World Islamic and Middle East Studies Major Concentration (B.A.)

36 credits · Faculty of Arts · 2026-2027 catalogue

World Islamic and Middle East Studies Major Concentration (B.A.) as a checklist, with when each course runs in 2026–27. On a computer, check off the courses you have taken or plan to take to add up your credits.

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Complementary Courses (36 credits)

12-15 credits (2 levels) in one language: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, or Urdu. One level is 6 credits. In the case of Arabic, the first two levels involve 15 credits. The extra 3 credits may count toward the 6-9 credits at any level category of the complementary courses' requirement. NOTE: Hebrew courses (JWST 220D1/D2, 320D1/D2, 340D1/D2), listed under Non-ISLA Courses, are considered non-language courses. 21-24 credits (21 if the extra Introductory Arabic credits are used) of complementary courses selected from the World Islamic and Middle East Studies course lists as follows: 3 credits of 200-level non-language ISLA courses; 6 credits of 300-level non-language ISLA courses; 6 credits of 400-/500-level non-language ISLA courses; 6-9 credits at any level, including more language courses, but no more than 6 non-language credits overall at the 200-level. Students may fulfill these credits by taking complementary courses from the list of the Non-ISLA Courses below.

Languages (Two levels) (12 credits)

12 credits from:

Arabic

  • ISLA 221D1 Introductory Arabic (4.5 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 221D2 Introductory Arabic (4.5 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 322 Lower Intermediate Arabic (6 credits) · Offered: Summer
  • ISLA 322D1 Lower Intermediate Arabic (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 322D2 Lower Intermediate Arabic (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 423D1 Higher Intermediate Arabic (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 423D2 Higher Intermediate Arabic (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 524 Advanced Arabic 1 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 525 Advanced Arabic 2 (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 526 Colloquial Arabic (3 credits) · Offered: Winter

Persian

  • ISLA 241D1 Introductory Persian (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 241D2 Introductory Persian (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 342D1 Lower Intermediate Persian (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 342D2 Lower Intermediate Persian (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 443D1 Upper Intermediate Persian (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 443D2 Upper Intermediate Persian (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 545 Advanced Persian 1 (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 546 Advanced Persian 2 (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027

Turkish

  • ISLA 232D1 Introductory Turkish (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 232D2 Introductory Turkish (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 333D1 Lower Intermediate Turkish (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 333D2 Lower Intermediate Turkish (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 434D1 Higher Intermediate Turkish (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 434D2 Higher Intermediate Turkish (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 535D1 Advanced Turkish (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 535D2 Advanced Turkish (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 560 Ottoman Turkish (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027

Urdu

  • ISLA 251D1 Introductory Urdu-Hindi (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 251D2 Introductory Urdu-Hindi (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 352D1 Intermediate Urdu-Hindi (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 352D2 Intermediate Urdu-Hindi (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 553 Advanced Urdu-Hindi 1 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 554 Advanced Urdu-Hindi 2 (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 555 Urdu Poetry (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027

ISLA 200-Level (3 credits)

3 credits from:

  • ISLA 200 Islamic Civilization (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 210 Muslim Societies (3 credits) · Offered: Fall, Winter

ISLA 300-Level (6 credits)

6 credits from:

  • ISLA 300 Special Topics 7 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 305 Topics in Islamic History (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 310 Women in Islam (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 311 History of the City-Islamic World (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 315 Ottoman State and Society to 1839 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 320 Art of Islam (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 325 Introduction to Shi'i Islam (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 330 Islamic Mysticism: Sufism (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 355 Modern History of the Middle East (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 360 Islam and Politics (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 365 Middle East Since the 1970's (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 370 The Qur’an: History and Interpretation (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 375 Sufi Women (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 380 Islamic Philosophy and Theology (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 383 Central Questions in Islamic Law (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 385 Poetics and Politics in Arabic Literature (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 388 Persian Literature (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 390 Islamic Reform and Radicalism: Middle East (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 392 Arabic Literature as World Literature (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 395 Melancholic Migrants (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 499 World Islamic and Middle East Studies Internship (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027

ISLA 400-/500-Level (6 credits)

6 credits from:

  • ISLA 410 History: Middle-East 1798-1918 (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 411 History: Middle-East 1918-1945 (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 415 Modern Iran: Anthropological Approach (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 420 Indo-Islamic Civilization: Medieval (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 421 Islamic Culture - Indian Subcontinent (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 430 Islamdom: Baghdad to Cordoba (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 488 Tales of Wonder-Islamic World (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 489 Special Topics 6 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall, Winter
  • ISLA 502 Art in the Age of Empires (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 505 Islam: Origin and Early Development (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 506 Revolutions: Arab Middle East and North Africa (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 511 Medieval Islam, 10th-12th Century (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 512 Art of the Ottoman Empire (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 515 The Medieval School in Islam (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 516 Medieval Islam, 13th-15th Century (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 526 Colloquial Arabic (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ISLA 530 Advanced Sufism (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 555 Urdu Poetry (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • ISLA 580 Topics in Ottoman History (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 581 Special Topics 1 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 582 Special Topics 2 (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • ISLA 585 Arab Women's Literature (3 credits) · Offered: Fall

Non-ISLA Courses (0–9 credits)

0-9 credits from:

  • ANTH 209 Anthropology of Religion (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ANTH 318 Globalization and Religion (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • ANTH 327 Anthropology of South Asia (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • HIST 209 Introduction to South Asian History (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • HIST 240 Modern History of Islamic Movements (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • HIST 305 Themes in Middle East History (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • HIST 340 History of Modern Egypt (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • HIST 341 Themes in South Asian History (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • HIST 435 Topics in South Asian History (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • HIST 446 Topics in Middle East History (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • HIST 591D1 Modern Middle East History (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • HIST 591D2 Modern Middle East History (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • JWST 220D1 Introductory Hebrew (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • JWST 220D2 Introductory Hebrew (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • JWST 245 Jewish Life in the Islamic World (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • JWST 261 History of Jewish Philosophy and Thought (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • JWST 312 Modern Jewish History (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • JWST 320D1 Intermediate Hebrew (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • JWST 320D2 Intermediate Hebrew (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • JWST 323 The Israeli Novel (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • JWST 334 Jews and Muslims: A Modern History (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • JWST 338 Jewish Philosophy and Thought 2 (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • JWST 340D1 Advanced Hebrew (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • JWST 340D2 Advanced Hebrew (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • JWST 348 Modern Jewish Studies (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • JWST 366 History of Zionism (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • JWST 367 Hebrew through Israeli Cinema (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • JWST 370 Israeli Popular Culture (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • PHIL 356 Early Medieval Philosophy (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • POLI 340 Comparative Politics of the Middle East (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • POLI 341 Foreign Policy: The Middle East (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • POLI 347 Arab-Israel Conflict, Crisis, Peace (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • RELG 204 Judaism, Christianity and Islam (3 credits) · Offered: Fall
  • RELG 307 Bible, Quran and Interpretations (3 credits) · Not scheduled for 2026–2027
  • RELG 309 World Religions and Cultures They Create (3 credits) · Offered: Winter
  • RELG 440 Global Islam (3 credits) · Offered: Winter

Related programs

Source: McGill Course Catalogue. myDegree is an independent student project, not affiliated with McGill University.