Critical Asian and Middle Eastern Humanities (AM)

Program Code: G-CAMEH-AM
Degree Designation: Master of Arts
Department: Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
Website: asianmideast.duke.edu/graduate

Program Summary

The Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) offers a master’s degree in Critical Asian and Middle Eastern Humanities (CAMEH). This program 1) provides training in the critical analyses of written, visual, and performance cultures of the Middle East, East Asia, and their diasporas; 2) explore intra- and inter-continental exchanges and ties; 3) integrates approaches and methodologies from literary studies, film studies, cultural studies, and religious studies; and 4) provides students with the skills needed to pursue either a doctoral or professional degree in a related area or a career in a field relating to Asia writ large.

AMES faculty expertise is particularly strong in the early modern, modern, and contemporary periods, and faculty research interests coalesce around the broad areas of: 1) East Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan, and South and North Korea; 2) the Middle East, including Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, and Iran; 3) Asian and Middle Eastern Diasporas.

Academic Requirements

To receive the MA, students must complete ten graduate-level courses, of which at least five must be offered by (or cross-listed with) AMES. All students must have third-year proficiency (or the equivalent) in one of the languages taught in the department by the time they graduate. Students who are already proficient or fluent in such a language before they arrive are not required to learn a second language, though they have the option of doing so. All students must also complete an MA thesis and successfully defend it in an oral defense. All students will be offered a first-year faculty advisor before arriving at Duke and will then be assigned a thesis advisor for their second year.