Due to the domestic and international situation in the
post-Sept. 11 world, university students’ interest in Middle
Eastern studies has dramatically increased in the past five years,
as jobs in that field have also become more popular.
James Gelvin, a professor of history who focuses on the modern
Middle East, said the expansion of this area of study is a
reflection of current U.S. foreign policy and interest in the
Middle East, which has been influenced by the Sept. 11 attacks and
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
United States involvement with and interest in the Middle East
has resulted in more job openings and educational opportunities in
that area, said Kathy Sims, director of the UCLA Career Center.
“There’s heightened need and interest in students
that have backgrounds in Middle Eastern studies,” she
said.
Examples of careers that Middle Eastern studies students choose
to pursue after graduation include defense contracting, national
security, intelligence, economics, politics, and research and
development, Sims said.
Warren Fahmy, a fourth-year Middle Eastern and North African
studies student, said he has always been interested in the subject
and is one such student who is considering a job that deals with
Middle Eastern issues.
He said he has submitted applications to nongovernmental
organizations and think tanks that deal with Middle Eastern issues
and is looking into positions at the U.S. State Department as
well.
Gelvin said the atmosphere now is very different than it was 15
years ago. During the Cold War, universities were re-evaluating
Middle Eastern studies departments and there was talk of abolishing
the centers completely.
“September 11 pretty much disabused us of that
idea,” he said. “The threat has shifted. What we need
is experts with a regional knowledge, particularly knowledge of the
languages.”
The number of students studying Arabic in the U.S. has almost
doubled since 2002, and federal funding for Arabic instruction has
increased 33 percent between 2001 and 2004, according to the
American Association of Teachers of Arabic, an organization that
focuses on connecting teachers of Arabic.
The national focus on the Middle East has meant increased
funding for Middle Eastern studies programs, he added.
Due to the increase in federal funding, classes are being
offered now that were not previously available. A course about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict drew 198 students in 2004, though it
had not previously been offered at UCLA.
Shereen Allam, a third-year Middle Eastern and North African
studies major, said she transferred to UCLA specifically for the
major as her former school did not offer it. She said she hopes to
one day combine her Middle Eastern degree with a law degree and
eventually find a job working in diplomatic relations.
Allam, who was originally a political science major at UC Santa
Cruz, said she wrote a paper on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
prompting her to make the switch to UCLA so she could concentrate
solely on Middle Eastern studies.
“I’m half Egyptian and I’m also Muslim, so
that’s always been interesting to me,” she said.
Though there is a demand for knowledge of the Middle East in the
workforce, Sims said students often have to pursue additional
education after graduating in order to get a job in the field.
“A lot of those kinds of positions require advance
degrees,” she said, adding that coupling a major in Middle
Eastern studies with a major in another field, such as engineering,
can also be beneficial.
For students aspiring to work with international organizations
such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, the more
education, the better, Sims said.
“Those kinds of organizations are very competitive;
it’s very difficult to work there without advanced
education,” she said.