Middle East and South Asia Studies
- Department Interdisciplinary
- Academic Division The College
- Offerings With Language Emphasis minor Without Language minor
The Middle East and South Asia, though wide in extent and culturally diverse, contain multiple cradles of civilization, and have been linked since antiquity by cultural, religious and economic networks, both on land (the Silk Road) and sea (the Indian Ocean).
Middle East and South Asia
Students in the MESA program gain broad-based, historically grounded knowledge about the societies and cultures of the Middle East and South Asia, including their linkages and area-wide patterns, acquiring the skills to analyze and interpret social, religious, political and cultural processes or developments relevant to the area.
Students may choose to minor in Middle East and South Asia Studies Or MESA Studies with Language Emphasis, both of which require seven courses (at least 21 credits). Language emphasis requires three additional 3-4 credit courses earned by completing through term five in one MESA-relevant language. The first two terms of language study are not applicable to the minor. Both Arabic and Sanskrit instruction are available at W&L; other MESA-relevant languages, such as Hebrew, Hindi or Tibetan, may be studied elsewhere and considered by the program director for credit toward the minor with language emphasis.
Opportunities
Students are encouraged to take advantage of study abroad or language learning opportunities in the Middle East and South Asia. Washington and Lee’s relationships with the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and Middlebury Schools Abroad facilitate student experiences in Jordan and India. The Critical Language Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, offers fully-funded summer language institutes for U.S. students studying Arabic, Hindi, Indonesian, Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Bangla or Turkish. Students may also consider programs with the Council on International Education Exchange or the School for International Training, which offer opportunities in Jordan, India, Indonesia, Morocco or Nepal. Scholarships are available for some of these experiences.
The Association for Middle East Interests, a campus student group, is dedicated to informing the student body and Rockbridge-area community about the Middle East.
Other co-curricular and extracurricular activities include movie nights, calligraphy lessons, cooking lessons, dance lessons, spoken word nights, guest speakers and the WLUArabic Lunch.
W&L’s Brandon Bishop ’26 Awarded the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellowship
Starting in July, Bishop will participate in a year-long cultural immersion program in Germany.
Record Number of W&L Students Awarded Critical Language Scholarship
The Critical Language Scholarship Program funds a summer of overseas language and cultural immersion.
Anthropology Professor Publishes Essay in Online Publication
Hafsa Oubou’s essay “Churches Can, Mosques Can’t” appears in the January edition of Canopy Forum.
Thomas deBuchananne ’27 Awarded CIE Arabic Summer Scholarship
Washington and Lee’s Center for International Education awarded deBuchananne funding to study Arabic at the University of Jordan this summer.
W&L Arabic Professor Publishes Paper in International Peer-Reviewed University Journal
Anthony Edwards’ article focuses on the 19th-century Orientalist Gregory M. Wortabet.
W&L Arabic Professor Publishes Paper in International Peer-Reviewed Journal
Anthony Edwards illustrates his case study that focuses on Khalīl al-Khūrī, a central figure of the Nahḍa.
W&L’s Edwards Featured in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
Arabic professor Anthony Edwards recently published a paper titled “Becoming the Muʿallim: how tradition and innovation made a Nahḍa icon.”
Eight W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
Two Washington and Lee ROTC Students Receive Project Global Officer Grants
Christy Childs ’26 and Griffin Conti ’26 will receive funding to study foreign languages this summer.
W&L’s Andrea Rojas ’23 Earns Fulbright to Mexico
Rojas has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to teach English in Mexico.
Bishop ’26 and Gibbons ’26 Awarded CIE Arabic Summer Scholarship
Washington and Lee's Center for International Education awarded two students funding to study Arabic at the University of Jordan this summer.
W&L Faculty Members Present Papers at 2022 MESA Conference in Denver
Anthony Edwards, Theodore Van Loan and Kameliya Atanasova were featured at the annual event.
Meet the Faculty
At W&L, students enjoy small classes and close relationships with professors who educate and nurture.
Seth Cantey
Associate Professor of Politics; MESA Program Head
- P: 540-458-8019
- E: canteys@wlu.edu
Cantey teaches courses on global politics, Middle Eastern politics, intelligence, terrorism and foreign policy. His commentary on current events has been picked up by various media outlets, such as USA Today and the Huffington Post.
Jumana S. Al-Ahmad
Visiting Assistant Professor of Arabic
- P: 540-458-4819
- E: jalahmad@wlu.edu
Jumana Al-Ahmad’s research focuses on the intersection of religion, culture and human rights with attention to the thought and activism of women intellectuals in Tunisia and across the Maghrib. She teaches Arabic language, as well as courses on Islamic feminism, social justice, and Qur’anic studies.
Kameliya N. Atanasova
Assistant Professor of Religion
Atanasova researches the intersection of religion, law and politics by studying the social role of Sufism in the early-modern Ottoman Empire. She teaches Islamic Civilization, Sufism, Islam in America, and Muslims in the Movies.
Aliaa Bassiouny
Lawrence Term Associate Professor of Finance
Bassiouny’s teaching portfolio includes courses in managerial finance, investments, portfolio management, international finance, valuation and financial modeling. Her research interests include investments and empirical market microstructure with a focus on emerging markets.
Niels-Hugo (Hugo) Blunch
Darrold and Kay Cannan Term Professor of Economics
- P: 540-458-8619
- E: blunchn@wlu.edu
Blunch teaches econometrics and health economics, and also takes students to Ghana for study abroad. His research pertains to health, education and labor market issues. Previously, Blunch worked with the World Bank and the United Nations.
Alexandra R. Brown
Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor in Bible
- P: 540-458-8789
- E: browna@wlu.edu
Brown teaches courses on the New Testament and other ancient Christian texts, Bible and film, gender and religion, Christian mysticism, and theory and method in the study of religion. Her primary research is in New Testament, particularly the Pauline letters.
Anthony (Antoine) Edwards
Assistant Professor of Arabic
- P: 540-458-8396
- E: edwardsa@wlu.edu
Edwards teaches courses in Arabic at all levels as well as a course on the Arab world through film. His research centers around Arabic language and grammar as well as the histories and ideologies of Arabic.
Stuart Gray
Associate Professor of Politics
- P: 540-458-5879
- E: grays@wlu.edu
Gray teaches numerous courses on political philosophy, Gandhi and Greek/Indian political theory. His research focuses on the history of political thought, global comparative political theory and South Asian political thought.
Timothy Lubin
Jessie Ball DuPont Professor of Religion
- P: 540-458-8146
- E: lubint@wlu.edu
Professor Lubin teaches courses on Asian religions and comparative study of religion and law. He researches Hindu religious history, law in ancient Asia, and texts and inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Old Javanese and Old Tamil.
Shikha Silwal
Associate Professor of Economics
- P: 540-458-8256
- E: silwals@wlu.edu
Silwal teaches courses such as The Economics of War and Peace, and Culture and Economic Development. She also co-teaches a study abroad course in Nepal. Silwal researches conflict and peace studies with a focus on South Asia.