The Middle East have long been at the center of human history—from some of the world’s first civilizations to today’s news. The first cities were in the Middle East, and most of the world’s oil is in the region.
Courses in the field examine the birth of world religions, the rise and fall of great empires, the intellectual production of antiquity, commodities that affect all our lives, the rise of global political movements and much more. Some students choose to concentrate on the Middle East. Language study is not required to specialize in the region, but many students study Arabic or other regional languages in order to enhance both their intellectual engagement with their studies and their ability to conduct first-hand research in Yale’s rich collections of primary-source materials.
This specialist field allows students to examine the history of these vital regions in all of their complexity, political richness, and cultural vitality. The regions’ history moves from some of the world’s first societies to modern countries now at the heart of global events.