Dearborn and its neighbors are home to one of the largest—and most diverse--communities of people of Arab descent outside of the Middle East. Arab American Studies at UM-Dearborn thus focuses on Arab Americans and Arab immigrants as well as the Arab peoples and cultures of the Middle East and their migration around the world. Initiated in 2000, UM-Dearborn’s Arab American Studies Program has already established itself as a sponsor of both scholarly- and community-based events, and a forthcoming minor in Arab American Studies will complement and add structure to an array of new and existing courses on Arab American topics.