Are you interested in the history, languages, and cultures of the Middle East? Stretching from Libya to Turkey and southward down the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East comprises Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine (including West Bank and Gaza Strip), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The Hamilton Lugar School's Department of Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures offers a major in the discipline, which includes the study of languages such as Arabic, Egyptian, Hebrew, or Persian, as well as minors in Arabic, Persian, and Islamic Studies. We also offer MA and PhD degrees in Arabic and and support additional languages such as Hebrew, Turkish, Persian, Kurdish, and Ancient (Hieroglyphic) Egyptian.
The signature strengths of the department remain in the classical and medieval periods of Islam—in classical Arabic literature and language, Islamic studies, philosophical and religious thought, and intellectual history. The thriving Arabic language program with its focus on modern standard Arabic and courses offered in the department on the history and politics of the modern Middle East add a vital and critical modern dimension to the traditional departmental areas of strength.