Certificate in MENA Studies
Graduate Certificate in Middle East and North African Studies (MENA)
To complete a certificate in MENA, students must take 5 courses:
MENA 410 and/or MENA 411
- MENA 410. Pro-Seminar in MENA Studies. Introduces students to key scholarly literature in the field, drawn from a variety of disciplines. (Taught in alternating years, academic year 2013-14 (Winter Quarter) and 2015-16, etc.)
- MENA 411. Approaches and perspectives in MENA Studies. Surveys differing disciplinary approaches to the study of the Middle East and North Africa, often organized around a theme. (Taught in alternating years, academic year 2014-15 and 2016-17, etc.)
MENA 412
- MENA 412.
Overview of Class
The MENA Colloquium is designed to encourage dialogue between students across disciplines who share interests in Middle East and North African Studies, to offer a space to develop extended papers and research reports, and to foster discussion between Northwestern MENA students and faculty. Students begin by enrolling in MENA 412-1 followed by MENA 412-2 as zero credit courses. Upon successful completion of MENA 412-1,2 students may enroll in MENA 412-3, completion of which earns one course credit. Students taking the 3 part MENA 412 sequence must present their work at a MENA colloquium at least one time per academic year, pre-circulate their paper to other members of the seminar, make one formal response, participate in online Blackboard discussion, and attend all MENA colloquia plus selected invited speakers. In order to obtain a Certificate in MENA Studies, students must enroll in three quarters of MENA 412 (one course credit) and three quarters of MENA 415 (which meets at the same time as MENA 412, and is otherwise identical, but does not require a public presentation or comment and bears no credit). Attendance at the colloquium is open to the public, though precirculated papers are only accessible to students enrolled in the MENA 412 sequence. Requirements (for MENA 412) : 15-20 page paper on an independent research project, submitted and circulated one week prior to colloquium session. 20-25 minute presentation based on the paper, ideally with visuals and/or handouts. One formal response to another student presentation. Active participation in the colloquium and online discussion. Note: MENA 412-1,2,3 is normally completed in a single academic year, but can also be spread over two academic years, with consent of MENA director. Please note: this is a three quarter long sequence bearing one course credit; it meets several times per quarter, to be determined at the first class session.
Registration Requirements
Open to students in any graduate program at Northwestern whose work intersects with study of the Middle East and/or North Africa. Students affiliated with the MENA Cluster or pursuing a MENA Certificate are automatically eligible. Others may inquire of the MENA Program Director.
Learning Objectives
To provide a forum to for presenting, developing, and responding to research on the Middle East and North Africa from a variety of disciplinary perspectives; to enable conversations across disciplinary methodologies which both sharpens students' sense of their own discipline and develops ability to communicate across those disciplines; to foster dialogue among graduate students working on MENA studies and members of the faculty.
Teaching Method
Presentations, faculty response, and group discussion.
Evaluation Method
Students enrolled for credit are evaluated based on their written paper, their public presentation, and their responses (both written and oral) to the papers and presentations of other students enrolled in MENA 412 for credit.
Class Materials (Required)
Students will be required to read the precirculated papers by their classmates and other article-length materials as distributed by professor.
MENA 415
- MENA Colloquium Advanced. Students pursuing the PhD certificate in MENA studies enroll in three quarters of MENA 415, which is non-credit bearing but fulfills the Colloquium requirement. MENA 415 meets simultaneously with MENA 412, but does not require students to make a public presentation. Students are expected to be actively engaged in discussions, both during formal public presentations and electronically. Prerequisite for enrollment: successful completion of MENA 412-1,2,3. Requirements (for non-credit MENA 415): Active attendance and participation in the colloquium.
Two or three electives related to MENA
Electives may be drawn from graduate offerings in departments including but not limited to: Anthropology, Art History, Comparative Literary Studies, History, Political Science, Religion, Radio/Television/Video/Film. All electives are by permission of the Program Director.
Language Requirement
The Program strongly encourages (and requires, in the case of the certificate) proficiency in one of the primary languages of the MENA region: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, or Tamazight. The certificate language requirement may be satisfied by examination, either through Northwestern or an approved alternate; by oral examination/evaluation; or through a translation project supervised by a MENA faculty member and with approval of the DGS/Program Director.