<p>I know that Stanford has, in the past, been criticized for putting too much emphasis on studying the languages, culture, history, politics, etc. of the former Soviet bloc and for putting too little emphasis on the Middle East. Does anyone know if this is changing? If so, how? I plan to study Arabic and the Middle East, so this is important to me. Thanks!</p>
<p>I have heard this from a few people. AFAIK, Stanford doesn’t have a Middle Eastern Studies major, though I could be wrong.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. You are correct that Stanford does not have a degree-granting program in Middle East Studies. However, it does have pertinent language courses (Arabic, Hebrew, etc.) and it does have Islamic Studies and Iranian Studies. Even though Stanford does not technically have a Middle East Studies major, it seems like one could, with determination, put together a curriculum that closely approximates what would be included in another school’s Middle East Studies major. </p>
<p>I guess that what I am asking is if anyone knows the “inside scoop” as to where Stanford is heading regarding studies relating to the Middle East? In other words, if Stanford is planning on launching a new MES program in the next few years?</p>