Middle East Studies at U-M stands for the thoughtful study of the languages, cultures, and religions of the peoples of the Middle East, past and present, and for respectful and ethical engagement with our communities in the Middle East, on campus, in southeast Michigan, and throughout the world. Our faculty are experts in the history of the region–from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt to the modern Middle East– and our courses allow you to go beyond the headlines and put modern conflicts into historical context.
Since our founding in 1948, the Department of Middle East Studies has built a national and international reputation for cutting-edge scholarship and education in our field. With 45 affiliated faculty, we teach 15 languages of the ancient and modern Middle East. Our research and publications include interdisciplinary scholarship in religious studies, history, and literature. Our undergraduate major and minor and graduate program give our students a thorough grounding in the breadth and diversity of the languages, cultures, and history of the region and its connections to the world.
Your Gifts at Work
"I started in the Middle East Studies Department as a freshman knowing only that I wanted to study Arabic language, but after my first semester I felt compelled to study the cultural context of the language as well. Since then, I thoroughly enjoyed classes such as Music and Islam, History and Dialectology of Arabic Language, and Ancient Mesopotamian Literature and Mythology, as well as four semesters of Arabic language in both Egyptian and Levantine dialects. Through the university, I was able to study abroad the summer after my sophomore year in Amman, Jordan where I achieved advanced level proficiency in Arabic and gained critical cultural knowledge about the country and the Middle East as a region." —Emily Feuka, BS in Biochemistry and Middle East Studies - Arabic, Linguistics ’17
Giving Opportunities
Middle East Studies Discretionary Fund - 365832
In the Department of Middle East Studies, our teaching and research mission is oriented around four core principles: language, context, diversity, and community. Our courses, scholarship, and public events promote inclusive discussion of the region and productive engagement with Middle Eastern communities in Michigan, the nation, and the world.
Investing in our strategic fund helps us to continue expanding our community and building a culture of excellence. Whether you’re studying language, history, religion, literature, or the arts, your classroom is a community where you learn alongside others in a climate of mutual respect. Gifts to this fund make it possible to enhance the research and training of our undergraduate and graduate students and to recruit, retain and support our exceptional faculty. The strategic fund also provides resources for newly emerging and focused initiatives, including study abroad support, lecture series, fellowship opportunities, and innovative, engaged learning in the classroom. The excellence of our department depends upon the generosity of our donors.
Michael Bonner Fellowship Fund - 335376
The Department of Middle East Studies has established a fellowship fund in memory of Michael. Proceeds from the fund will provide financial support to students pursuing the study of the Medieval Islamic tradition in Arabic, Persian, and Turkish.
The Raji Rammuny Endowment Fund in the Department of Middle East Studies provides much-needed financial support to high achieving graduate students in the field of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language.
For more information, please contact Julianne Purcell: mes-chiefadmin@umich.edu
Thank you for supporting Middle East Studies!
