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JURIS DOCTOR/MASTER OF ARTS IN ARAB STUDIES
J.D./M.A.A.S. degree candidates must satisfactorily complete course requirements for both the J.D. and M.A.A.S. degrees. In addition to the J.D. and M.A.A.S. degrees, a Joint Program Certificate will be awarded upon satisfactory completion of the program. Students undertake a four-year course of study comprising a minimum of 109* academic credits (79* credits of Law Center courses and 30 credits of M.A.A.S. work, with 6 credits from the Law Center counted toward the M.A.A.S. degree and 6 credits of M.A.A.S. course work counted toward the J.D.). Candidates for this joint degree must satisfy the academic standards of the two programs: maintain a minimum B (3.0/4.0) average, demonstrate advanced language ability through successful completion of the M.A.A.S. Arabic language oral and written proficiency examinations, and successfully complete the oral comprehensive examination of the M.A.A.S. Program (or the thesis option).
Students may pursue the joint program toward the M.A. in Arab Studies/Juris Doctor from a number of different M.A.A.S. concentrations:
M.A.A.S. concentration in Women/Gender (with law focus on Family Law or International/ Comparative Law – Human Rights)
M.A.A.S. concentration in Politics (with law focus on International/Comparative Law - Human Rights, or on International/National Security Law)
M.A.A.S. concentration in Culture/Society – especially Islam/Islamic societies (with law focus on International/Comparative Law, Family Law, or Law and Other Disciplines)
Curriculum Outline
- 24 credits of M.A.A.S. course work, or 18 credits plus intensive Arabic if necessary, taken during the first year of the joint program (see Language Requirement);
31 credits of the required first-year law curriculum taken during the second year (see Language Requirement) of the joint program*;- 29 credits in further law courses including Professional Responsibility and the legal writing requirement. These courses are distributed among the third and fourth years;
- 19 credits in international law courses including: 3 credits in the required course International Law I: Introduction to International Law; 4 credits in further international law courses; and 12 other credits in international law or international law-related courses which complement the student’s area of concentration. These courses are taken in the third and fourth years. Students should focus their electives on their M.A.A.S. divisional concentration, integrating their interests in law and the Arab world;
- 6-12 credits (depending on how many hours were completed in the first or second year) of M.A.A.S. course work, taken in the second, third, and/or fourth years or during Summer sessions; and
- Residency Requirement (see J.D. Program section).
Language Requirement
The M.A. in Arab Studies program is distinct from the other School of Foreign Service Masters programs in that it builds intensive study of Arabic language (for those who need it) into its curriculum. Thus, the Arabic language requirement will have some bearing on the proposed joint J.D./M.A.A.S. program.
The first year may be pursued at either the Law Center or Main Campus, primarily depending on the student’s Arabic status. Inmost cases, the first year will be at the Law Center; in those cases in which the student has just completed a course of intensive Arabic language study prior to matriculation, such that a disruption in study of the language would be counterproductive, the student should start at the Main Campus in the appropriate level of Arabic. In all cases, before starting Main Campus course work, a student should be at least at an intermediate level of Arabic, i.e., have completed one year or a Summer program in intensive beginning Arabic, totaling 12 credits.
* 1 fewer credits is required for students who completed the first-year law curriculum in the 2005-06 or 2006-07 academic years. 2 fewer credits are required for students who completed the first-year law curriculum prior to the 2005-06 academic year. |
