Penn State Penn State: College of the Liberal Arts

Middle Eastern Studies

Pictured: Tehran, Iran
Pictured: Excavations in Tel Akko, Israel
Pictured: Al-Khazneh Temple, Petra, Jordan
Pictured: Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, Shiraz, Iran
Pictured: Excavations in Tel Akko, Israel
Interested in Studying Abroad?
Learn more about the Education Abroad opportunities offered by Middle Eastern Studies, including the Archaeological Field School in Tel Akko, Israel (pictured above).
Pictured: Islamabad, Pakistan
Pictured: Students excavating Phoenician juglets in Tel Akko, Israel
Pictured: Mar Saba Eastern Orthodox Monastery, Palestine
Pictured: Nanga Parbat Base Camp, Pakistan

Why Minor In  Middle Eastern Studies?

Why Minor In  Middle Eastern Studies?

Courses

Courses related to the Middle East are taught every semester. Explore upcoming courses or learn what you need to take for your major or minor!

Study Abroad

Students interested in studying in the Middle East will find a number of opportunities are available through Global Penn State, including summer programs and embedded courses. 

Shibley Award

The Shibley scholarship is awarded each year, depending on qualified applicants, to an undergraduate student minoring in Middle Eastern studies who has achieved high academic standing.

Welcome to Middle Eastern Studies at Penn State!

Middle Eastern Studies at Penn State provides a major and minor for students pursuing degrees in any major who are interested in courses having to do with the Middle East from ancient to modern times. Courses are taught by faculty with expertise in disciplines such as History, Political Science, Religion, Language, Literature, Art History, Communication Arts and Sciences, Gender Studies, Religious Studies, Jewish Studies, and more. Our program offers a way to investigate a region of the world from multiple perspectives engaging a variety of methods of study.  

Why minor in Middle Eastern Studies?

Courses

Courses related to the Middle East are taught every semester. Explore upcoming courses or learn what you need to take for your major or minor!

Study Abroad

Students interested in studying in the Middle East will find a number of opportunities are available through Global Penn State, including summer programs and embedded courses. 

Shibley Award

The Shibley scholarship is awarded each year, depending on qualified applicants, to an undergraduate student minoring in Middle Eastern studies who has achieved high academic standing.

Upcoming Events

Center for Language Science Speaker Series
April 25, 2025
9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
African Studies Global Virtual Forum: Decoloniality and Southern Epistemologies—Sibyl Diver
April 25, 2025
9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Political Divisions and Morality
April 25, 2025
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
Change-of-Campus Series: Next Stop—Penn State University Park!
April 25, 2025
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Criminology Speaker Series: Scott Duxbury
April 25, 2025
noon–1:00 p.m.
202 Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building
Mindfulness Monday: Manifesting Your Summer with Chinese Takeout
April 28, 2025
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.
Liberal Arts Chaiken Center for Student Success, 139 Sparks Building
“Civil Liberties and Democracy”
April 28, 2025
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of State College: 780 Waupelani Drive Extension, State College, PA 16801
Empathy and Moral Psychology Lab Meeting
April 29, 2025
noon–1:00 p.m.
130 Moore Building
Drop-in or Pop-in Career Support Hours
April 30, 2025
1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m.
101 Sparks Building
Spring into Action: Create a Final Exam Study Plan (Drop-In Hours)
April 30, 2025
5:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
Liberal Arts Chaiken Center for Student Success, 138 and 139 Sparks Building
Paterno Fellows Book Club
May 1, 2025
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.
117 Welch Building
“Writing African Feminist Subjectivities”
May 2, 2025
9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m.
Academic Publishing Demystified
May 2, 2025
9:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
335 Willard Building
“Cultural Racism”
May 2, 2025
2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library
“Unprecedented: Memory as Resistance – Queer Archives in a Hostile Present”
May 7, 2025
12:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Testimonials

Every course I took in the MES department, from Modern Iran to Middle East in Film, left me asking more questions about my understanding of politics, economics, and my own biases. I felt challenged and supported as I wrote papers about my passions in the field and topics I knew little about. The faculty supported me even as I took courses at other universities, including during my Turkish language study program in Azerbaijan (2019) and Turkey (2022) with the Critical Language Scholarship. I will always be grateful for the MES program at Penn State and how the courses shaped my academic career.
Josie Krieger

Upcoming Events

All Events

Spotlights

All Spotlights
Every course I took in the MES department, from Modern Iran to Middle East in Film, left me asking more questions about my understanding of politics, economics, and my own biases. I felt challenged and supported as I wrote papers about my passions in the field and topics I knew little about. The faculty supported me even as I took courses at other universities, including during my Turkish language study program in Azerbaijan (2019) and Turkey (2022) with the Critical Language Scholarship. I will always be grateful for the MES program at Penn State and how the courses shaped my academic career.
Josie Krieger

Featured Faculty Publication

Take a look at some of the latest publications by our world-class Faculty.

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Janina Defining Boundaries
Janina Safran

Defining Boundaries in al-Andalus

View Publication