About this Programme

The MPhil in The Middle East in a Global Context is an online Postgraduate taught programme, offered by Trinity’s Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies, the only department in Ireland devoted to the study of Middle Eastern and North African regions and their languages, cultures and societies. The School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies is also home to the new Al Maktoum Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, the only such centre in Ireland.

The content of the Middle East In A Global Context programme stretches from Antiquity to Modernity. It covers many of the most pressing challenges faced in the contemporary world, including Human Rights, Gender, International Relations, and Inter-Cultural Dialogue. Optional study of Arabic is also possible at ab initio (beginners) or advanced level.

The programme provides a solid foundation in the research methods and disciplines relevant to the study of the Middle East and North Africa, and the region’s histories, cultures, politics and (optionally) language, in the larger context of global relations past and present. The programme is aimed at graduates from a wide range of backgrounds, including those recently graduated in a cognate discipline and seeking to deepen their knowledge of the Middle East and/or North Africa, or to apply their undergraduate experiences from other fields to Middle Eastern Studies. It is also intended for graduates already working in various fields and seeking to reskill, upskill, and attain a cultural fluency in the region. Students will be able to progression to research degrees (PhD) in Middle Eastern and North African Studies and cognate disciplines.

Programme Aims

The aims of the programme are:

1. To improve understanding of the regions and its peoples.
2. To promote a critical and informed approach to evaluating relations between the Middle East and North Africa and the West.
3. To provide a high-quality learning experience which will enable students to develop relevant knowledge and research skills in the field of Middle Eastern Studies.
4. To promote the ethos of life-long learning and continuing professional development in the context of a global environment. 

Entry routes

The programme can be taken full-time over one year, or part-time over two years or three years. The part-time options are via admission to the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in the first instance, with progression subject to satisfactory progress. It is also possible to do just the Certificate or Diploma. 

Teaching

The programme is taught entirely online. Teaching includes a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and essay writing, allowing students to develop research and writing skills with training in appropriate theoretical and methodological approaches.