Middle East and North African Studies • Lewis & Clark College Quick Links Apply Visit Alumni Library Giving The Source Newsroom Majors Art (Studio) Art History Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Biology Chemistry Classics Computer Science Computer Science and Mathematics Data Science Economics English Environmental Studies French Studies German Studies Hispanic Studies History International Affairs Mathematics Music Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Religious Studies Rhetoric and Media Studies Sociology and Anthropology Student-Designed Major Theatre World Languages Minors Art and Art History Artificial Intelligence Asian Studies Chemistry Chinese Classics Computer Science Cybersecurity Dance Data Science Earth System Science Economics Education English Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation Environmental Studies Ethnic Studies French Studies Gender Studies German Studies Health Studies Hispanic Studies History Japanese Latin American and Latino Studies Law and Policy Mathematics Middle East and North African Studies Music Neuroscience Philosophy Physics Political Economy Political Science Religious Studies Rhetoric and Media Studies Russian Theatre
Gain knowledge of the historical, cultural, political, and linguistic processes that have forged the region in its global contexts.
Home / Middle East and North African Studies Middle East and North African Studies Our interdisciplinary Middle East and North African (MENA) minor is designed to immerse you in the study of this dynamic region of the world from a variety of academic and artistic perspectives. Majors Art (Studio) Art History Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Biology Chemistry Classics Computer Science Computer Science and Mathematics Data Science Economics English Environmental Studies French Studies German Studies Hispanic Studies History International Affairs Mathematics Music Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Religious Studies Rhetoric and Media Studies Sociology and Anthropology Student-Designed Major Theatre World Languages Minors Art and Art History Artificial Intelligence Asian Studies Chemistry Chinese Classics Computer Science Cybersecurity Dance Data Science Earth System Science Economics Education English Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation Environmental Studies Ethnic Studies French Studies Gender Studies German Studies Health Studies Hispanic Studies History Japanese Latin American and Latino Studies Law and Policy Mathematics Middle East and North African Studies Music Neuroscience Philosophy Physics Political Economy Political Science Religious Studies Rhetoric and Media Studies Russian Theatre Why Choose a Minor in Middle East and North African Studies? The Middle East and North African minor is readily compatible with majors across the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Both quintessentially ancient and utterly modern, the MENA region presents a unique opportunity to explore some of the most enduring and urgent developments in human history. As the site of several of humanity’s earliest major civilizations and some of today’s most important cultural, political, religious, and social happenings, the Middle East and North Africa provoke us to address questions central to a liberal arts education and to understanding our complex world. Apply Visit What You’ll Study The scope of our interdisciplinary program includes not only the societies located in the Middle East and North Africa, but also the many peoples, places, and events directly shaped by developments there, such as interactions between the Ottoman Empire and Europe, Islamicate influences in southern Asia, U.S. foreign policy, and sociocultural connections to sub-Saharan Africa. Most of our students enroll in Arabic language courses and also pursue a range of electives across the humanities and social sciences. Many of our students earn course credit on overseas programs. In addition to general cultural programs that are open to all students, the Morocco program allows our students to study Modern Standard Arabic, learn with expert Moroccan faculty, stay with local families, and travel widely throughout the country. Outside the classroom, the annual Middle East and North African Studies Symposium is organized by a committee of students with support from faculty and staff. This multiday interdisciplinary event celebrates the cultures of the region with guest speakers, student and faculty presentations of academic and artistic work, a film series, and a MENA-themed dinner. Our program also regularly hosts distinguished visitors, such as our 2018–19 Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Professor Rasha Soliman, an archeologist and Egyptologist from Cairo. Our faculty and students participate in many events organized by the Portland State University Center for Middle East Studies, located nearby in downtown Portland. Curriculum Connect With Lewis & Clark! After you hit submit, we will follow up with information about L&C, and you will have the opportunity to share a bit more about yourself. Loading...
Favorite Class
Political Science Capstone Policy Analysis with Professor Seljan
It accumulated in three different projects: a research proposal, a systematic review, and a cost/benefit analysis. I got to present my systematic review at the Lewis & Clark Gender Studies Symposium. It was a marathon, not a sprint.
Technology, Institutions, and Economic Growth with Associate Professor Clifford Bekar
He’s an engaging lecturer, and the class covers fascinating topics of the last 10,000 years of history in a theoretical way that uses more abstract thought than other math or econ courses.
Minor: Middle East and North African Studies and Data Science (double)
Favorite Class
Medicine, Healing, and Culture taught by Professor Sepideh Bajracharya
It was a truly incredible class, and I would recommend it to everyone. The class truly changed how I viewed the process of healing and its relation to the Western biomedical industry. We read so many amazing works, and I am so grateful to have taken the class.
Historical Materials with Associate Professor Mo Healy
This course is devoted entirely to writing research papers—my favorite thing to do in college—and is notoriously one of the hardest courses at L&C. The final project was a monumental task that involved picking a primary source document and to annotate 100 terms. The whole project was like one big archaeological excavation through books and web sources.
Minor: Middle East and North African Studies (MENA)
Favorite Class
Nonfiction Writing With Professor Pauls Toutonghi
I was really amazed at how impactful and profound the experience of being in a small class with individual attention from a professor with such applicable and professional experience could be.
Intermediate Spanish With Instructor Megan McDonald
Megan is AMAZING! I also took Beginning Spanish with her; her teaching style is the best. The class is fun and engaging, and we have fun activities and discussions.
As my first anthropology elective, it opened my eyes to how anthropological concepts can be applied to everything, in this case, visual representations and media. I loved all of the different films, photographs, and art we explored and the way we were invited to engage with the content through both creative and theory-based lenses.
Major: Sociology and Anthropology, Theatre: Performance Concentration (double)
Minor: Middle East and North African Studies
Complement Your Education With One of These Majors The most popular majors for our Middle East and North African studies minors are history , international affairs , and political science . What Students Are Saying About Lewis & Clark Since I already speak Arabic, it was possible to pursue this minor while double majoring in international affairs and world languages. I like how the MENA classes connect to my two majors. Jana Qasem BA ’26 International Affairs and World Languages (double) | Middle East and North African Studies | Tigard, Oregon More about Jana I chose to minor in Middle East and North African studies because I value intercultural knowledge as an important aspect of being a global citizen, and I think it’s important to understand cultures which are different from our own. Claire Baco BA ’25 Economics | Middle East and North African Studies and Data Science (double) | Shingle Springs, California More about Claire The MENA region holds a profound allure for me, not only due to its diversity and complexity but also because of my personal connection to it through family ties. Exploring the MENA region through academic study allows me to deepen my understanding of my heritage and cultural background. Nadav Ben-David BA ’25 Psychology | Middle East and North African Studies | Sunnyvale, California More about Nadav What Can You Do With a Minor in Middle East and North African Studies? Our alumni use the topics explored and skills cultivated in their Middle East and North African studies minor to help prepare them for an array of pursuits and careers in a complex and fast-changing world. They have gone on to work with the Peace Corps in Morocco, study advanced Arabic in Cairo, and undertake graduate studies in MENA and other fields. Dedicated Faculty Our expert professors are your expert mentors. You will learn directly from faculty (no graduate assistants here!) that are nationally recognized in their fields of study and who love to work with and learn from their students. Your professors will inspire you to be a thoughtful and passionate participant in a diverse world. Your small classes will support you as you explore new ideas, find your voice, and speak your truth. Meet the Professors Invest in Yourself A private liberal arts education is often more affordable than you think . Last year, Lewis & Clark distributed over $74 million in assistance from institutional, federal, state, and private sources. Additionally, we’re so confident that our first-year students will graduate with their bachelor of arts degree in four years that if you don’t, we’ll cover the extra semester of tuition . Find Your People Students can join a variety of student-run organizations. Don’t see what you’re looking for on the club list ? Start something new and build your own community of peers! Where Lewis & Clark Will Take You Lewis & Clark not only provided me with the tools to succeed in the career that I want, but also gave me access to the opportunities I needed to get started. Emily Hayes-Rich 2019 History | Middle East and North African Studies (MENA) | Pojoaque, New Mexico More about Emily Since graduation, I have been in Hualien, Taiwan, as an English teaching assistant with Fulbright Taiwan. Amelia Madarang BA ’22 Political Science | Middle Eastern and North African Studies More about Amelia Featured News A Forum for Dialogue and Discussion on Palestine and Israel The Middle East and North African Studies program offered a new course this fall to facilitate discussion and collective learning around the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read the story More News and Events → Oren Kosansky Associate Professor of Anthropology kosansky@lclark.edu 503-768-7661 MSC 60 Admissions Academics Financial Aid Alumni
