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Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Director of Center: Marilyn Booth
Director of Graduate Studies: Ritu Saksena
221 International Studies Building,
910 South Fifth Street,
Champaign, IL 61820 (USA), Tel: 217-244-7331, Fax: 217-265-6399
e-mail: rsaksena@uiuc.edu
Master of Arts
An MA degree in Asian Studies with a concentration in South Asia
and the Middle East is offered by the Center for South Asian and
Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES:
http://www.psames.uiuc.edu/).
Students in this concentration will specialize in either South Asian
Studies or Middle Eastern Studies. (This may include a focus on
Islamic Studies.) Admissions, advising, and evaluation of students'
progress in the South Asian and Middle Eastern concentration are
the responsibility of CSAMES.
The MA program provides basic preparation in language and area training
for students intending either to continue in a Ph.D. program in
a related field or to enter a career not requiring a doctorate.
Admission
Applications for the MA in Asian Studies are submitted through the
Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (www.ealc.uiuc.edu).
Applicants must meet the minimum standards established by the Graduate
College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but the
final selection is determined by a committee appointed by the Center
for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Application forms may
be downloaded from the Office of Admissions web page (http://www.grad.uiuc.edu/admissions/apply/program.htm)
or requested from the Center office at the address listed below.
Applicants to the graduate program must submit an application for
admission, full transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
completed, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (verbal, quantitative,
and analytical), a statement of purpose, a writing sample and three
letters of reference completed by teachers, advisers, or recent
employers. Applicants are expected to have a strong background in
at least one South Asian or Middle Eastern language; normally, this
means that they will have completed a minimum of two years of formal
study of a language before they enter the MA program. Students whose
native language is not English must take the Test of English as
a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and must score at least 610 on the paper-based
TOEFL (253 on the computer-based test) to be eligible for admission
with full standing. Admission is possible only for the fall semester.
Applicants must specify a concentration in either South Asian or
Middle Eastern studies. The application deadline is January 15.
Financial Aid
Graduate students with U.S. citizenship are encouraged to apply
for FLAS Fellowships. The Center also offers travel to conference
grants for students of all disciplines focusing on South Asian or
Middle Eastern topics. The Center makes every effort to assist graduate
students in securing financial aid, but because we are not a department
with its own courses, we cannot offer Teaching Assistantships. Prospective
graduate students may want to seek teaching assistantships in other
departments. Financial aid for graduate students in the Center for
South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies may include Foreign Language
and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships and graduate assistantships.
All awards of financial aid are made following competitive application.
Degree Requirements for the Master of Arts
Candidates must complete eight units of graduate-level courses,
including at least three courses at the 500 level in area-related
courses. Candidates must also demonstrate a reading knowledge of
one of the languages related to their regional concentration at
the fourth-year level by satisfactory completion of an examination
or appropriate course work; pass an oral examination covering the
area studies taken while in residence; and complete two satisfactory
research/seminar papers. Candidates for the master's degree are
expected to maintain a GPA of 3.25 in courses taken for the program.
No thesis is required.
Advising for the South Asian and Middle Eastern Concentrations
Academic advising is provided through the Center for South Asian
and Middle Eastern Studies.
Research Interests
Faculty affiliated with the Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern
Studies teach in more than a dozen different disciplines in the
social sciences and the humanities. Research interests range widely
and include both contemporary and historical studies of the regions,
and inquiries into such topics as religious and social identities,
cultural values, literary expression, urbanization, politics and
gender.
Contact Address
For admission to the Program: Ritu Saksena, Associate Director,
Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, 221 International
Studies Building, 910 South Fifth Street, Champaign, IL 61820 (USA),
Tel. 217-244-7331, Fax: 217-265-6399, e-mail: rsaksena@uiuc.edu.
Web page:
http://www.psames.uiuc.edu/
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