Middle East and South Asian Studies (MESA)

Middle East and South Asia Studies (MESA)

The Middle East and South Asia (MESA) minor program is an interdisciplinary program of study focused on the Middle East (including Arabic-speaking North Africa) and South Asia (including Tibet, and mainland and insular Southeast Asia as far east as Vietnam and Indonesia). These regions, though wide in extent and culturally diverse, contain multiple cradles of civilization, and have been linked since antiquity by cultural, religious, and economic networks, both on land (the Silk Road) and sea (the Indian Ocean). The Middle East has long been politically and economically salient in American experience, and South Asia is steadily emerging in the geopolitical, economic, and cultural spheres. The MESA minors span several disciplines: history, language and literature, economics, politics, religion, and the arts.

The program hosts two minors: MESA Studies and MESA Studies with Language Emphasis (see below). The MESA-related languages offered on campus are Arabic (http://go.wlu.edu/arabic) and Sanskrit (http://home.wlu.edu/~lubint/SanskritatWLU.htm), though language study is not required for the MESA Studies minor.

For further information, see https://wlu.edu/middle-east-and-south-asia-studies-program.

Program Head: Timothy Lubin

Core Faculty

First date is the year in which the faculty member began regular faculty service at the University. Second date is the year of appointment to the present rank.

Kameliya Atanasova, Ph.D.—(2017)-2017
Assistant Professor of Islamic Religion and History
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Niels-Hugo Blunch, Ph.D.—(2006)-2018
Professor of Economics
Ph.D., George Washington University

Alexandra R. Brown, Ph.D.—(1987)-2001
Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Bible
Ph.D., Columbia University

Joseph M. Cantey Jr., Ph.D.—(2014)-2014
Assistant Professor of Politics
Ph.D., Duke University

Anthony (Antoine) Edwards, Ph.D.—(2015)-2017
Assistant Professor of Arabic
Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin

Stuart J. Gray, Ph.D.—(2015)-2015
Assistant Professor of Politics
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara

Mohamed Kamara, Ph.D.—(2001)-2008
Associate Professor of Romance Languages
Ph.D., Tulane University

Melissa Robin Kerin, Ph.D.—(2011)-2011
Associate Professor of Art History
Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Timothy Lubin, Ph.D.—(1997)-2009
Professor of Religion
Ph.D., Columbia University

Mark E. Rush, Ph.D.—(1990)-2002
Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Professor of Politics and Director, Center for International Education
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University

Shikha Basnet Silwal, Ph.D.—(2012)-2019
Associate Professor of Economics
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh

Courses listed below meet the requirements of at least one of the Middle East and South Asia studies minors, but other courses across the curriculum that include an appropriate proportion of material may be substituted with the approval of the program’s advisory committee. In such cases, students may petition the committee to allow other relevant courses.

Middle East and South Asia Studies Courses

Middle East and South Asia studies courses are as follows:

And when appropriate (with a MESA-related topic),

Degrees/Majors/Minors

Interdisciplinary Minor

Courses

MESA 195 - Gateway to Middle East and South Asia Studies

FDR: HU
Credits: 3-4

A gateway course introducing Middle East and South Asia studies through the lens of a special topic, issue, or problem relevant to the MESA region.

MESA 250 - Writing Mt. Lebanon: History, Language, and Politics

FDR: HU
Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
Credits: 4

Prerequisite: ARAB 161. How did Mt. Lebanon become the nation-state of Lebanon? This interdisciplinary course asks students to question the local, national, and international contexts in which the modern Lebanese Republic (est. 1943) has been formed. Students explore the historical, linguistic, confessional, and political landscape of Mt. Lebanon, focusing on the 18th century up to the present day. Visits to archeological sites, museums, historic mansions, cemeteries, and a university campus enrich classroom discussions. Edwards.

MESA 252 - History Compounded: ExperienceEgypt

FDR: HU
Experiential Learning (EXP): YES
Credits: 4

Prerequisite: ARAB 161 or equivalent. An exploration of the social, religious, historical, and political foundations of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Based in Cairo, a.k.a. “Omm ed-Duniya (Mother of the World)”, students study the complex dynamics of state, culture, and society from a historical perspective. This course uses multiple academic lenses to understand the manifold pasts, interpret the ever-changing present, and speculate about possible futures of contemporary Egypt. Edwards.

MESA 255 - Language Policies and Politics

Credits: 3

An examination of language policies in North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia (broadly defined). Students are introduced to the concepts and theories involved in language planning and policy (LPP) and discuss topics such as the legal status of language(s); linguistic rights; language attitudes and ideologies; language in education; language standardization; multilingualism and nationalism; and language endangerment. Students investigate the factors that govern and influence different LPPs through a series of case studies from the MESA region. Edwards.

MESA 393 - Capstone in Middle East and South Asia Studies

Credits: 3

Prerequisite: Instructor consent. Capstone project. Independent research project on a topic in Middle East and South Asia studies, under the guidance of a faculty adviser, including regular individual meetings and at least four group workshops, culminating in a formal presentation of the finished project to MESA faculty and students. Staff.

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