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General Information

Undergraduate Studies

• Admissions
• Academic Requirements & Regulations
• Student Finances
• Student Life
• The Core Curriculum
• Fields of Undergraduate Study: Academic Degrees & Course Listings
• Language Institutes
• Study Abroad and Summer Session

Graduate Studies

Research

Continuing Education & Training Programs

Appendix: Personnel & Enrollment

• The Core Curriculum
• Goals and Objectives
• General Description
• Restrictions
• Detailed Structure
• Core Seminars: Description

Goals and Objectives

      The Core Curriculum is a body of courses designed to provide a broad liberal arts base to students' education at AUC.  It aims to develop basic academic and intellectual traits, familiarize them with certain bodies of knowledge and intellectual traditions, and to show how this diversity can be integrated.  It covers a wide spectrum of human experience and knowledge, with special emphasis on the Arab World.  It assists students in understanding their place in the world — socially, culturally, intellectually and historically. Whatever students' majors are, they need to understand science, social science, and the humanities in order to be thoughtful human beings and citizens. The Core also aims to enhance students' writing skills (and thereby their ability to reason and construct an argument) in both English and Arabic. Instruction ranges from small seminars to regular classes to large lectures. All courses other than the Information Literacy Clinic are given a letter grade and receive academic credit.

General Description

   The Core Curriculum is divided into four components, which reflect the four objectives described above.  All students must complete between 30 and 46 credit hours in the Core Curriculum. Students who demonstrate the appropriate competence may be exempted from up to 6 credit hours of Arabic language and/or up to 6 credit hours of English Writing Program courses.  Students majoring in the fields of science and engineering are exempted from the General Science elective requirement (4 cr. hrs.).

Restrictions
      No course which a student employs to meet a requirement of the Core Curriculum may also be used to meet any of the requirements — including concentration requirements, specialization requirements, collateral requirements, major core requirements, concentration electives, and general electives — of that student's major.  Similarly, no course that a student employs to meet any of the requirements of a major may be used to meet any of the requirements of the Core Curriculum.  In other words, courses may not be double-counted for both Core Curriculum and major credit.  However, a student may employ a course that meets any of the requirements of the Core Curriculum to meet the requirements of a minor.

Detailed Structure

1.English Writing, Arabic Language,
   and Information Literacy (3-15 credit hours)

3.Arab World Studies (9 credit hours)

Students must fulfill this requirement by selecting one course from each of the following three categories.  In the case of categories A "Arab History" and B "Arabic Literature," students may choose from a number of possible courses. (Thanawiyya students may not choose ARBS 203 and ARBS 204.  They must take an Arabic literature and Arabic composition class taught in Arabic.)  In the case of category C "Arab society," students may choose one course only.

A. Arab History (3 credit hours maximum).  Students may choose one of the following:

ARBS 246/HIST 246 Survey of Arab History HIST 247 Making of the Modern Arab World ARBS 321 Social and Cultural History of the Middle East, 600-1800 AD ARBS 322 Land, Trade and Power: Economic Relations in the Middle East, 600-1800 AD HIST 330 History of Modern Middle Eastern Cities ARBS 336 Studies in Ibn Khaldun ARBS 343 Arab-Islamic Civilization in the Classical Age, 600-945 AD ARBS 344 Arab-Islamic Civilization in the Middle Period, 945-1380 AD ARBS 345 Islamic Civilization, 1380-1800 AD HIST 355 History of the Middle East, 1700-1900 AD HIST 356 History of the Middle East in the Twentieth Century ARBS 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee HIST 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee

B.Arabic Literature (3 credit hours maximum). Students must choose one of the following (Thanawiyya students may not choose ARBS 203, ARBS 204, or ARBS 310)

ARBS 201 Introduction to Classical Arabic Literature ARBS 202 Introduction to Modern Arabic Literature ARBS 203 Classical Arabic Literature in Translation ARBS 204 Modern Arabic Literature in Translation ARBS 301 Classical Tradition, I ARBS 302 Classical Tradition, II ARBS 303 Constructions of Modernity, I ARBS 304 Constructions of Modernity, II ARBS 305 Arabic Literature and Gender ARBS 306 Arabic Literature and Film ARBS 307 Writer and the State ARBS 308 Colloquial and Folk Literature ARBS 309 Selected Themes and Topics in Arabic Literature ARBS 310 Selected Themes and Topics in Arabic Literature ARBS 311 Selected Themes and Topics in Arabic Literature in Translation ARBS 312 Classical Arabic Poetry ARBS 313 Classical Arabic Prose ARBS 314 Arabic Novel ARBS 315 Arabic Drama ARBS 316 Arabic Short Story ARBS 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee

C. Arab Society (3 credit hours maximum). Students must take the following course:

SOC / ANTH 210Arab Society (3 credit hours).
This course offers a description and analysis of social and cultural characteristics and problems of contemporary Arab society, taking into consideration the specific historical, economic, and ideological forces that shape it. The social basis for Arab unity and identity is examined and students receive an introduction to basic concepts and principles for understanding social phenomena.

BIOL 100 Introductory Biology BIOL 102 & SCI 150L Essentials of Environmental Biology BIOL 104 Unity of Life BIOL 105 Diversity of Life CHEM 100 & Lab Chemistry and Society CHEM 104 & Lab Man and Environment CHEM 105 & Lab General Chemistry PHYS 100 & SCI 150L Physics for Poets SCI 109 & SCI 150L Exploration of the Universe SCI 140 & SCI 150L Archaeometry SCI 250 & SCI 251L Introductory Geology

B.Social Science Course (3 credit hours): All students must choose one of the following:

ANTH 202 Cultural Anthropology ANTH 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee ECON 201 Introduction to Economics I ECON 202 Introduction to Economics II ECON 224 Economic History ECON 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee ECON 299 Worldly Philosophers EGPT 204 Archaeology and Prehistory POLS 201 Introduction to Political Science POLS/HIST 206 Global Politics in the Twentieth Century POLS 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee PSYC 201 General Psychology I PSYC 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee SOC 201 Introduction to Sociology SOC 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee

C. Humanities (3 credit hours): All students must choose one of the following:

ARBS 206 Art and Architecture of Cairo ARBS 270 Introduction to Islamic Art and Architecture (1) ARBS 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee ARTV 200 Foundations of Design and Color ARTV 201 Drawing I ARTV 202 Painting I ARTV 203 Introduction to Sculpture ARTV 211 World Art Survey, 1 ARTV 212 World Art Survey, 2 ARTV 230 The Art of Photography ARTV 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee EGPT 202 Introduction to Ancient Egypt EGPT 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee FILM/ECLT 220 Introduction to Film HIST 200 Introduction to Historical Theory and Methodology HIST 201 History of American Civilization to the 19th Century HIST 202 History of Modern American Civilization HIST 203 Western Civilization from Antiquity to the Middle Ages HIST 204 Early Modern Europe HIST 205 Europe in Revolution and Reform (1789 – 1914) HIST/ECLT 209 Introduction to American Studies HIST 211 History in the Making HIST 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee JRMC 200 Introduction to Communication JRMC 250 Global Media JRMC 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee MUSC 220 Introduction to Music MUSC 260 History of Western Music I MUSC 261 History of Western Music II MUSC 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee THTR 203 Art of the Theatre THTR 220 Public Speaking THTR 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee

D.The Human Spirit:

SEMR 200 Core Seminar SEMR 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee SEMR 300 Core Honors Seminar SEMR 310 Cross Cultural Perceptions and Representations ARBS 320 Introduction to Sufism ARBS 335 Introduction to Islam ARBS/PHIL 354 Islamic Philosophy ARBS 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee CREL 210 Religions of the World CREL 220 Religions of India: Hinduism and Buddhism CREL 320 Masters, Saints, and Saviors: Sacred Biography in the World's Religions CREL 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee ECLT 200 Introduction to Literature ECLT 201 Approaches to Literature ECLT 202 Close Reading of Literary Texts ECLT 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee ECLT/PHIL 344 Literature and Philosophy ECLT 409 Greek Classics in Translation ECLT 410 Latin Classics in Translation EGPT 250 Ancient Egyptian Literature in Translation LING 200 Languages of the World LING 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee PHIL 224 Self and Society PHIL 228 World Views PHIL 299 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee PHIL 310 Philosophy and Art PHIL 312 Classical Philosophy PHIL 315 Ethics PHIL 318 Theory of Knowledge PHIL 358 Social and Political Philosophy

E.Students must select one additional course from any of the Liberal Art categories listed above or from the following list of courses.  (Note: Many of the following courses carry prerequisites).

ANTH 302 Marriage, Family and Kinship ANTH/SOC 312 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East and North Africa ANTH 320 Peasants, Nomads and Rural Change ANTH 360 Gender, Society and Social Change ANTH/SOC 370 Environmental issues in Development ANTH 382 Peoples and Cultures of Sub-Saharan Africa ANTH 384 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America ANTH 386 Peoples and Cultures of Asia ANTH 390 Selected People and Culture Areas ARTV 310 Modern and Contemporary Art ARTV 314 Modern and Contemporary Architecture ALNG 420 From Reading to Writing:  Advanced Level ALNG 321 From Reading to Writing ALNG 421 Professional Media Writing ALNG 422 Professional Business Writing ALNG 423 Professional Diplomatic Writing ARBS 271 Introduction to Islamic Art and Architecture (2) ARBS 317 Special Studies in Arabic Texts ARBS 323 Marriage and Family in the Medieval and Early Modern Middle East ARBS 324 Non-Muslim Communities in the Muslim World ARBS 325 Marginals in History and Society ARBS/POLS 353 Muslim Political Thought BIOL 102 Essentials of Environmental Biology BIOL 130 Current Health Issues BIOL 199 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee BIOL 210 Evolution BIOL 306 Environmental Biology of the Red Sea CHEM 199 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee CSCI 102 Introduction to Computers and their Applications CSCI 201 Information Technology ECON 239 Economic History of the Modern Middle East ECLT 301 Medieval Literature ECLT 302 Literature of the Renaissance ECLT 303 Seventeenth-Century Literature ECLT 304 Eighteenth-Century Literature ECLT 305 Romanticism ECLT 306 Nineteenth-Century Novel ECLT 307 Nineteenth-Century Poetry ECLT 308 Modern European and American Literature ECLT 309 Early American Literature ECLT 310 Nineteenth-Century American Literature ECLT 311 Modern American Literature ECLT 333 African Literature ECLT 345 Literature and Gender ECLT 346 Third World Literature ECLT 348 Contemporary Literature ECLT 352 Recurrent Themes in Drama ECLT 353 Modern Drama ECLT 360 Shakespeare EGPT 243 History I: Dynastic through Middle Kingdom Egypt EGPT 244 History II: Middle Kingdom through New Kingdom Egypt EGPT 261 Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt I EGPT 262 Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt II EGPT 304 Culture and Society of Ancient Egypt EGPT 342 History of Egypt min the Greco-Roman Era EGPT 346 Societies and Cultures of the Ancient Near East EGPT 348 Societies and Cultures of the Ancient Nubia EGPT 445 Selected Topics in Coptic Studies FILM 310 History of Motion Pictures FILM/ECLT 330 Film Theory and Criticism FILM/ANTH 341 Anthropology and Film HIST 307 The Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Reformation HIST 308 Europe in the Age of Reason HIST 309 Pursuit of Liberty JRMC 300 Arab Media: History, law and Contemporary Issues LING 252 Introduction to Linguistics MGMT 203 Business and Society MATH 100 Algebra and Trigonometry MATH 101 Basic Mathematics for Social Scientists MATH 131 Calculus I MATH 199 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee MATH 200 Discrete Mathematics MGMT/ORGN 307 Management Fundamentals MUSC 240 Music Theory I PHIL 221 Informal Thinking PHIL 314 Modern Philosophy PHIL 316 Contemporary Philosophy PHIL 319 Development and Responsibility PHIL 356 American Philosophy PHIL 360 Philosophy of Language and Communications PHIL 382 Philosophy of Science and Technology PHIL 402 Metaphysics PHYS 111 Classical Mechanics, Sound and Heat PHYS 199 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee POLS 301 History of Political Theory, I POLS 302 History of Political Theory, II POLS 308 Comparative Politics of the Middle East POLS 310 Introduction to Development POLS 322 Comparative Government and Politics: Developed Systems POLS 323 Comparative Government and Politics: Developing Systems POLS 324 Comparative Government and Politics in Contemporary Eastern Europe POLS 325 Government and Politics of Egypt POLS 354 Political and Social thought in the Modern Arab World PSYC 202 General Psychology II SCI 105 Science and Technology of Ancient Egypt SCI 199 Special topics courses approved by the Core Advisory Committee SCI 199 Science and Technology in Islamic Civilization SOC 203 Social Problems of the Middle East SOC 206 Arab Family Structure and Dynamics SOC/ANTH 303 Social Movements SOC 306 Sociology of Literature SOC 307 Social Class and Inequality SOC/ANTH 321 Urban Society in Transition SOC/ANTH 332 Race, Ethnic, and Minority Relations THTR 224 Introduction to Design for the Theatre THTR/ECLT 350 History of Theatre and Drama, I THTR/ECLT 351 History of Theatre and Drama, II

Core Seminars: Descriptions

Included in the "Human Spirit" category above are a series of SEMR courses. These courses are based on texts that reflect diverse perspectives and that are taken from a variety of epochs and societies. Students are exposed to various interpretations of these texts through discussions in small tutorials and / or encounters in large lectures. The adopted formats allows ample opportunity for students to explore, reflect and express the way they relate to the experiences contained in various texts through various discussions and writing assignments.