Students studying through the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies can select from a range of courses offered at an undergraduate level and have the option of undertaking either a Major or Minor. These flexible study options provide students with the opportunity to examine socio-political and economic issues in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, learn the regions’ languages and explore the region’s diverse cultures and societies. The Centre’s excellence in languages offers courses in Arabic, Persian and Turkish at a range of proficiency levels.

Students completing both Majors and Minors offered through the Centre of Arab and Islamic studies equip themselves with the capacity to enter a range of career opportunities including roles in foreign affairs, diplomacy, the public service, not-for-profit, teaching, journalism, economic development and business. 

Majors include:

• Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
• Middle East Politics and Security
• Persian
• Arabic

Minors include:

• Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies
• Middle East Politics and Security
• Russian and Central Asia Studies
• Advanced Persian
• Persian
• Advanced Arabic
• Arabic

The Centre also offers a range of courses in Turkish Studies including:

• Turkish Politics and Foreign Policy
• Turkish Language options

A sample of the courses offered include:

Courses focusing on individual countries/ regions including Egypt, Iran, Syria, Russia, Eurasia and Iraq

Multiple-discipline courses analysing the region including:

• Introduction to the Modern Middle East
• Introduction to International Relations and Security in the Middle East
• Gender and Culture in Iran and the Middle East
• The Political Economy of the Middle East
• Politics in Central Asia
• Islam: History and Institutions
• Dynamics of Business in the Middle East
• Security and Politics in the Persian Gulf
• Energy and Security in Central Asia and the Caucasus
• Critical Perspectives on Arabic Culture
• Drivers of Violent Extremism: The Local and the Global in the Middle East

The Centre also offers both an Honours in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies in additional to postgraduate programs.

From 2023, the majority of courses at the Centre will be taught through face-to-face seminars led by leading global experts on the Middle East and Central Asia. Online options for those remotely-based can be considered.

For a full list of courses offered in 2023, please click here or return to the homepage.

Additional information about the centre’s language program is available here.