Welcome
Welcome to the MESSA website! MESSA is the Middle Eastern Studies Students Association at the University of Chicago. By default, all students who enter the Master's program at U of C in Middle Eastern Studies are members of this organization.
Basically, our job is to organize and/or contribute to events, festivals, speakers, and concerts that bring Middle Eastern culture, language, history, religion, and current events to campus and the Chicago area. Additionally, we act as a social network and support group for students of different years - returning students will introduce newcomers to life in Chicago and offer workshops on various summer language programs, finding scholarships and funding, and job opportunities after completing the Master's. Every quarter, we put on a Cultural Night, which focuses on the cuisine, art, poetry, and traditions of a particular region in the Middle East, and a social evening where students and faculty have a chance to relax, chat, and go bowling. It is a fast-changing organization that rotates leadership every year (due to the short-term nature of the program) and provides many students with their first opportunity to organize events and invite speakers and artists in a quasi-professional setting.
We are currently using this site to host the weekly language circles that are put on. Click the links to the left to find recordings of our Arabic, Persian, and Turkish circles.