About the Middle East Studies Center
The Middle East Studies Center at PSU exists to promote understanding of the people, cultures, languages, and religions of the Middle East. PSU is the only university in Oregon offering a degree-based Middle East program, including courses in Arabic, Turkish, Hebrew, and Persian, along with many other disciplines. The MESC offers a distinguished faculty with extensive experience, and a vast Middle East library collection.
The MESC also serves as a center of information in the Northwest, supporting faculty and students from other institutions, businesses, pre-collegiate educators, and the media. Year-round outreach activities include academic conferences, workshops for teachers, cultural events, expert speakers and Middle East resource library for campus and community.
History of MESC
The MESC at PSU started in 1959 as the first federally supported undergraduate program in the US for Arabic language and Middle East area studies. Over 21,000 undergraduate and 2,000 graduate students have taken PSU courses in Middle East Studies. Hundreds of students have received degrees with a Middle East concentration. Additionally, thousands of students from the Middle East have studied at PSU. Alumni, current students, and visiting scholars from the Middle East are all important to the PSU campus and larger community.