Mission

Basing itself on the university’s mission, the Bachelor of Arts Program in Political Science provides students with a high-quality education that covers the main fields of political science, namely: comparative politics, international relations, and political theory, as well as the methodology of political analysis. The program prepares students for graduate studies and/or a variety of entry-level careers.

Program Objectives

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science is to:

1. Prepare students for the job market, locally and abroad, in business, industry, or government and non-governmental institutions;
2. Acquire entry-level skills for careers in government, journalism, international organizations, legal professions, research, advertising agencies, and any of the business enterprises and proliferating organizations that maintain political and economic activities;
3. Attain knowledge of the nature of governmental processes, the functions of political systems, the structures and roles of institutions and constitutions, and the mechanism of the decision-making process at the local, national and international levels;
4. Use research skills to foster scholarship and prepare students for graduate study;
5. Contextualize the material learned by outreach and community involvement with faculty supervision; and
6. Integrate the cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues inherent in the discipline of political science and international affairs at the undergraduate level of education.

Program Outcomes

At the completion of this program, students can:

1. Identify the nature of government processes, the functions of political systems, the structures and roles of institutions and constitutions, the political economy of Third World countries, international relations and foreign policy, and the challenges of globalization.
2. Discuss theoretical and methodological tools essential for higher-level intellectual pursuits.
3. Examine the major issues pertaining to this field of study, and identify problems, conceptualize ideas, and communicate solutions in various situations that emerge at the workplace.

Admission Requirements

To enter the major, students must meet the general university requirements.

Graduation Requirements

A total of 92 credits are required to graduate, based on:

Program Requirements

A Senior Study Project is required for all students in addition to successful completion of the course of study.

Major Core Requirements (42 credits):

• POL201 / Introduction to Political Science (3 cr.)
• POL210 / Introduction to Political Thought (3 cr.)
• POL— / Any POL course not otherwise required (3 cr.)
• POL222 / Comparative Political Systems (3 cr.)
• POL240 / Concepts of World Politics (3 cr.)
• POL312 / Politics of Developing Areas (3 cr.)
• POL314 / Research Methodology (3 cr.)
• POL321 / American Government and Politics (3 cr.)
• POL322 / Foreign Policy of the Major Powers (3 cr.)
• POL323 / Middle East Government and Politics (3 cr.)
• POL331 / International Organization (3 cr.)
• POL332 / Public International Law (3 cr.)
• POL422 / Middle East in World Affairs (3 cr.)
• POL499 / Senior Study (3 cr.)

Other Major Requirements (9 credits)

• ECO202 / Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
• HST305 / Contemporary Europe 1945-1989 (3 cr.)
• POL203 / Government & Politics of Lebanon (3 cr.)

Study Plan

Year One

Fall: 12 credits

• POL 201 / Introduction to Political Science
• ECO 201 / Micro Economics
• ARA 2—/3—
• Remedial English course
• Free Elective (3 cr.)

Spring: 15 credits

• POL332 / Public International Law
• ECO202 / Macro Economics
• HST311 / Contemporary Europe
• MGT201 / Intro Management
• ENG202 / Sophomore Rhetoric

Summer: 5 credits

• ENG203 / Fund. Oral Communication
• ETH201 / Moral Reasoning
• PED— Physical Education

Year Two

Fall: 15 credits

• POL203 / Governments & Politics of Lebanon
• POL222 / Comparative Political System
• POL210 / Introduction to Political Thought
• ECO311 (D&C/D&I)/ECO321 (C&I)*
• LAC Free Elective (3 cr.)

Spring: 12 credits/15 credits for D&I

• POL322 / Foreign Policy of Major Power (D&C/C&I)/ECO422 (D&I)*
• POL312 / Politics of Developing Areas (D&C/D&I)/ECO422 (C&I)*
• HST312 / Europe and Middle East
• ECO321 (D&I)*
• Free Elective (3 cr.)

Summer: 6 credits

• LAC Elective (6 cr.)

Year Three

Fall: 15 credits/12 credits for D&I

• POL314 Research Methodology
• POL240 / Concepts of World Politics (D&C/C&I)
• POL331 / International Organizations
• POL433 or ECO401
• HLT201 / Basic Health
• CSC201 / Computer Applications
• Free Elective (1 cr.)

Spring: 12 credits

• POL499 / Senior Study
• POL422 / Middle East in World Affairs
• LAC Elective (3 cr.)
• Free Electives (3 cr.)

* D&I: Devel. St./Int. Econ.
   C&I: Cons. & Dip. Serv./Intl. Econ.
   D&C: Devel. St./Cons. & Dip. Serv.

Extracurricular Activities

The program encourages students to get involved in a large variety of extracurricular activities. LAU sends 16 Political Science (PS) and Political Science & International Affairs (PS-IA) students to the Harvard World Model United Nations simulation held each year in a different country. Our students learn and practice political and diplomatic skills that will be invaluable in their future careers. Indeed, Harvard World MUN participants regularly say that their participation in this prestigious international activity was one of the most important in their whole undergraduate career. LAU delegations to the Harvard World MUN are regular award winners and were ranked among the top 10 of more than 110 participating universities from around the world.

Many majors have the opportunity to participate as organizers and trainers in LAU’s Global Classrooms-Model United Nations which trains around 1300 local and regional high school students in diplomacy.

Furthermore, PS and PS-IA majors have the opportunity to participate in conferences, workshops, simulations and lectures organized by the school, department and affiliated institutes and centers, especially the Institute of Diplomacy and Conflict Transformation, the Institute for Migration Studies, and the Institute of Peace and Justice Education.

PS majors have the opportunity to do a semester abroad at SciencePo (France); additional formal exchange programs are being developed.

Career Opportunities

A B.A. in Political Science prepares students for a variety of professions including diplomacy, international business, international organizations, journalism, and politics, among others, through a rigorous program that emphasizes theory, methodology and practice. A number of PS graduates also pursue Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Lebanon, Europe, and North America.