language, Literature, Culture, History & Society
Writing Emphasis
Complete one of the following courses (3 units):
- MENA 342: Persian World
- MENA 344: Genealogies of ISIS
- MENA 365: Muslim Views of the West
- MENA 375: Ethnography of the Middle East
- MENA 380: The Middle East and North Africa Since the "Arab Spring"
- MENA 389: Middle Eastern Ethnic and Religious Minorities
- MENA 403: Art and Architecture of the Islamic World
- MENA 408A: Islamic Movements in the Contemporary Muslim World
- MENA 417A: North African Societies: History, Culture and Politics
- MENA 430A: Language and Society in the Middle East
- MENA 444: Islamic Mysticism
- MENA 451: Gender and Violence in the Middle East
- MENA 456: Jews of the Islamic World in the Modern Period (1840-Present)
- MENA 463: Gender Issues and Women's Literature in the Middle East
- MENA 471: Iranian Cinema, Gender Issues, and Social Change
- MENA 480: The Middle East in the Twentieth Century
- MENA 484: History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1800 to Present
- MENA 490: Women in Middle Eastern Society
- MENA 496B: Special Topics in Middle Eastern and North African Studies
- MENA 496G: Islamic Law and Society
- MENA 496S: Colonialism and the Critique of Modernity
- PRS 496A: Topics in Classical and Ancient Persian Literature and Culture
- PRS 496B: Topics in Modern Persian Literature and Iranian Culture
Additional Courses
Complete 2 additional courses (6 units).
A comprehensive list of MENA courses can be found in the Course Catalog under MENA - Middle Eastern & North African Studies