Foreign Studies: Middle East

Profession

Foreign Studies is aimed at an in-depth study of a particular region of the world in various aspects: political processes, level of economic development, foreign economic relations, socio-cultural characteristics, history and other significant characteristics. This programme ensures that specialists in a particular region, individual country or group of countries be trained. The Department of Theory and History of International Relations trains specialists in the Middle East countries.
Modernity requires that specialists be able to work at the intersection of interdisciplinary sciences. The specialty of an expert in regional and Arab studies implies training such personnel. A specialist in regional and Arab studies is a historian, political scientist, diplomat, economist, lawyer, linguist rolled into one. A good knowledge of foreign languages, economics, geography, history, demography and culture of the region allows specialists in Arab and regional studies to fulfil themselves in various fields of activity. A specialist in regional and Arab studies can engage in specialized translation, participate in developing international relations, draw up investment projects, do statistical research, and advise on the issues of the region. According to the subject matter of the problem, specialists in regional and Arab studies analyze historical, natural resource, ethnic, religious, environmental, political, intra- and inter-regional factors.

Educational Process

Students study a full range of general theoretical, historical and applied disciplines related to the Middle East. Special emphasis is laid on the cycle of regional studies disciplines in geography and history, economics and finance, politics and law, culture and religion, foreign policy and international relations of the studied region.
Among the teachers are leading experts from RUDN University, MGIMO University and Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Institute of Asian and African Countries of Moscow State University, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, practitioners from the Russian Foreign Ministry and Rossotrudnichestvo.

Practice

All students undergo their pre-degree internship within the framework of which they are attached to the Russian State Library, libraries of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Asian and African Countries, Institute of African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, etc. to do their research.

Career

The main jobs in which graduates of the department are employed include a diplomat, expert in regional studies, analyst, regional studies journalist, regional studies lawyer, regional studies economist, and regional studies manager.
Graduates of the department work in the system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, in Rossotrudnichestvo, MIA Russia Today, ITAR-TASS, diplomatic institutions of a number of foreign states, international organizations, commercial structures, research centres, higher educational institutions in Russia and foreign countries.