In 2002, a federal grant of more than $160,000 allowed for the formation of the Middle Eastern and Islamic studies (MEIS) minor, which was launched at the beginning of the 2003 academic year. The Department of Education (DOE) grant, which was matched by Boston College, facilitated the creation of a study-abroad program and the expansion of programs covering all aspects of the Middle East.
Ever-increasing numbers of students expressed interest in the program, and momentum toward constructing a full-fledged major began to build. Last week, this vision was finally realized. Kathleen Bailey, coordinator of MEIS, said, "We have just been approved as a brand new major."
The Middle Eastern studies program was in a state of disrepair before the DOE grant. "There was a Middle Eastern studies program before that, but it was kind of languishing," she said.
There are currently 60 students minoring in the MEIS program that consist of a range of courses covering issues pertinent to the world of the Middle East and Islam.
Students are required to take courses in Arabic; Hebrew is the only other Middle Eastern language currently offered at BC.
The vast majority of students involved in the minor are political science majors, but there are also students in the program who are majoring in international studies, communication, and finance.
The program is still young, so it is hard to discern what careers graduates from the program will end up in, Bailey said.
One thing, though, is clear:College graduates with knowledge of the Middle East and a proficiency in a Middle Eastern language will have little difficulty finding employment.
Franck Salameh, professor of Slavic and Eastern Languages, said that he has experienced great interest among the student body for the study of Middle Eastern languages.
Salameh said that such a level of excitement for languages that are so difficult to master is a rare phenomenon.
"They were initiated pretty much at the same time," Salameh said of the relationship between the study of Arabic and MEIS. "Traditionally, people do not come to BC to study Arabic." There are currently about 100 students studying Arabic, Salameh said.
He said that increased student participation in these programs is not just a localized event. Programs that focus on Middle Eastern culture and language have experienced growth on both the national and international level as well.
"It is not just a matter of growth in numbers; we have also seen increased student retention," Salameh said.
He said that the rate of attrition in the study of Middle Eastern languages is usually very high, due to the difficulty of the study.
The program is now experiencing retention rates of about 90 percent, however, which is unheard of in past years.
Students who take Arabic at BC learn modern standard Arabic and are offered the opportunity to refine their knowledge and language skills through study-abroad programs.
"Most of our students go to Egypt. … We have students who go to Jordan, Syria, Moscow, and North Africa," Salameh said. Students have also traveled to Yemen and Israel in recent years.
Elizabeth Sletzinger, A&S '08, minored in MEIS. She said that she originally wanted to major in the subject, but ultimately decided to major in international studies because at the time, no Middle Eastern studies major was offered.
"It is exciting to say that there is a major that has been approved to start next year," Sletzinger said.
Now that MEIS has been officially approved as a major, the program will have the resources to expand its language and study-abroad offerings.
Currently the most common study-abroad destination for MEIS minors is the American University of Cairo. Another program offers students the chance to study in Kuwait over the summer.
This year the Cairo program received 50 applications for 22 spots, Bailey said. Language offerings might in the future expand to include Turkic, Persian, and other languages that students have expressed interest in but that are not currently offered at BC.
MEIS sponsors events that are open to the student body, the next of which will be held on Feb. 28. The event, "Women in Diplomacy," will feature a panel of four women who have established careers in international diplomacy.
The panel will include BC graduate and former MEIS student Tara Foley, BC '02. Foley works in the Division of Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction with the U.S. State Department.
Both Bailey and Salameh said that the growth MEIS is experiencing can be attributed to the prominence that the Middle East has gained in the global community.
Particularly for students majoring in international studies, a firm grounding in the culture and the politics of the Middle East can give an applicant an edge in the job search.