Liberal Arts and Sciences

All undergraduate students who joined LAU in AY 2021-2022 follow curriculum A, except students enrolled in the B.S. in Pharmacy who follow curriculum B.

Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate an understanding of aesthetics and of the importance of art in human culture.
Critically analyze human heritage and its impact on the contemporary world, including themes such as ethics, human rights, and social justice.
Critically analyze societal issues and their impact on individuals and communities, including themes such as ethics, human rights, and social justice.
Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication.
Apply quantitative reasoning to solve basic problems and/or demonstrate basic understanding of natural sciences and/or wellness.

Curriculum A

Curriculum A offers students a selection of courses in a variety of subjects that aim to complement their major of study and to broaden their intellectual exposure. It is divided into a core of required courses, and a wide selection of electives in the arts, humanities, social and natural sciences.

The Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Curriculum consists of:

A. Required Core Courses (6 credits)

B. Elective Courses (remainder credits according to program- see specific program requirements below)

Specific Program Requirements:

For a B.A. degree, a total of 60 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including the 6 core credits. The 54 remaining credits are to be taken from the list of courses in section B, according to the specific program guidelines.
For a B.S. in Nursing, a total of 37 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including the 6 core credits. The remaining 31 credits are to be taken from the list of courses in section B, according to the specific program guidelines.
For a 3-year B.S. degree, a total of 30 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including the 6 core credits. The remaining 24 credits are to be taken from the list of courses in section B, according to the specific program guidelines.
For a 4-year B.S. degree, the total number of required post-Freshman credits of LAS is 45, including the 6 core credits. The remaining 39 credits are to be taken from the list of courses in section B, according to the specific program guidelines.
For a BFA/ B.E./ B. Arch. degree, a total of 18 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including the 6 core course credits. The remaining 12 credits can be taken from the list of courses in section B, according to the specific program guidelines.

A. Required Courses (6 credits)

ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.)

B. Elective Courses

The Liberal Arts Electives are organized under 3 general categories. Selection of electives from these categories is subject to the criteria specific to each program.

1. Arts & Humanities:

English:

ENG211 Literature I (3 cr.)
ENG212 Literature II (3 cr.)
ENG216 Introduction to Literature (3 cr.)
ENG216H Introduction to Literature (3 cr)
ENG323 Renaissance Drama (3 cr.)
ENG324 Medieval Literature (3 cr.)
ENG325 Renaissance Poetry (3 cr.)
ENG326 Restoration and Neoclassical Literature (3 cr.)
ENG328 Early Novel (3 cr.)
ENG336 Romantic and Victorian Poetry (3 cr.)
ENG339 19th-Century British Novel (3 cr.)
ENG342 Modernism and Beyond (3 cr.)
ENG342H Modernism and Beyond (3 cr)
ENG345 The 20th-Century British Novel (3 cr.)
ENG346 Contemporary Culture (3 cr.)
ENG346H Contemporary Culture (3 cr)
ENG348 Postcolonial Anglophone Literatures (3 cr.)
ENG351 Early American Literature (3 cr.)
ENG352 20th-Century American Novel (3 cr.)
ENG354 Theories of Literature and Culture (3 cr.)
ENG372 Comparative and World Literatures (3 cr.)
ENG372H Comparative and World Literatures (3 cr.)
ENG479 Topics in Literature and Culture (3 cr.)

Fine Arts:

ARC371/ INAR371 History of Architecture I (3 cr.)
ARC375/ IAA375 Introduction to Islamic Art (650-1650) (3 cr.)
ARC376/ IAA376 Introduction to Islamic Architecture (650-1650) (3 cr.)
ART331 History of Art I (3 cr.)
ART332 History of Art II (3 cr.)
ART335 Islamic Art of the Middle East (3 cr.)
ART431 Modern Art (3 cr.)
IAA375H Introduction to Islamic Art (650-1650) (3 cr.)

Communication Arts:

JSC312 Media and Society (3 cr.)
JSC480 Global Media Literacy (3 cr.)
JSC481 Global Change, Cooperation and News (3 cr.)
PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
TVF221 Art of Film (3 cr.)

Arabic Language & Literature:

ARA303 Arabic Grammar and Syntax (3 cr.)
ARA310 Classical Arabic Rhetoric and Literary Criticism (3 cr.)
ARA313 Creative Writing (3 cr.)
ARA320 Pre-Islamic and Umayyad Poetry (3 cr.)
ARA323 Abbasid Poetry (3 cr.)
ARA323H Abbasid Poetry (3 cr.)
ARA324 Andalusian Literature (3 cr.)
ARA325 Classical Prose (3 cr.)
ARA330 Lebanese Literary Heritage (3 cr.)
ARA341 Modern Arabic Novel and Short Story (3 cr.)
ARA342 Arabic Drama (3 cr.)
ARA343 Modern Arabic Poetry (3 cr.)
ARA344 Trends in Modern Literature (3 cr.)
ARA344H Trends in Modern Literature (3 cr.)

Music Appreciation:

PFA211 Survey of Western Music (3 cr.)
PFA212 Survey of Middle Eastern Music (3 cr.)

Philosophy:

PHL301 Ethics (3 cr.)
PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)
PHL303 Metaphysics (3 cr.)
PHL304 19th Century Philosophy (3 cr.) (effective Spring 2018)
PHL306 Phenomenology (3 cr.) (effective Spring 2018)
PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
PHL311H Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr.) (effective Spring 2018)
PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)

Religion:

REL312 Interpretation of Religious Literature (3 cr.)
REL411 Myth and Ritual (3 cr.)
REL412 History of Religious Thought in the Middle East (3 cr.)
REL413 Representatives of Christian Thought in the Modern Period (3 cr.)
REL414 Representatives of Islamic Thought in the Modern Period (3 cr.)

Theater:

PFA242 Art of Theater (3 cr.)
PFA249 Theater in Lebanon and the Arab World (3 cr.)
PFA252 Lebanese Musical Theater (3 cr.)

Cultural Studies:

CST201 Cultural Studies I (3 cr.)
CST202 Cultural Studies II (3 cr.)
CST203 Cultural Studies III (3 cr.)

History:

HST221 The Ancient World, Greece and Rome (3 cr.)
HST231 History of Lebanon, from the Imarah to the 1975-1990 War (3 cr.)
HST240 History of the Arab Peoples (3 cr.)
HST242 Europe and the Middle East (1798 – 1956) (3 cr.)
HST242H Europe and the Middle East (1798 – 1956) (3 cr.)
HST302 Medieval Europe 1066-1453 (3 cr.)
HST303 Early Modern Europe 1450-1750 (3 cr.)
HST303H Early Modern Europe 1450-1750 (3 cr.)

Interdisciplinary Courses:

LAS204 Technology, Ethics, and the Global Society (3 cr.)
LAS206 Minds & Machines (3 cr.)

2. Natural sciences and Mathematics:

Natural Sciences:

AST200 Introduction to Astronomy (3 cr.)
BIO201 General Biology I (3 cr.)
BIO202 General Biology II (3 cr.)
CHM201 Chemical Principles (3 cr.)
CHM205 Fundamentals of Chemistry (3 cr.) - As of Spring 2019
CHM301 Analytical Chemistry (3 cr.)
ENV200 Introduction to Environmental Science (3 cr.)
NUT201 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr.)
NUT201H Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr.)
LAS202 Sustainable Food Systems (3 cr.)
LAS203 Sustainable Energy (3 cr.)

Computer Science:

CSC241 Introduction to Computing (3 cr.)

3. Social sciences:

ECO201 Microeconomics (3 cr.)
ECO202 Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
LAS201 Water Security (3 cr.)
LAS205 Digital Cultures (3 cr.)
PJE201 Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr.)
PJE201H Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr.)
POL201 Introduction to Political Science (3 cr.)
POL231 Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr.)
POL231H Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr)
PSY201 Introduction to Psychology (3 cr.)
PSY202 Child Psychology (3 cr.)
PSY335 Organizational Psychology (3 cr.)
SOC201 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.)
SOC215 Introduction to Gender Studies (3 cr.)
SOC321 Sociology of the Arab World (3 cr.)
SWO311 Social Problems (3 cr.)
WOS311 Issues and Debates in Feminist Theory (3 cr.)
WOS313 Women in the Arab World: Sociological Perspectives (3 cr.)
WOS412 Representations of Women in the Arts and the Media (3 cr.)

Curriculum B

Curriculum B consists of 13 credits of required courses and 21 credits of elective courses, for a total of 34 credits.

Required Core Courses (13 cr)

Six credits of English:

ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr)
COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr)

Three credits of Arabic Language or Literature:

ARA303 Arabic Grammar and Syntax (3 cr)
ARA310 Classical Arabic Rhetoric and Literary Criticism (3 cr)
ARA313 Creative Writing (3 cr)
ARA320 Pre-Islamic and Umayyad Poetry (3 cr)
ARA323 Abbasid Poetry (3 cr)
ARA323H Abbasid Poetry (3 cr.)
ARA324 Andalusian Literature (3 cr)
ARA325 Classical Prose (3 cr)
ARA330 Lebanese Literary Heritage (3 cr)
ARA341 Modern Arabic Novel and Short Story (3 cr)
ARA342 Arabic Drama (3 cr)
ARA343 Modern Arabic Poetry (3 cr)
ARA344 Trends in Modern Arabic Literature (3 cr)
ARA344H Trends in Modern Literature (3 cr.)

One credit of Computer Applications:

CSC201 Computer Applications (1 cr)

One credit of Ethics:

ETH201 Moral Reasoning (1 cr)

One credit of Basic Health:

HLT201 Basic Health (1 cr)

One credit of Physical Education:

PED211 Beginning Swimming (1 cr)
PED218 Table Tennis (1 cr)
PED220 Beginning Tennis (1 cr)
PED231 Modern Dance (1 cr)
PED232 Folk Dance (1 cr)
PED251 BasketBall (1 cr)
PED261 VolleyBall (1 cr)
PED271 Tae-Kwan-Do (1 cr)
PED291 Physical Fitness (1 cr)

Elective Courses (21 cr)

Cultural Studies, History, Philosophy, Religion

A minimum of three and a maximum of nine credits of Cultural Studies, History, Philosophy, or Religion

Cultural Studies

CST201 Cultural Studies I (3 cr)
CST202 Cultural Studies II (3 cr)
CST203 Cultural Studies III (3 cr)

History

HST221 The Ancient World, Greece and Rome (3 cr)
HST231 History of Lebanon, from the Imarah to the 1975-1990 War (3 cr)
HST240 History of the Arab Peoples (3 cr)
HST242 Europe and the Middle East (1798 – 1956) (3 cr)
HST242H Europe and the Middle East (1798 – 1956) (3 cr)
HST302 Medieval Europe 1066-1453 (3 cr)
HST303 Early Modern Europe 1450-1750 (3 cr)
HST303H Early Modern Europe 1450-1750 (3 cr)

Philosophy

PHL301 Ethics (3 cr)
PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr)
PHL303 Metaphysics (3 cr.)
PHL304 19th Century Philosophy (3 cr.) (effective Spring 2018)
PHL306 Phenomenology (3 cr.) (effective Spring 2018)
PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr)
PHL311H Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr.) (effective Spring 2018)
PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr)

Religion

REL312 Interpretation of Religious Literature (3 cr)
REL411 Myth and Ritual (3 cr)
REL412 History of Religious Thought in the Middle East (3 cr)
REL413 Representatives of Christian Thought in the Modern Period (3 cr)
REL414 Representatives of Islamic Thought in the Modern Period (3 cr)

Literature

A minimum of three and a maximum of six credits of Literature, taught in the English language.

ENG211 Literature I (3 cr)
ENG212 Literature II (3 cr)
ENG216 Introduction to Literature (3 cr)
ENG216H Introduction to Literature (3 cr)
ENG323 Renaissance Drama (3 cr)
ENG324 Medieval Literature (3 cr)
ENG325 Renaissance Poetry (3 cr)
ENG326 Restoration and Neoclassical Literature (3 cr)
ENG328 Early Novel (3 cr)
ENG336 Romantic and Victorian Poetry (3 cr)
ENG339 19^th Century British Novel (3 cr)
ENG342 Modernism and Beyond (3 cr)
ENG342H Modernism and Beyond (3 cr)
ENG345 The 20^th Century British Novel (3 cr)
ENG346 Contemporary Culture (3 cr)
ENG346H Contemporary Culture (3 cr)
ENG348 Postcolonial Anglophone Literatures (3 cr)
ENG351 Early American Literature (3 cr)
ENG352 20^th Century American Novel (3 cr)
ENG354 Theories of Literature and Culture (3 cr)
ENG372 Comparative and World Literatures (3 cr)
ENG372H Comparative and World Literatures (3 cr)
ENG479 Topics in Literature and Culture (3 cr)

Sciences

AST200 Introduction to Astronomy (3 cr)
BIO201 General Biology I (3 cr)
BIO202 General Biology II (3 cr)
CHM201 Chemical Principles (3 cr)
CHM205 Fundamentals of Chemistry (3 cr.) - As of Spring 2019
CHM301 Analytical Chemistry (3 cr)
CSC206 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (3 cr.)
CSC241 Introduction to Computing (3 cr)
ENV200 Introduction to Environmental Science (3 cr)
NUT201 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr)
NUT201H Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr.)
LAS202 Sustainable Food Systems (3 cr.)
LAS203 Sustainable Energy (3 cr.)

Arts

ARC371/ INAR371 History of Architecture I (3 cr)¹
ARC372/ INAR372 History of Architecture II (3 cr)²
ARC375/ IAA375 Introduction to Islamic Art (3 cr)³
ARC375H/ IAA375H Introduction to Islamic Art (3 cr)⁴
ARC376/ IAA376 Introduction to Islamic Architecture (3 cr)⁵
ART331 History of Art I (3 cr)
ART332 History of Art II (3 cr)
ART335 Islamic Art of the Middle East (3 cr)
ART431 Modern Art (3 cr)
JSC312 Media and Society (3 cr)
LAS204 Technology, Ethics, and the Global Society (3 cr.)
LAS206 Minds & Machines (3 cr.)
TVF221 Art of Film (3 cr)
PFA211 Survey of Western Music (3 cr)
PFA212 Survey of Middle Eastern Music (3 cr)
PFA242 Art of Theater (3 cr)
PFA249 Theater in Lebanon and the Arab World (3 cr)
PFA252 Lebanese Musical Theater (3 cr)

Social Sciences

ECO201 Microeconomics (3 cr)
ECO202 Macroeconomics (3 cr)
LAS201 Water Security (3 cr.)
LAS205 Digital Cultures (3 cr.)
PJE201 Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr)
PJE201H Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr.)
POL201 Introduction to Political Science (3 cr)
POL231 Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr)
POL231H Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr)
PSY201 Introduction to Psychology (3 cr)
PSY202 Child Psychology (3 cr)
PSY335 Organizational Psychology (3 cr)
SOC201 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr)
SOC215 Introduction to Gender Studies (3 cr)
SOC321 Sociology of the Arab World (3 cr)
SWO311 Social Problems (3 cr)
WOS311 Issues and Debates in Feminist Theory (3 cr)
WOS313 Women in the Arab World: Sociological Perspectives (3 cr)
WOS412 Representations of Women in the Arts and the Media (3 cr)

Notes:

a. Entering Freshman students with scores between 500 and 549 on the Entrance English Exam (EEE), or its equivalent on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), must take ENG009 Remedial English (valued at three non-credits), ENG101 Academic English I (worth three credits), and ENG102 Academic English II (worth three credits), before taking the Sophomore level English courses.

b. Entering Freshman students with scores between 550 and 599 on the EEE, or its equivalent on the TOEFL, must take ENG101 Academic English I (worth three credits), and ENG102 Academic English II (worth three credits), before taking the Sophomore level English courses.

c. Entering Freshman students with scores between 600 and 649 on the EEE, or its equivalent on the TOEFL, if enrolled in a BA/BS program, must take ENG102 Academic English II (worth three credits), before taking the Sophomore level English courses. They must also take three elective credits to make up for the missing credits.

2. Sophomore students who are exempted from Arabic by the Admissions Council, must substitute the Arabic course by one of the following courses:

SAR221 Developmental Arabic (3 cr.)
SOC321 Sociology of the Arab World (3 cr.)
WOS313 Women in the Arab World (3 cr.)
HST230 History of Lebanon, from Antelias Man to the Ottoman Conquest (3 cr.)
HST231 History of Lebanon, from the Imarah to the 1975-1990 War (3 cr.)
HST240 History of the Arab Peoples (3 cr.)