Certificate in Arab and Regional Studies

The Certificate in Arab and Regional Studies draws on Qatar's location to give students an interdisciplinary grounding in the Arab and Islamic worlds, combining long-run historical processes with more recent transformations across the region. Students draw analytical tools from a mix of disciplines: history and political science, economics, the anthropology of the region, and broader cultural studies, to examine governance, change, and cultural production in transregional and global context. The six required courses move from two gateway history courses through courses on contemporary regional politics, social-science methods, and the humanities, finishing with a further elective chosen from across disciplines. Coursework is capped by a faculty-mentored certificate thesis or ePortfolio, usually completed in the junior or senior year. Current students apply through the CARS application process coordinated with advisor Elizabeth Wanucha, with an information session held each January; the certificate cannot be combined with departmental honors unless the thesis is finished early, in the junior year.