Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Major

Gateway Course

A MIST-related CORE Communities and Identities course:

• CORE 183C - The Middle East
• CORE 170C - Islamic North Africa
• or another appropriate course, in consultation with a MIST adviser and with the MIST program director’s approval.

Language

Proficiency equivalent to four semester of study in a single MIST-related language.

Students who wish to fulfill the language requirement though study abroad must consult with the director to determine suitable programs and the procedure for transferring credit. In some cases, students are required to successfully complete a language proficiency exam upon their return to campus.

Students who place out of two or more language courses must still complete a total of at least nine MIST courses to fulfill the requirements of the major. Students pursuing honors are strongly encouraged to undertake additional language study.

This requirement is normally met through completion of four of the following courses in a single language:

• ARAB 121 - Elementary Arabic I
• ARAB 122 - Elementary Arabic II
• ARAB 201 - Intermediate Arabic I
• ARAB 202 - Intermediate Arabic II
• ARAB 301 - Advanced Arabic I
• ARAB 302 - Advanced Arabic II
• ARAB 315 - Classical Arabic of the Qur’an
• ARAB 401 - Topics in Arabic Language and Culture I
• ARAB 402 - Topics in Arabic Language and Culture II
• HEBR 121 - Elementary Hebrew I
• HEBR 122 - Elementary Hebrew II
• HEBR 201 - Intermediate Hebrew I
• HEBR 202 - Intermediate Hebrew II

Additional Courses

Students must complete five additional courses selected from among those listed below, of which two must be at the 300- or 400-level. Students must complete at least one course in each group (A, B, and C) at Colgate. Students may count no more than two courses from any one group toward the major. Two affiliated electives may be counted towards the major.

Affiliated Electives

• MIST 253 - Aspects of Contemporary Arab Societies: Morocco (Extended Study)
• MIST-related language courses may count as an affiliated elective if not counting toward the required four semesters of language study noted above.
• Additional term-specific course offerings may be accepted, with MIST director’s approval.

Capstone Course

The capstone course, normally taken in the fall of the senior year, consists of a 400-level MIST designated seminar, UNST 410 Seminar: Area, Regional, and Global Study , or a relevant seminar in another major with permission of the seminar instructor and their program or department. This capstone course entails the completion of a substantial research paper on a topic relevant to the MIST major. Students seeking to count a single capstone course for two majors or seeking to take a seminar that is not MIST designated or is not taught by MIST faculty must have their capstone approved by their MIST academic adviser and the MIST program director.

Honors and High Honors

To be eligible for honors, students must earn a grade of A- or better in the capstone course taken in the fall of their senior year and write a thesis in the spring. The thesis is normally an extension of work done in the capstone course.

For honors, the thesis must be judged by a committee of two MIST faculty members from different disciplines and earn a grade of A- or better.

For high honors, the thesis must be judged by a committee of three MIST faculty members (or 2 MIST and a third faculty member approvedby the director) from two or more different disciplines and earn a grade of A or better. An overall minimum GPA in the major of 3.50 is required for honors and 3.70 for high honors.