Arabic Studies: MA

For over fifty years, the Islamic Art and Architecture program has been engaging students in the material culture of Islamic civilizations through a range of art-his­torical and theoretical perspectives. Our breadth of course offerings and access to the monuments we teach is unique among English-language programs in the field. The program strongly benefits from the univer­sity’s location as students often connect their research with physical sites in Cairo or elsewhere in the MENA region.

The program offers classes on both classical (500-1850) and modern (1850 to present) Arabic literature including seminars on topics as diverse as the development of prose, the tradition of classical Arabic poetry, the Arabic rhetorical and literary-critical tradition, modern Arabic novels, Arabic drama, Arab cinema, issues in literary and cultural translation and colloquial and folk Arabic literature.

The program offers classes and seminars on the history of the Arab Middle East and greater Islamic world from the rise of Islam to the modern period. Topics covered include: the rise of Islam and Arab conquests, Islamic political theory, economic, social and cultural history of the Mamluk and Ottoman empires, International and Red Sea trade networks, war and diplomacy, literacy and book culture, protest and dissent in Middle Eastern history, and colonialism and nation-building in the modern Middle East.

The program offers lectures and seminars on topics such as Qur’anic Studies, Hadith, theology, Islamic jurisprudence, legal reform, Sufism, and Islamic philosophy. The specialization covers both the canonical works in Islamic theology as well as recent scholarship and debates.