Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program

Develop a nuanced understanding of the Middle East, informed by study of its Islamic and related traditions.

Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (MIST) Program students immerse themselves in the history, culture, and politics of the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and the rest of the Islamic world.

Through historical and cultural analysis, students explore the development of Islamic societies in multiple regions.

The program offers a major or minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, including four years of Modern Standard Arabic and multiple study-abroad opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa.

Graduates go on to careers in NGOs, military intelligence, government agencies, educational non-profits, media, journalism, humanitarian organizations, and various graduate programs.

Learn about the academic program

Department Contacts

Director:  Bruce Rutherford
Academic Department Coordinator: Julie Vair
Office: 315 Lawrence Hall
Phone: 315-228-7808

Events Calendar

Students participate in group exercise during an Arabic language course
Course Offerings

Find available courses for students participating in the Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program.

Professor Nady Abdal-Ghaffar gestures at the blackboard while teaching a class on the Arabic language.
Faculty and Staff

Meet the faculty and staff behind the program, and learn about their ongoing research.

Travelling students visit the visit the famous spice market in Istanbul, Turkey
Off-Campus Study

Explore immersive study in Middle Eastern and Islamic culture through off-campus study programs.

Events & Lectures

The Mist Department sponsors lectures and events throughout the academic year to enrich students' understanding and complement classroom learning. Semester open houses offer students the chance to meet with faculty and savor a variety of Middle Eastern cuisine. In addition, many of our students belong to campus clubs, such as the Colgate Muslim Student Association and the Colgate Model Arab League, which also organize programs and events throughout the year.

Past Events

2024

  • Hafez Al Mirazi: Arabs, Arab-Americans, and the U.S. elections
    Hafez Al Mirazi’s broadcast experience spans over 40 years starting as a radio broadcaster at Sawt Al Arab (Voice of the Arabs) in Cairo. He taught television journalism for 11 years as a Professor of Practice at the American University in Cairo, and Also served as Washington Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera Arabic TV news channel. He was a Frequent guest on many US TV shows including Larry King Live, The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Nightline and the Charlie Rose Show on PBS.
  • Exposing War Crimes in Syria and the Connection to the Ukraine Crisis
    Members from the Syrian Emergency Task Force visited the campus in the fall and participated in a Public Lecture, as well as a dinner with the Model Arab League Club and select individual classes. View recording
  • James Hoesterey Lecture Faith in Diplomacy: Soft Power and the Making of "Moderate Islam" in Indonesia
    Jim Hoesterey, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Emory University, offered a Public lecture and visits with individual classes.

Spring 2024: Palestine–Israel 101 Series

  • Professor Bruce Rutherford (POSC, MIST) :  Introduction to terms and concepts talks. 
        The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict  
        The 2023-24 Gaza war
  • Palestinian Refugees & International Law with Parastou Hassouri
    Cairo-based, independent researcher and consultant focusing on refugee and migration law and policy
  • "Who counts? Demography, Statistics, and Power in Palestine/Israel" with Tamir Sorek
    Liberal Arts Professor of History at Penn State
    Tamir Sorek studies culture as a field of conflict and resistance, particularly in the context of Palestine/Israel.)
  • Whose Jerusalem? Belonging and Unbelonging in the Holy City  with Michelle Campos
    Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and History at Penn State
    Michelle Campos is a scholar of 19th and early 20th century Jewish Studies and Middle Eastern history whose work is grounded in and contributes to three complementary and overlapping subfields: 1) the history of Palestine and Israel; 2) the history of the late Ottoman Empire and the making of the modern Middle East; and 3) Sephardic Jewish studies.)