Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies 1 Hamid Dabashi MIDDLE EASTERN, SOUTH Mamadou Diouf Laura Fair ASIAN, AND AFRICAN Wael Hallaq Gil Hochberg STUDIES Sudipta Kaviraj Rashid Khalidi Departmental Office: 401 Knox; 212-854-2556 Mahmood Mamdani http://mesaas.columbia.edu Joseph Massad Brinkley Messick Director of Undergraduate Studies: Hamid Dabashi, 416 Knox Hall, Dan Miron (emeritus) 212-854-7524; [email protected] Timothy Mitchell Sheldon Pollock (emeritus) Language Coordinators: Frances Pritchett (emerita) African Languages: Mariame Sy, 408 Knox; 212-851-2439; George Saliba (emeritus) [email protected] Arabic: Taoufik Ben Amor, 308 Knox; 212-854-2985; [email protected] Armenian: Charry Karamanoukian, 407 Knox; 212-851-4002; Associate Professors [email protected] Mana Kia Hebrew: Naama Harel, 410 Knox, 212-854-6668; [email protected] Anupama Rao Hindi/Urdu: Rakesh Ranjan, 409 Knox; 212-851-4107; Debashree Mukherjee [email protected] Jennifer Wenzel Persian: Saeed Honarmand, 313 Knox; [email protected] Sanskrit: Shiv Subramaniam, 309 Knox; 212-854-2893; Assistant Professors [email protected] Isabel Huacuja Alonso Tamil: Shiv Subramaniam, 309 Knox; 212-854-2893; Sarah bin Tyeer [email protected] Elaine van Dalen Turkish: Zuleyha Colak, 412 Knox; 212-854-0473; [email protected] Elleni Centime Zeleke The undergraduate program in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African studies (MESAAS) offers students the opportunity to study in depth Senior Lecturers the cultures, ideas, histories, and politics of several overlapping world Aftab Ahmad regions. The program emphasizes a close engagement with intellectual May Ahmar traditions, creative movements, and political debates, drawing on a wide Taoufik Ben Amor variety of historical and contemporary sources in literature, religion, Zuleyha Colak political thought, law, the visual and performing arts, and new media. Naama Harel Courses also examine the historical and cultural contexts in which these Saeed Honarmand traditions and debates have been produced. Abdul Nanji Youssef Nouhi Majors and Concentrations Rakesh Ranjan Majors develop two closely related skills. The first is linguistic expertise. A minimum of two years of course work in one language is required, Lecturers and further work (including intensive summer language study) is greatly Ouijdane Absi encouraged, because the aim is to study a cultural field through its own Rym Bettaieb texts and discourses. The Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, Abdelrazzaq Ben Tarif and African Studies offers courses in Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, Turkish, Reem Faraj Hebrew, Armenian, Sanskrit, Hindi/Urdu, Tamil, Swahili and Wolof. Illan Gonen Charry Karamanoukian The second skill is learning how to think and write about complex cultural Daniel Katz Shenhar formations, drawing on a variety of methods and disciplinary approaches. Shiv Subramaniam The approaches vary according to the faculty members' expertise, Mariame Sy incorporating methods from relevant fields in the humanities and social sciences, such as literary criticism, film studies, cultural studies, political theory, and intellectual history. Adjunct Faculty Ihsan Colak The only difference between the MESAAS major and the concentration is Timsal Masud that the latter does not require language proficiency. Tyler Richard Professors On Leave Gil Anidjar Mamadou Diouf (Fall) Muhsin J. Ali al-Musawi Mahmood Mamdani (Spring) Partha Chatterjee (emeritus) Joseph Massad (Fall) 2 Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Anupama Rao (Fall) particular language are offered in MESAAS), they must substitute three Elaine van Dalen (Spring) additional MESAAS courses. Elleni Centime Zeleke (Fall/Spring) Advising Newly declared majors and concentrators should meet with the director of undergraduate studies in order to plan a program of study. The goal is Guidelines for all Middle Eastern, South to strike a balance between courses that help a student achieve depth in Asian, and African Studies Majors and a particular area/discipline and those that foster a wider perspective. Although students are encouraged to approach faculty in the department Concentrators based on their specific interests, the director of undergraduate studies Introduction to MESAAS functions as an ad hoc adviser for all entering students, addressing Majors and concentrators begin their work with an introductory course issues of course requirements, credit, approval for courses in other that emphasizes a particular area (the Middle East, South Asia, or departments or schools, study abroad, and, eventually, honors Africa). For instance, students interested in the Middle East would take requirements (including the senior thesis). Students should not ASCM UN2003 Introduction to Islamic Civilization or ASCM UN2008 hesitate to contact the director of undergraduate studies to set up an CONTEMP ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION. Students keen on learning more appointment. about South Asia would take ASCM UN2357 Introduction to Indian Civilization, HSME UN3810 History of South Asia I: al-Hind to Hindustan, Grading or HIST W3811 South Asia II: Empire and Its Aftermath. The introductory Courses in which the grade of D has been received do not count toward course generally recommended for students interested in Africa is the major or concentration requirements, nor do those taken Pass/D/Fail, MDES UN2030 Major Debates in the Study of Africa. except for the first course taken toward the major or concentration. Required Core Courses Honors Program/Senior Thesis All majors must take two additional core courses. The first is a small Students may also wish to write a thesis. While not required for seminar in which they explore some of the classic texts of the region, graduation, the thesis enables a student to be considered for either AHUM UN1399 COLLOQUIUM ON MAJOR TEXTS (for those departmental honors. It is advisable to begin planning for the thesis focusing on the Middle East and South Asia) or AFCV UN1020 African during the student's junior year. Interested students should attend the Civilizations (for those focusing on Africa). relevant information sessions and identify a potential faculty adviser. With this background, students are ready to take MDES UN3000 Theory All students who wish to write a thesis must enroll in MDES UN3960 and Culture generally in the junior or senior year. This course examines HONORS THESIS SEMINAR PART 1, a full year course consisting of critical approaches to the study of language, culture, and politics and a 1-point segment in the Fall semester and a 3-point segment in the encourages students to reflect on their own work from many different Spring semester. Students work closely with their peers in a supportive perspectives. environment to produce a substantial piece of research (in the range of 40 pages). The primary intellectual guidance is provided by the faculty Additional Requirements adviser, whereas the director of undergraduate studies and the honors Fifteen additional points (generally five courses) are chosen in seminar teaching assistant oversee the general development of the consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. These may project. Every year in April, MESAAS hosts a senior colloquium in which include six points of coursework from other departments, subject to students present their research. For more information on the honors the director of undergraduate studies' approval. Although students may program, see Frequently Asked Questions on the departmental website. have a particular interest (e.g., Arab political thought, Urdu literature, Armenian history, Iranian cinema, or contemporary West Africa), they are encouraged to gain exposure to the fullest range of courses and Major in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and approaches offered by the faculty, and to familiarize themselves with other regions beyond their core area. African Studies Students should obtain a Major Declaration form (available in the online In Fulfillment of the Language Requirement (for Majors) major declaration system or from your adviser) and bring it to the director Enrollment in language courses is in some cases determined by of undergraduate studies for approval. The director of undergraduate placement exams. For more information, see Languages on the studies meets with students as necessary in order to establish and departmental website and, if necessary, consult the relevant Coordinator approve their individual programs of study. The requirements for the listed on that page. The website includes separate pages for each major are as follows: language, describing the program of instruction, courses for heritage Select a one-term introductory culture course, to be approved by the speakers, summer language programs, and more. Language courses director of undergraduate studies must be taken for a letter grade. Pass/D/Fail or Registration credit (R) is AHUM UN1399 COLLOQUIUM ON MAJOR TEXTS not permitted. Those seeking to waive a language requirement must take a proficiency test. MDES UN3000 Theory and Culture Select two years of a language regularly taught in the department, or Students who enter with language proficiency at only the second- substitutional courses for students who test out of this requirement with year level must complete one additional year of language study and the approval of the director of undergraduate studies one additional MESAAS course. When students enter with language proficiency at the third year level (or in cases where only two years of a Middle Eastern, South Asian, and