Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies

Develop a nuanced understanding of the Middle East, informed by study of its Islamic and related traditions.

Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MIST) Program students immerse themselves in the history, culture, and politics of the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and the rest of the Islamic world.

Through historical and cultural analysis, students explore the development of Islamic societies in multiple regions.

The program offers a major or minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, including four years of Modern Standard Arabic and multiple study-abroad opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa.

Graduates go on to careers in NGOs, military intelligence, government agencies, educational non-profits, media, journalism, humanitarian organizations, and various graduate programs.

Learn about the academic program

2024

Hafez Al Mirazi’s broadcast experience spans over 40 years starting as a radio broadcaster at Sawt Al Arab (Voice of the Arabs) in Cairo. He taught television journalism for 11 years as a Professor of Practice at the American University in Cairo, and Also served as Washington Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera Arabic TV news channel. He was a Frequent guest on many US TV shows including Larry King Live, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Nightline and the Charlie Rose Show on PBS.
Exposing War Crimes in Syria and the Connection to the Ukraine Crisis
Members from the Syrian Emergency Task Force visited the campus in the fall and participated in a Public Lecture, as well as a dinner with the Model Arab League Club and select individual classes.
Jim Hoesterey, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Emory University, offered a Public lecture and visits with individual classes.

Spring 2024: Palestine–Israel 101 Series

Professor Bruce Rutherford (POSC, MIST) : Introduction to terms and concepts talks.
The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
The 2023-24 Gaza war
Palestinian Refugees & International Law with Parastou Hassouri
Cairo-based, independent researcher and consultant focusing on refugee and migration law and policy
"Who counts? Demography, Statistics, and Power in Palestine/Israel" with Tamir Sorek
Liberal Arts Professor of History at Penn State
Tamir Sorek studies culture as a field of conflict and resistance, particularly in the context of Palestine/Israel.)
Whose Jerusalem? Belonging and Unbelonging in the Holy City with Michelle Campos
Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Penn State
Michelle Campos is a scholar of 19th and early 20th century Jewish Studies and Middle Eastern history whose work is grounded in and contributes to three complementary and overlapping subfields: 1) the history of Palestine and Israel; 2) the history of the late Ottoman Empire and the making of the modern Middle East; and 3) Sephardic Jewish studies.)

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