M.A. Middle Eastern Studies

If you have a B.A. degree in "Jewish Studies" or in a subject with largely the same content, you will have your first specialization in the area of "Jewish Middle East" and your second specialization in the area of "Islamic Middle East".

In the first specialization "Jewish Middle East", you will complete three modules (NOS 2a, 3a and 4a), each of which combines language and content components. You will continue your study of Modern Hebrew in the NOS 2a and 3a modules as part of two consecutive language courses (Modern Hebrew V and VI), in which you will further differentiate and expand the language skills you acquired during your B.A. studies. In the NOS 4a module, you will apply this knowledge as part of a source exercise based on current research. Parallel to the language courses, you will attend a research-oriented advanced seminar in each of the first two semesters, which is based primarily on the study of original Hebrew-language sources and deals thematically with exemplary problem complexes of the degree program from a transdisciplinary perspective. In Module 4a, you will also take part in an exercise based on current research projects which, in combination with the above-mentioned reading course, teaches, deepens and expands practical research skills. On request, you can replace parts of the NOS 4a module with an external internship.

In the second specialization (Islamic Middle East, consisting of 4 modules (NOS 5b to 8b), you will learn one of the languages Arabic, Turkish/Ottoman or Persian in modules NOS 5b and 6b. You will complete the three-semester undergraduate language course in the third semester by attending a language-related exercise (reading, conversation, historical language level, etc.).

At the same time, you will be gradually introduced to the working methods and problem areas of Islamic Studies and to exemplary research questions. You will also practise working with "Islamic-language" source material. After an overview lecture "Islamic Middle East" (NOS 7b) in the first semester, you will attend the course "Approaches and Problems of Islamic Studies", which focuses on transdisciplinary issues in the sense of the degree program. In the third semester (NOS 8b), you will acquire initial research-oriented skills as part of an advanced seminar.

You will take your examinations in the fourth semester. After taking the final oral examination in the second specialization, you will write your Master's thesis in the first specialization during the fourth semester, the topic of which should be transdisciplinary in the sense of the degree program. A subject representative from the second specialization acts as a second assessor.

If you have a B.A. degree in "Islamic Studies" or in a subject with largely the same content, you will have your first specialization in "Islamic Middle East" and your second specialization in "Jewish Middle East".

In the first specialization "Islamic Middle East", you will attend three modules (NOS 2b, 3b and 4b), which combine language and content components. The specialization focuses primarily on deepening and expanding the language skills acquired in the B.A. degree course and on deepening practical research skills with a focus on dealing with "Islamic-language" source texts. You will attend two advanced seminars (NOS 2b and 3b) in the first and second semesters, in which exemplary topics based on current research projects are dealt with from a transdisciplinary perspective. In the second semester (NOS 3b), you will also attend a reading course accompanying the advanced seminar, in which source-language material on the topic of the course is jointly developed, read, translated and methodically discussed. In the third semester (module NOS 4b), you will attend a practical research-oriented source-language reading course in combination with a freely selectable exercise, also oriented towards current research questions, in order to further practice and deepen the differentiated independent handling of "Islamic-language" source texts and thus prepare for writing your final thesis. On request, you can replace parts of this module with an external internship.

In the second specialization (Jewish Middle East, consisting of 4 modules (NOS 5a to 8a)), you will learn modern Hebrew as part of an intensive two-semester course (module NOS 5a) and gain insights into other, historical varieties of Hebrew (module NOS 6a: Biblical Hebrew and Rabbinic Hebrew) from the second semester onwards.

At the same time, you will be gradually introduced to the working methods and problem areas of the subject "Jewish Studies" and to exemplary research questions. You will also practise working with Hebrew-language source material. After attending the lecture series "Introduction to Jewish Studies" (NOS 7a) in the first semester, you will attend the course "Approaches and Problems of Jewish Studies" in the same module in the following semester, in which transdisciplinary issues in the sense of the degree program will be addressed. In the third semester (NOS 8a), you will acquire initial research-oriented skills as part of an advanced seminar.

You will take the Master's examinations in the fourth semester. After taking the final oral examination in the second specialization, you will write your Master's thesis in the first specialization during the fourth semester, the topic of which should be transdisciplinary in the sense of the degree program. A subject representative from the second specialization acts as a second assessor.

Students with a B.A. degree in both Islamic Studies and Jewish Studies decide at the beginning of their studies which of the two subjects they would like to continue with as their first specialization. Within the second specialization, they then benefit from a program with numerous options to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The Master's thesis is completed in the fourth semester and is approximately 70-80 pages long.