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Major

Students will normally be expected to organize their programs with emphasis, but not exclusive focus, on one of the main regions of Asia and the Middle East. Students are also encouraged to complete at least one quarter of research in their area of interest in the form of an independent study. Students should speak to the Asian and Middle East Studies Program director to plan a program to meet their individual needs and interests.

Full Major A - Major in Asian & Middle East Language and Civilization
**Option only for students who enroll at Northwestern University BEFORE September 2007 (current students and incoming freshmen, class of 2010 can choose this option or option B).
This major consists of seventeen quarter-courses selected in consultation with the Asian and Middle East Studies director from the approved list of Asia and Middle East-related courses. The student and advisor will seek an appropriate geographic or other focus and will also select at least three courses from each of the three broad disciplinary categories: Social Sciences (which include Anthropology, Economics, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology); History; and Humanities (which include Art History, Art Theory and Practice, Comparative Literary Studies, Philosophy, and Religion).

Students will also complete six quarter-courses of language study in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, or Turkish. (Native-speaker proficiency does not count for course credit.) See the program director for details on requirements for the majors.

Full Major B – Major in Asian & Middle East Language and Civilization
** Optional for students who enroll through August 2007 but will be the only full major offered for students who enroll at Northwestern University after September 2007 (only full major option for freshmen class of 2011).
This major consists of seventeen quarter-courses selected in consultation with the Asian and Middle East Studies director from the approved list of Asia and Middle East-related courses. The student and advisor will seek an appropriate geographic or other focus and will also select at least three courses from each of the three broad disciplinary categories: Social Sciences (which include Anthropology, Economics, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology); History; and Humanities (which include Art History, Art Theory and Practice, Comparative Literary Studies, Philosophy, and Religion). Two courses must be research seminars which can be in any of the three areas.

Students will also complete six quarter-courses of language study beyond the first year in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, or Turkish. (Native-speaker proficiency does not count for course credit.) Majors may take a proficiency test or use AP credit in order to begin their Northwestern language study at the intermediate level or they may take three years while at NU including study abroad. All majors are expected to conduct some of their college study in Asia or the Middle East, although in special circumstances, we will waive this requirement.  See the program director for details on requirements for the majors.

Adjunct Major
The Asian and Middle East Studies major has two tracks. The second is an adjunct major that is taken in conjunction with another major. (See above for the language-based, stand-alone major). Students with an adjunct major must complete 11 quarter-courses. The eleven courses must be divided between three broad disciplinary categories: Social Sciences (which include Anthropology, Economics, Linguistics, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology); History; and Humanities (which include Art History, Art Theory and Practice, Comparative Literary Studies, Philosophy, and Religion). Majors must take at least three of their eleven courses from each category. Most courses are offered in discipline-based departments; there is no department of Asian and Middle East Studies. Double counting between the Asian and Middle East Studies majors and other majors is not permitted.  Students must choose a concentration and complete five or more courses in the declared concentration. In most cases, the concentration will focus on one of the four broad, culturally differentiated areas into which Asia is conventionally divided: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, or West Asia/Middle East.