MESSA
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 which 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.
2006-07
This year has so far been packed with events and the coming quarters appear no less busy. From this hub, you can go to our calendar to see what is coming up, visit the members page to see who is involved, send us your ideas, suggestions, comments, and questions, and browse our selection of links and resources.