Home | Middle East Studies Center

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Welcome to the Middle East Studies Center

Spice store

Mosque

Man playing piano

eBooks

Buildings in Old City Lebanon

Middle East Studies Association

The Middle East Studies Center maintains the university’s memberships in the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)

Center for Arabic Study Abroad: founded in 1967

Along with Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures, MESC secures Ohio State’s membership in the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) consortium

Middle East Studies Association

The Middle East Studies Center maintains the university’s memberships in the Middle East Studies Association (MESA)

Center for Arabic Study Abroad: founded in 1967

Along with Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures, MESC secures Ohio State’s membership in the Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) consortium

Middle East Outreach Council

Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC)

American Research Institute in Turkey

American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT)

American Institute for Yemeni Studies

American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS)

Middle East Outreach Council

Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC)

American Research Institute in Turkey

American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT)

American Institute for Yemeni Studies

American Institute for Yemeni Studies (AIYS)

Upcoming Events

More Events

Mon, February 23, 2026

How Persian Slaves Freed Themselves in Nineteenth Century Central Asia

3:30 pm
University Hall, Room 14

CIA Seal

Wed, February 25, 2026

CIA Information Sessions

1:00 pm
Various

Middle East

Fri, February 27, 2026

MCRME Event: What makes a definition of a contested term like Zionism or Intifada reasonable?

9:00 am
Ramseyer Hall, room 59

Bowl of bamya

Sat, February 28, 2026

From Seed to Menu: Middle Eastern Foodways Working Session

10:00 am
Urban Farm Church

Recent News

More News

purple crocus in a field

February 16, 2026

Saffron the Red Gold of Iran

By Zari Mahmoudi

The smell of saffron is all around the house. My mom is cooking some rice to serve it with the chicken she has cooked for dinner. I find her in the kitchen, grinding the saffron in the brass mortar…

December 7, 2025

Job Openings, Fellowships, and Graduate Position Openings

Below you will find a list of job openings in areas relating to Middle Eastern cultures, languages, and related topics. These jobs span all fields and experience levels, and we encourage you to share…

September 22, 2025

Celebrating Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur

“On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets.” — Numbers (Bamidbar) 29:1 As Rosh Hashanah…

Satellite Image of the Middle East

September 16, 2025

Student Opportunity: Two Assistant Positions for MCRME Project

We are excited to announce 2 student assistant positions to support the MCRME project. We will give priority to applications received by September 30. The job posting is here:  https://www…

People Directory

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Sarah Spencer

Intern

spencer.885@osu.edu

Tomas Mora

Research Analyst

mora.123@osu.edu

Joy McCorriston

Director

mccorriston.1@osu.edu

Melinda McClimans

Assistant Director

mcclimans.2@osu.edu