Ismailis in the News: Narmin Janmohammed – Graduate Student and MEAS Certificate holder

Interview with Narmin Janmohamed (Graduate Student and MEAS Certificate holder)
What interested you in MEAS?
I have always been fascinated by the region of the Middle East and particularly Africa.  My parents immigrated to Canada from Tanzania and their fore fathers immigrated to Tanzania from India.  Islam (or rather “Islams” to quote Dr. Muhammad Arkoun – who refers to the plurality of practice and interpretation within Islam) as a religion, culture and at times political entity has always intrigued me.  The MEAS certificate complimented my degree because most of the courses required for the MEAS certificate overlapped with a lot of the political science and religious studies courses I had already taken as part of my undergraduate degree.  I was also interested in obtaining a regional designation. 

What your own background was?
I graduated from the University of Alberta in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science along with two certificates–one in Globalization and Governance and another in Middle Eastern and African Studies.  After finishing my undergraduate degree I went on to pursue a graduate certificate in Islamic Studies and Humanities at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, England.  From there I went on to complete a Master of Science in Development Studies (otherwise known as International Development) at the University of London – School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, England.  Since graduating I’ve conducted two research projects in Tanzania and in India. 

What you are doing now?
Currently I’m looking for work in the field of international development.  I’m also exploring opportunities with the Canadian government.  A lot of the organizations and institutions I’ve applied with are very interested in my MEAS certificate.   

What you would advise someone thinking about enrolling in the MEAS program to keep in mind?
There are two major benefits that students thinking of taking the MEAS certificate should consider.  The job market is extremely competitive and the more qualifications graduates can acquire the more likely they will appeal to employers.  The other factor is most Liberal Arts degrees are very general and they rarely offer regionally-specialized designations.  In that aspect the MEAS designation allows for students that chose to pursue general degrees an opportunity to claim specialty in a particular region.

University of Alberta