Overview and Learning Goals
Middle Eastern and North African Studies
For centuries, and still today, the Middle East and North Africa have been the site of major civilizations that have attracted attention from afar.
Bowdoin College’s program in Middle Eastern and North African studies oversees students’ interdisciplinary study of this region. Students minoring in Middle Eastern and North African studies take courses in a Middle Eastern language and in relevant courses in at least two other disciplines.
Middle Eastern and North African studies minors will improve their ability to analyze historic and current events in the region, and will understand how accurate, informed conclusions require both nuance and a recognition of complexity.
Options for Minoring in the Program
Students may elect to minor in Middle Eastern and North African studies. Bowdoin does not offer a major in Middle Eastern and North African studies.
Arabic
Bowdoin offers courses in Arabic language, literature, and culture as part of the Middle Eastern and North African Studies program.
Students will learn how important Arabic is for a deeper understanding of the history, politics, society, and culture of most Middle Eastern and North African countries. Arabic minors will enhance their awareness of global diversity by learning more about how important foreign languages are to imagining and understanding others’ perspectives.
In addition to focusing on developing students' fluency in Arabic, the minor provides students with a broad understanding of the cultures and literatures of the Middle East and North Africa through a curriculum designed to prepare students for international work or graduate study.
Bowdoin is able to accommodate students at all levels, from absolute beginners with no previous exposure to the language to students with near-native fluency in Arabic prepared to undertake in-depth study of the literature produced by this vibrant, exceptionally rich culture over the past fifteen hundred years.
Options for Minoring in the Program
Students may elect to minor in Arabic. Bowdoin does not offer a major in Arabic.
This is an excerpt from the official Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook. View the Catalogue