James Monroe works in the areas of lyric poetry, the Middle Ages, and East-West relations with particular interest in the importance of the Arab contribution to Spanish civilization. He has published numerous books and articles in the field of Arabic literature with special emphasis on its Hispano-Arabic component, including Ten Hispano-Arabic Strophic Songs in the Modern Oral Tradition: Music and Texts, with Benjamin M. Liu, and The Art of Badi az-Zaman al-Hamadhani as Picaresque Narrative. (Ph.D., Harvard University).