Overview
The Department of Near Eastern Studies offers a wide variety of undergraduate classes focused on the languages, histories and cultures of the Near East. It provides opportunities for those who plan to major in other disciplines to simultaneously obtain proficiency in a language of the Near East (Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew and Persian) and to deepen their knowledge of the history, politics, literature, religion and culture of the Near Eastern region and broader Islamic world.
Goals for Student Learning
The main goal of the Near Eastern Studies Minor is to develop a deep understanding of the Near East, defined broadly as the region encompassing North Africa, the Arab world, Turkey, Iran and Muslim South and Central Asia. Students minoring in Near Eastern studies will have the opportunity to take courses in the interdisciplinary course offerings of the department, encompassing history, literature, religion, the social sciences and language study, complementing the work they do in their academic major.
Admission to the Program
The Minor in Near Eastern Studies is open to undergraduates in all departments. Students interested in earning a minor may apply no earlier than the spring of their sophomore year and no later than the spring of their junior year. Final application materials confirming the completion of the minor requirements should be filed with the Department of Near Eastern Studies office by the deadline of one week before Dean's Date in the final semester of senior year, at the latest.
Program of Study
A student majoring in a department other than Near Eastern studies may earn a minor in Near Eastern studies by completing a gateway (200-level) course in Near Eastern studies, as well as at least four other courses in Near Eastern studies. Gateway (200-level) courses, which include courses like NES 247-248 "Near Eastern Humanities," NES 240 "Muslims and the Qurʾan," and NES 269 "The Politics of Modern Islam," are designed to introduce students to transregional and interdisciplinary approaches to Near Eastern studies that will inform their other coursework in the department. The remaining four courses may include two semesters of a Near Eastern language offered at Princeton (Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew or Persian) at the intermediate level (second-year, course numbers 105-107) or above. These four courses must include at least two other NES content courses in the humanities or social sciences (e.g., history, religious studies, literature, anthropology, etc.). Only in exceptional cases approved by the NES director of undergraduate studies will either a non-200-level class in NES be counted toward the gateway requirement, or a class not listed in NES be counted toward the course requirement. Courses taken on a pass/D/fail basis will not be counted toward the minor.
Senior Departmental Examination (Comprehensive Statement)
At the end of their senior year, students who minor in NES will complete a comprehensive statement reflecting on their experience in Near Eastern studies. The statement on the first page should list the student’s departmental and language courses and any other courses or experience that might be relevant, such as study-abroad or internships related to the Near East. On the succeeding pages, the student should write an essay of approximately 750-1,500 words that discusses the student’s scholarly life in the department. The essay should be reflective in nature. It is intended to provide students with the opportunity to ponder their time in the department and their course of study.
There is no set format to the exercise, but students should seek to describe the development of their interests and focus in the field of Near Eastern studies in the context of the courses they have taken. Questions that a student might address include: what led you to choose NES as a minor? What guided you in your course selection and what interests developed in the process? What courses made the most impact? Can you identify any unifying themes in your coursework and research? If you studied abroad, what if any lessons did you learn? Has the study of the Near East changed the way you perceive the world around you?
Study Abroad
Content and language courses taken abroad during summer language programs or over the course of a semester or year at other institutions may count toward minor requirements. For more information on study abroad programs, please contact the language teachers of the relevant languages in the Department of Near Eastern Studies. Preapproval for any non-Princeton program coursework must be obtained from the NES director of undergraduate studies.