From: Judith Tucker
Dear Incoming MAAS student,
Once again, congratulations, and welcome to the Master of Arts in Arab Studies (MAAS) program. The enclosed information is designed to make your first few days at Georgetown as easy as possible.
You may already have received some general information from the Graduate School Office (and, if you are an international student, from the Office of International Programs) regarding the upcoming school year (housing, health insurance, etc.). Enclosed for your perusal are the fall course catalogue and a draft orientation week schedule. We also recommend that you begin reading the following books, which you will need to have read by the first class meeting (Monday, September 8) of the “Introduction to the Study to the Arab World” course: Edward Said, Orientalism; Albert Hourani, History of the Arab Peoples; and Guity Nashat and Judith Tucker, Women in the Middle East and North Africa: Restoring Women to History (Indiana University Press). The first is a classic in the field of critical area studies; the other two are background readings that will lend necessary familiarity with major historical patterns.
If you expect to be taking Arabic in the fall, we very strongly suggest that you arrange for formal or informal Arabic lessons this summer, if at all possible; if that is not possible, you may want to review on your own.
An orientation session for first year MAAS students is scheduled to begin at 9:00 am on Wednesday, August 20th in ICC room 141, the CCAS Board Room. The Arabic Placement test (for placement into Intermediate or Advanced Arabic) will be held later that afternoon, and the Arabic proficiency test will be held on Thursday, August 21st, 9:00-12:30. Oral proficiency exams will be scheduled for Thursday afternoon and Friday (August 21st and 22nd), and specialized library orientation will take place Friday morning. You will need to be available Thursday and Friday to meet with both your concentration advisor and your overall advisor. You will receive further information at the orientation, including the times of your two appointments.
Enclosed is a printed schedule of classes; the “final” version will be distributed at orientation, but the most up-to-date version is always available on the web (see georgetown.edu/registrar). You will plan your fall schedule and a rough two-year course outline when meeting with your advisor. Registration for MAAS students is on Monday the 25th of August and Tuesday the 26th; you may register any time after you have met with both of your advisors. Classes begin on Wednesday, August 27th.
While the MAAS program is a demanding one, we know you will find it intellectually stimulating.
We look forward to meeting and working with you. If you have any questions about orientation or any other aspect of graduate school life in Washington, contact Liz Kepferle, the Program’s Executive Assistant
She will be happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Judith Tucker
MAAS Program Director
