About the Council on Middle East Studies

As globally significant developments in the Middle East unfold daily, the Council on Middle East Studies (CMES) serves as a central resource for the Yale community, the northeast region, and the nation on issues pertaining to the Middle East. CMES faculty are experts in a wide range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, as well as several of Yale’s professional schools, including Global Affairs, Law, Management, Medicine, Public Health, and the Environment. Guided by the conviction that engagement with contemporary Middle Eastern realities is an investment in the region’s future, CMES has a strong and expanding network of international partners, including Middle Eastern universities and Yale alumni in the region. These collaborative initiatives emphasize the dynamic and evolving relationships between the Middle East and the rest of the world.

Middle East Studies at Yale builds on a legacy dating back to the 19th century. Yale was the first university in the U.S. to appoint a professor of Arabic (in 1841) and to establish a Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. In 1861, it awarded the first PhD in Middle East Studies. Today, both undergraduate and graduate students may study the Modern Middle East while gaining proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish languages and literatures. In addition, Yale has faculty teaching Middle East anthropology, art, economics, history, Islamic studies, political science, sociology, and women’s and gender studies. Understanding that direct connections through faculty and student exchanges are a powerful and effective means to gain understanding of contemporary social issues in the region, the CMES community is eager to engage with scholars, students, and practitioners from across the Middle East.

CMES is home to

•    Modern Middle East Studies Major (BA)
•    Graduate Certificate in Middle East Studies (for MA and PhD candidates)
•    75+ Affiliated Faculty
•    165 Middle East courses, including 15 courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Turkish
•    Ganzfried Family Travel Fellowship & Libby Rouse Fund for Peace
•    Program in Iranian Studies
•    North African Studies Initiative

For further information on CMES and its various roles and activities, browse our website or email cmes@yale.edu.

E-Newsletter
If you would like to receive an email of events related to the Middle East at Yale and in the New Haven area, please email cmes@yale.edu.