The Middle East Studies Program at Fresno State offers an interdisciplinary minor in Middle East Studies with two-year language programs in Arabic and Persian.
The course of study for the minor provides a broad intellectual foundation for understanding the geocultural diversity of the region. It promotes an awareness of the interconnectedness of the world. The curriculum includes both study of language and culture and a critical framework for examining, understanding, and analyzing contemporary nations and cultures of the Middle East. The program aims to provide students with a critical understanding of the languages, literatures, and cultures of the region through cultural historical and experience.
The interdisciplinary nature of the program draws on a group of faculty and students who bring perspectives and methods from numerous academic disciplines, including anthropology, history, economics, literature, art, art history, ethnomusicology, languages and linguistics, geography and environmental studies, philosophy, religious studies, media and women’s studies.