This one-year (60 EC) programme starts with a common core course of 10 EC, Theories and Methods of Middle Eastern Studies, in the first semester. Next to this course, you can choose courses in historic and contemporary cultures, languages, literatures, and religions, politics and society either covering the Middle East as a whole, or one of the regions of the Middle East in depth.

Thesis

The programme is concluded with a Master's thesis of 20 EC. In line with one of the themes in these courses, you write your thesis based on your individual academic research and supervised by one of the members of staff of Middle Eastern Studies.

Some examples of Master's theses written by students in this programme:

• The Iran-Russia Nexus (Development of Bilateral Relations 2012-2015)
• Nationality and Ethnicity in the Western Sahara: The Role of Morocco in Shaping Perceptions of Identity
• Subjects of Stability: Understanding the stability of the Qaboos regime through the views and experiences of Omani students
• The "ethnic-split" in contemporary Israeli Politics and the Israel-Palestinian Conflict
• Gender and Feminism in post-2009 Iran - Tracing a Pictorial Discourse in Mana Neyestani’s Cartoons
• Who turns the tap? The impact of non-state actors on the hydro-hegemony of Turkey
• Can Kurmanjan Datka unite Kyrgyzstan a second time? The film Kurmanjan Datka and nation building in Kyrgyzstan
• The Warrior in Seclusion (Khalwat). A narrative inquiry on two Persian Sufi tales from 13th c. Khurasan and Anatolia
• From Hobby Orientalist to Seeking Prominence: The Life, Collection, and Network of Rudolph Said-Ruete (1869–1946)
• The Power of Feminist Documentaries and the Female Gaze:  A Case Study on Palestinian Women
• Towards an Understanding of Qur’ān Verse 4:24: On the Role of Vocabulary Choices in English Qur’ān Translations

The programme facilitates and supports extra-curricular internships.  In recent years students have held internships at:

• Embassies and consulates of the Netherlands in Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague, the Netherlands
• Dialogue for Common Future Association, Istanbul, Turkey
• UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Beirut, Lebanon
• Greenpeace, The Netherlands
• Nederlands Centrum voor Handelsbevordering, The Hague, The Netherlands
• Leiden University Library
• Museums in the Netherlands and abroad, for example the Museum Volkenkunde Leiden and the Samarkand State Museum of Cultural History in Uzbekistan
• The Textile Research Centre Leiden
• And many more

We also offer a two-year Research Master Middle Eastern Studies programme.

Apart from the contents, there can be other arguments to choose for either a master’s or a research master’s programme. Have a look at the table in pdf for a quick overview of the differences. For more details on the contents, also visit the Research Master Middle Eastern Studies website.