Welcome to the website for Middle Eastern Studies {MESTU} at Penn State University

Middle Eastern Studies at Penn State provides a 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. The minor 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?

Languages

Penn State currently offers instruction in Arabic and Hebrew. Explore course listings and information on FLAS fellowships.

Learn more about Languages
Courses

Courses related to the Middle East are taught every semester. Explore upcoming courses. 

Learn more about Courses
Study Abroad

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

Learn more about Study Abroad
Shibley Award

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

Learn more about Shibley Award
Upcoming Events All Events

World War II and The Middle East, A Symposium Marking the 80th Anniversary of the Outbreak of WWII

On the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII, we would like to invite the Penn State community to think about the war from a non-Western perspective. WWII has been studied and discussed mostly through the prism of the European and Pacific theatres, however, its significance as a global event becomes more evident when we look at the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, regions where the legacy of the war molded many of the developments that shaped those societies until these days. 

Faculty, students, and members of the Penn State and State College community are invited to participate in this two-day symposium. Admission is free. 

All Events
{METSU} Spotlight View All
  • Middle Eastern Studies minor and History major Stephanie Springer graduated with honors in May, 2018 and served as a class marshal in the...

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    Stephanie Springer

  • Middle Eastern Studies minor and History major Josie Krieger studied Turkish in Baku, Azerbaijan through the Critical Language Scholarship...

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    Josie Krieger

  • Faisal joins the History Department in Fall 2018. He is a specialist in Environmental History and Early Modern Ottoman...

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    Faisal Husain

  • Assistant Professor in History and African Studies Christopher Tounsel is beginning his second year at Penn State. He earned his Ph.D in 2015 from...

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    Christopher Tounsel

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