Certificates of Proficiency are designed for the student who strives to be more efficiently prepared to collaborate or interact with a diverse community either in the workplace or in other settings. The Middle East Certificate of Proficiency may be awarded upon successful completion of the requirements as outlined as part of the Middle East Studies program. The certificates will not appear on a student’s transcripts.

A certificate of proficiency in Middle East Studies is awarded to students who complete POSC 147 Introduction to the Politics and Government of the Middle East, and RELG 135 Religion of the Middle East, and a minimum of one course each from List A and List B of the elective courses. These courses are designed to foster a stronger understanding of the Middle East, its politics, religion, history, and culture for the goal of advancing students’ professional and academic goals.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

1. Analyze and identify the teachings, principles, and history of the religions of the Middle East including Judaism, Islam, Christianity.
2. Assess and contrast the moral beliefs of the major religions of the Middle East.
3. Identify and critically assess the different institutions of governments of the region.
4. Identify the role of nationalism, social movements, Islam, Zionism, in the development of the Middle East.
5. Evaluate and analyze the origins of conflict in the Middle East.
6. Identify and evaluate the historical trajectory of the region focusing on the history of specific groups, countries, religions, and ideas.
7. Identify the role of external actors in the religious, political, historical, cultural, and economic development of the Middle East.
8. Identify and evaluate the different political regimes in the region including authoritarian and democratic regimes.

Note: All courses must be completed with a “C” or higher or “Pass.”

Course List

Code	Title	Units
POSC-147	Introduction to Middle East Government and Politics	3
RELG-135	Religion in the Middle East	3
Select one of the following:		3
HIST-148	Modern Middle East History
MUS-142	Middle Eastern Ensemble
Select one of the following:		3-5
ARBC-120	Arabic I
ARBC-121	Arabic II
ARBC-122	Arabic for the Arabic Speaker I
ARBC-250	Conversational Arabic I
HIST-105	Early Western Civilization
HIST-135	Ancient History of Western Civilization
HIST-136	Survey of Medieval History
POSC-148	American Foreign Policy
RELG-130	Scriptures of World Religions
Total Units		12-14