Africa and the New World, Asian Studies, Latin American Studies _ for students interested in majoring in cultural studies, a new discipline has been added to the list. Middle Eastern Studies, an interdepartmental program, was created last spring and has been gaining attention through the sponsorship of campus speakers, such as last week's discussion of human rights and Islam by Baruch College professor Ervand Abrahamian.
Coordinator of the major, history professor Beatrice Manz, said that Middle Eastern Studies fits in well with other cultural programs. The major is "similar to other regional majors. It's fairly demanding, but you can combine it quite easily with something like IR or history," she said.
The new major gives students an opportunity to study Middle Eastern culture, covering the political, social, and historical aspects of the region in its courses. As part of the major, students are encouraged to participate in study abroad programs. Such programs will allow students to experience Middle Eastern culture first hand.
Senior Matthew Bruce, one of three students who have declared their Middle Eastern major, supplemented his Arabic language studies at the American University in Cairo last year. "For Arabic, you really have to go there to learn the dialect," he said.
Sophomore Nili Riemer is pleased that Tufts added the major. "In my Arabic lit class last year, I first read the article that said we would have the major, and I was very excited," she said.
Riemer plans to take courses within the program, and hopes to pursue a minor. She feels that Tufts offers a program that is more comprehensive than similar programs at other universities.
"I think that it offers very interesting classes from a cultural, economic, and literary standpoint about countries that usually are not studied in small American liberal arts colleges," she said.
In adding the Middle East Studies major, Riemer said the University is including another significant perspective to its academic discourse. "I think it's important to offer many international viewpoints to enrich student's experiences - it will only help us better understand the world we live in," said Riemer.
Freshman Salil Bhandari agrees that the new major is an important addition to history offerings. "It provides students with an avenue through which they can pursue their interest in this subject even further," he said.
The course of study is especially pertinent because of the tense political situation in the Middle East. Students and faculty alike have vested interests in the often violent developments in these countries. "It's an important area of study since the Middle Eastern area is one of the greatest areas of conflict in the world," freshman Dave Metz said.
Bruce agreed: "So much of IR is studying conflict, and the Middle East is so perfect, so full of conflict."
Because of the personal and academic interest in the region, Riemer feels confident that students will take advantage of the program. "I think that in light of all of the news going on in the Middle East, and with campus awareness definitely rising among students and professors, people will definitely take these classes," she said.
Manz is optimistic about the future of the major. "We only added the major last spring, and already we have three declared and one or two more who have got to declare," Manz said. "It's a sizeable number of majors for less than a year. We're very pleased with the interest and we assume it will continue to grow _ it's a major whose time had come."
For Bruce, the number of students who choose to major in Middle Eastern Studies isn't all that relevant. "I think that, as a major, its importance justifies its existence," he said.
