Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 12:02     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Trinity College Dublin has a combo program, Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures, where you choose one ME language and one European language, then specialize in those plus the respective cultures (history, politics, art etc) of the regions where those languages are spoken. Third year is spent in one or both regions, though there was not a ton of choice in what they considered "Middle East".

My child was considering it for Arabic/French but ended up going elsewhere so I can't speak to what the program's like. Did go over to visit and professors were very engaged and happy to meet, discuss career paths etc.
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 12:01     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

nobody in the US knows SOAS (sadly)
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 08:51     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Davidson
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 08:36     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Anonymous wrote:Georgetown for sure and they even have a scholarship for incoming undergraduates who come in with a background in Arabic studies


I think you have to qualify for FA for this.
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 07:51     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Oxford university
SOAS in London
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 07:07     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Georgetown for sure and they even have a scholarship for incoming undergraduates who come in with a background in Arabic studies
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 01:55     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Anonymous wrote:There's a difference between the academic reputation of PhDs and how well they place into professorships vs the government reputation and how well undergrads place into government work. Don't trust any tecomm from someone who isn explicitly aware of this difference, as you'll likely get recommendations based on the former rather than the latter.

*hint to the audience, it's the same group of people*
Anonymous
Post 08/06/2024 01:39     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

There's a difference between the academic reputation of PhDs and how well they place into professorships vs the government reputation and how well undergrads place into government work. Don't trust any tecomm from someone who isn explicitly aware of this difference, as you'll likely get recommendations based on the former rather than the latter.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 23:27     Subject: Re:Best Middle East Studies programs?

Anyone with actual experience in this field knows Berkeley and Georgetown and a few ivies (Yale and Harvard) are the answers.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 23:21     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

IU Arabic dept and actually languages in general can't be best.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 23:20     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Anonymous wrote:With eye towards government work. Good Arabic skills, high stats, open to any ideas.


Wellesley? They have good government placement. I think your best bet is a LAC
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 23:14     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Put Michigan on the list, because we have a large local population of Arabic speakers in the Detroit Metro Area. Might even be a possibility to find local US government work for internships.

https://lsa.umich.edu/middleeast

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Middle_Eastern_people_in_Metro_Detroit

https://arabamericanmuseum.org/



Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 23:04     Subject: Re:Best Middle East Studies programs?

Might be an unpopular suggestion, but sequestered away from the middle east and its spillover issues is not the route to getting a good career in the region. I'd suggest a top student interested in this field to go to the UK and study at Oxford(!!!) or Cambridge. You will get much further.

If staying in the US, Georgetown is where it's at. Yale and Berkeley are also spectacular.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 22:56     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

Wouldn't go near any degree program or career right now that might involve Middle East travel.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2024 22:35     Subject: Best Middle East Studies programs?

With eye towards government work. Good Arabic skills, high stats, open to any ideas.