The Southwest Asia & North African Studies (SWANA) minor at Occidental examines some of the world’s most historically significant and culturally diverse regions. You’ll explore the histories, cultures, religions, languages, and political dynamics that shape SWANA and its diasporic communities.
The SWANA minor at Occidental provides a foundation for understanding a region often discussed through terms such as Middle Eastern Studies or the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Drawing courses from multiple departments, you’ll examine SWANA through an interdisciplinary perspective while building expertise in areas that match your interests.
The Occidental SWANA undergraduate program emphasizes both regional diversity and global connections. You’ll explore how race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and religion shape lived experiences across the SWANA region and its diasporic communities. Courses encourage critical engagement with contemporary issues while helping students understand the historical forces and global systems that continue to influence the region today. Faculty from disciplines across the liberal arts bring a wide range of perspectives, creating opportunities for meaningful interdisciplinary study and experiential learning on the Occidental campus and throughout the city of Los Angeles.
Examine the histories, cultures, religions, languages, and political formations of the SWANA region through multiple disciplines. Coursework develops critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and analytical skills while exploring the region’s global significance and diverse communities.
Develop interdisciplinary knowledge of SWANA history, beliefs, literatures, political formations, and diasporic communities. Courses explore how identity, culture, and historical change shape the experiences of people throughout the region and around the world.
Examine how colonialism, nationalism, migration, economic development, and global institutions have influenced the SWANA region. You’ll analyze how power, knowledge, and narratives shape understandings of the region across time and place.
The SWANA minor draws courses from history, religious studies, Diplomacy & World Affairs, Critical Theory & Social Justice, economics, Comparative Studies in Literature & Culture, art & art history, and Arabic language study. Graduates of the program complete coursework across at least three academic departments.
Los Angeles is home to many vibrant SWANA communities, making it an ideal place to study the region’s histories, cultures, and diasporas. Through coursework, guest speakers, and community engagement opportunities, you’ll connect academic study with contemporary issues facing SWANA communities and with their lived experiences, both locally and globally.
The SWANA Studies minor includes many regions and topics students may associate with Middle Eastern Studies, while using a broader framework that centers Southwest Asia, North Africa, and their diasporic communities.
Students in the Southwest Asia & North African (SWANA) Studies minor explore topics including Islamic studies, Arabic language, migration, gender and sexuality, political economy, regional history, religion, identity, colonialism, and contemporary global issues affecting SWANA and its diasporas.
The SWANA Studies minor draws on faculty expertise from multiple academic departments and offers access to dozens of eligible courses. Students complete coursework across at least three departments to ensure interdisciplinary breadth.
Through the SWANA minor at Occidental, students explore topics including Islamic studies, Arabic language, migration, gender and sexuality, political economy, regional history, religion, identity, colonialism, and contemporary global issues affecting Southwest Asia, North Africa, and their diasporas.
Los Angeles is home to one of the nation’s largest and most diverse Southwest Asia & North Africa diasporic populations, including large Arab, Armenian, Iranian, Palestinian, and Israeli populations, among others. Studying on the Occidental campus provides opportunities to connect classroom learning with community engagement, cultural events, guest speakers, and regional SWANA organizations.