Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (GRAD)

The M.A. in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is a two-year, interdisciplinary humanities degree that prepares students to engage with the social, environmental, and political challenges facing countries in Asia and the Middle East, and their transnational communities. Students can choose between two tracks: the interdisciplinary track and the Chinese track. This degree will provide students with deep cultural knowledge of Asia and the Middle East while training them in the intellectual flexibility necessary to grasp and work with complex and dynamic issues as they arise. By applying humanist approaches to real world problems, students will learn to evaluate research and apply analytical methodologies from various disciplines to specific situations and questions. This intellectual flexibility, the hallmark of humanist approaches attuned to change and contingency, is foundational to the type of leadership necessary for an interconnected world.

The M.A. in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies will prepare students linguistically, culturally, and intellectually for participation in top Ph.D. programs and for careers in government and non-profit and private sectors in or related to Asia and the Middle East. It is designed to complement professional degrees (e.g. in business, journalism, law, library and information science, global public health, medicine, public policy, social work) for students planning to practice abroad or with populations within the United States.

Courses

Numbered 400-999:

Master of Arts Degree

M.A. students must complete 33 hours of graduate study. At least 18 credit hours must be from courses offered within the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. At least 18 credit hours must be in courses numbered 700 or above. Students must complete a master’s thesis.

M.A. students select one of two courses of study upon applying to the program: the Interdisciplinary track or the Chinese track.

The Interdisciplinary Track

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
ASIA 725	Critical Approaches to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies	3
ASIA 991	Research and Writing in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies	3
At least three courses within one of the following regions:		9
East Asia
Middle East
South Asia
Five additional courses selected in consultation with a graduate advisor		15
ASIA 993	Master's Research and Thesis	3
Total Hours		33

Language Prerequisites and Expectations

Students in the interdisciplinary track must complete language study through 306 or its equivalent in a language taught within the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies that is relevant to their research interests. Only courses numbered 400 and above may count towards the M.A., so students are encouraged to complete language study through 306 before beginning their M.A. They are also expected to continue language study beyond 306, and/or to develop advanced skills in one language and intermediate skills in a second language during their two years of M.A. coursework.

Students are strongly encouraged to complete a study abroad program or internship in their region of expertise either before or during M.A. study.

The Chinese Track

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
ASIA 725	Critical Approaches to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies	3
ASIA 991	Research and Writing in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies	3
At least three language and/or culture courses related to China		9
Five additional courses selected in consultation with a graduate advisor		15
ASIA 993	Master's Research and Thesis	3
Total Hours		33

Language Prerequisites and Expectations

CHIN 408 or its equivalent is a prerequisite for admission into the Chinese track. Students are strongly encouraged to continue their study of Chinese beyond the 408 level.

Students are strongly encouraged to complete a study abroad program or internship in China either before or during their M.A. study.

Professors

Mark Driscoll
Pamela Lothspeich
Morgan Pitelka
Robin Visser
Claudia Yaghoobi
Nadia Yaqub

Associate Professors

Uffe Bergeton
Li-ling Hsiao
Ji-Yeon Jo
I Jonathan Kief
Yaron Shemer
Afroz Taj

Assistant Professors

Kyoungjin Bae
Keren He
Yurika Tamura
Ana Vinea

Teaching Professors

Shahla Adel
Yuki Aratake
Doria Elkerdany
Yi Zhou

Teaching Associate Professors

Dongsoo Bang
Luoyi Cai
John Caldwell
Dwayne Dixon
Yuko Kato
Bud Kauffman
Eunji Lee
Lini Ge Polin
Katsu Sawamura
Hanna Sprintzik

Teaching Assistant Professors

Na Fan
Fumi Iwashita
Shuishui Long
Huy Phung
Caroline Sibley

Affiliated Faculty

Barbara Ambros (Religious Studies)
Benjamin Arbuckle (Anthropology)
Cemil Aydin (History)
Inger Brodey (English and Comparative Literature)
Becky Butler (Linguistics)
Yong Cai (Sociology)
Jocelyn Chua (Anthropology)
Peter A. Coclanis (History)
Barbara Entwisle (Sociology)
Michael Figueroa (Music)
Kevin Fogg (International Program for Scholarship, Innovation, Training, and Education)
Banu Gökariksel (Geography)
Guang Guo (Sociology)
Juliane Hammer (Religious Studies)
Gail Henderson (Social Medicine)
Carmen Hsu (Romance Studies)
Heidi Kim (English and Comparative Literature)
Michelle King (History)
Charles Kurzman (Sociology)
David Lambert (Religious Studies)
Christian Lentz (Geography)
Lauren Leve (Religious Studies)
Townsend Middleton (Anthropology)
Christopher Nelson (Anthropology)
Lisa Pearce (Sociology)
Xue Lan Rong (Education)
Steven Rosefielde (Economics)
David Ross (English and Comparative Literature)
Sarah Shields (History)
Kumi Silva (Communication)
Jennifer Smith (Linguistics)
Sara Smith (Geography)
Yan Song (City and Regional Planning)
Eren Tasar (History)
Meenu Tewari (City and Regional Planning)
Michael Tsin (History)
Margaret Wiener (Anthropology)