One of CMENA’s missions is to create and support opportunities for students to learn about, travel within, and research North Africa and the Middle East.
Minor
Minor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies. UCSC has an undergraduate minor in Middle Eastern and North African Studies!
To complete the minor, students need to complete at least three quarters of a Middle Eastern language, one of the required introductory courses, and five upper division courses whose primary focus is the history, politics, languages, and/or cultures of the Middle East and/or North Africa. Students must take minor-affiliated courses in at least two different departments. Complete details and minor requirements are here.
Fall 2025 Course Offerings
ANTH/LGST 126 Contraband: Shadow Economies and the Law (Prof. Nidhi Mahajan)
CRES 170 Arab Diasporic Communities (Prof. Jennifer Mogannam)
HIS 5B Cult, Church, Empire: History of Early Christianity, 0-431 C.E. (Prof. Anne Kreps
HIS 58 History of the Modern Mediterranean (Prof. Muriam Haleh Davis)
HIS 159B Women and Gender in Egypt (Prof. Elaine Sullivan)
POLI 140E Middle East Politics (Prof. Thomas Serres)
ARBC 1 Arabic: First Year (Professor Abdelkader Berrahmoun)
ARBC 4 Arabic: Second Year (Professor Abdelkader Berrahmoun)
HEBR 1 Hebrew: First Year (Professor Galia Stein-Rosen)
Winter 2026 Course Offerings
HIS 32A Islam in Africa and the African Diaspora (Prof. Thiago Mota )
HIS 159C Temple and City: The Egyptian New Kingdom and the City of Thebes (Prof. Elaine Sullivan)
HIS 196S, Special Topics in Ancient History (Prof. Anne Kreps)
ARBC 2 Arabic: First Year (Professor Abdelkader Berrahmoun)
HEBR 2 Hebrew: First Year (Prof. Galia Stein-Rosen)
Spring 2026 Course Offerings
POL 184 Shariah & Political Thinking: Law and Politics in Modern Islamic Thought (Prof. Yasmeen Daifallah)
ARBC 3 Arabic: First Year (Prof. Abdelkader Berrahmoun)
HEBR 3 Hebrew: First Year (Prof. Galia Stein-Rosen)