Overview

The aim of offering a minor in history is to give the students an additional edge in their major fields. A student in Political Science and International relations often has to take at least one course in history as an elective. Many of the courses offered by the history program are natural complements for students in Political Science and International relations. Even students in a seemingly unrelated field such as architecture or biology will benefit from a minor in history as it will enable them to become well rounded human beings. A class which features the art and architecture of the Renaissance would be a great boon to an architecture student.
The skills that the student will acquire from an exposure to history will enable them to think critically and comparatively. Even in their daily lives, particularly in the region where LAU is situated, every day involves some reference to history. Islam, modernity, ethnicity, inter-faith relations, the Arab/Israeli conflict, themes and topics which we are bombarded with on a daily basis, acquire perspective only when seen in a historical context.

Mission

The Minor in History at LAU is devoted to undergraduate students who are able to critically and analytically engage with a wide variety of difficult historical questions clearly and reflectively, and in a way that is applicable to their professional and personal lives. It fosters an open-minded, tolerant, and receptive outlook on the past and its many impacts on the present and into the future, while also teaching students how to be responsible members of society in tune with their historical traditions and their connections to the world heritage.

Program Objectives

The Minor in History aims to

1.      teach students how to clearly understand the various epochs of history and other related domains,
2.      foster a sense of the living past in students with the aim of allowing them to discern concrete continuities as well as breaks with this past in their current lives, and
3.      provide students with the needed resources to master their major area of historical concentration both critically and reflectively.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Minor in History, students will be

1.      able to link historical topics with the daily events around them,
2.      equipped to pursue careers in journalism, foreign affairs, NGO work, international organizations such as UNESCO or UNICEF,
3.      able to deal with complex decisions involving ethical and moral issues (showing empathy), and
4.      trained to have a knowledge and understanding of the history of the interaction of various ethnic and political groupings.

Curriculum

Students graduating with a Minor in History must complete 18 credits from the following list of courses:

• HST221 Ancient Greece & Rome
•  HST231  History of  Lebanon Imarah to the 1975 War
•  HST 240 History of the Arab Peoples
•  HST241 History of Islam in the Middle East
•  HST 242 Europe and the Middle East.
•  HST243  Economic History of the Middle East
•  HST244 History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
•  HST 304 Modern Europe
•  HST305 Contemporary Europe
•  HST330 History of Byzantium
•  HST331 History of Russia
•  HST332 History of  China
•  HST334 History of North America
•  HST340 Topics in the History of Ideas
•  HST342 Topics in the History of Religion