Liberal Arts and Sciences
All students who joined LAU or changed their major in AY 2022-2023 and beyond should follow curriculum Z. This new curriculum caters for the multidisciplinary education of generation Z. The courses offered are linked to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and capture the spirit of the major problems that our world is facing.
Undergraduate students who joined LAU prior to AY 2022-2023 follow curriculum A, except students enrolled in the B.S. in Pharmacy prior to AY 2022-2023 follow curriculum B.
Curriculum Z
Mission
The mission of the Liberal Arts and Science Curriculum is to foster the education of the cultured and civically engaged person, and the formation of students as future leaders in an increasingly complex world.
Program Educational Objectives (POs)
- Demonstrate knowledge, abilities and dispositions needed for addressing current issues and problems of our increasingly complex world
- Demonstrate critical thinking and inquiry competence needed for engaging in the exploration of local and global challenges
- Make informed and ethical decisions about individual and social issue
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
- Demonstrate knowledge, abilities and dispositions necessary for the continuing study of the worlds, peoples, arts, environments, literatures, cultures, sciences and institutions (PO1, PO2 and PO3)
- Appraise substantial knowledge, abilities and dispositions through an interdisciplinary lens (PO1 and PO3)
- Value intercultural knowledge and competencies in addressing local and global issues (PO1)
- Construct coherent arguments, counterarguments and rebuttals needed for engaging in decision-making and problem solving (PO3)
- Articulate ideas using a variety of contexts and modes of communication (PO2, PO3)
- Analyze evidence related to complex local and global problems (PO2)
- Integrate informational resources and technology in exploring of individual and societal issues (PO1, PO2)
- Synthesize learning through a culminating experience (PO1, PO2, PO3)
- Suggest creative solutions on open-ended local and global problems (PO2, PO3)
- Apply ethical standards required to enter into the professional world (PO1, PO2, PO3)
- Demonstrate commitment to the sustainability of the world (PO1, PO3)
Program Requirements
A. Required Core Courses (6 credits)
B. Digital Cultures Courses (min. of 3 credits)
C. Change Makers Courses (min. of 6 credits)
D. LAS Free Elective Courses (remainder credits according to program-specific requirements)
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 3 categories of the LAS Curriculum as outlined below.
- For a B.S. in Nursing, a total of 36 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including the 6 core credits. The remaining 30 credits are to be taken from the 3 categories of the LAS Curriculum as outlined below.
- 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 3 categories of the LAS Curriculum as outlined below.
- 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 3 categories of the LAS Curriculum as outlined below.
- 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 are to be taken from the 3 categories of the LAS Curriculum as outlined below.
- For B.S. Pharmacy degree, a total of 24 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including 6 core course credits (excluding core-science LAS courses). Among the 24 credits, students must take 3 cr Arabic Language /Literature 3 cr LAC-Micro or Macro Econ. The remaining 18 credits are to be taken from the 3 categories of the LAS Curriculum as outlined below.
A. Required Core Courses (6 credits)
- ENG202 Advanced Academic English (3 cr.) (also ENG202H)
- COM203 Art of Public Communication (3 cr.) (also COM203H)
B. Digital Cultures Courses (min. of 3 credits)
- LAS204 Technology, Ethics and The Global Society/ LAS204M Ethics in Biomedical Research and Practice (also LAS204H)
- LAS205 Digital Cultures (also LAS205H)
- LAS206 Minds and Machines (also LAS206H)
- JSC200 Media and Digital Literacy
- JSC312 Media and Society
C. Change Makers Courses (min. of 6 credits)
- Debate
LAS301 Debating Sustainability (also LAS301H) - Energy
LAS203 Sustainable Energy - Food
LAS202 Sustainable Food Systems (also LAS202H) - Gender Studies
LAS209 Doing Gender: Contextual Approaches (also LAS209H)
SOC488E Gender Equality in the Workplace
POL437O Gender Negotiations Mediation and Conflict Resolution
SOC488D Fundamentals of Gender Discrimination
COM312 Media and Gender - Health
LAS208 Wellbeing Matters (also LAS208H) - Inclusive Societies
ENG217 Voices of Change - Innovation and Entrepreneurship
LAS302 Inquiry for Innovation (also LAS302H) - Interdisciplinary courses
LAS499H
LAS499HP - Migration
LAS207 Intro to Migration Studies - Poverty
LAS210 Poverty and Human Development - Water
LAS201 Water Security (also LAS201H)
D. LAS Free Elective Courses (remainder credits according to program-specific requirements)
The Liberal Arts Electives are organized under 4 general categories. Selection of electives from these categories is subject to the criteria specific to each program.
1. Arts & Humanities:
Arabic Literature
- ARA323 Abbasid Poetry (3 cr.) (also ARA323H)
- ARA325 Classical Prose (3 cr.) (also ARA325H)
- ARA341 Modern Arabic Novel and Short Story (3 cr.)
- ARA342 Arabic Drama (3 cr.)
- ARA343 Modern Arabic Poetry (3 cr.)
- ARA313 Creative Writing (3 cr.)
- ARA328 Arabic Folk Literature (3 cr.)
- ARA344 Trends in Modern Literature (3 cr.) (also ARA344H)
Communication and Journalism
- JSC480 Global Media Literacy (This course is part of the exchange program with Salzburg University) (3 cr.)
- JSC481 Global Change, Cooperation & News (3 cr.)
Cultural Studies
- CST203 Cultural Studies III (3 cr.)
English Literature
- ENG211 Literature I (3 cr.)
- ENG212 Literature II (3 cr.) (also ENG212H)
- ENG216 Introduction to Literature (3 cr.) (also ENG216H)
- ENG282 Language and the Media (3 cr.)
- ENG283 Language and Gender (3 cr.)
- ENG301 Food and Travel Writing (3 cr.)
- ENG342 Modernism and Beyond (3 cr.) (also ENG342H)
- ENG346 Contemporary Culture (3 cr.) (also ENG346H)
- ENG366 Creative Writing (3 cr.)
- ENG376 Gender in Literature (3 cr.)
- ENG372 Comparative and World Literature (3 cr.) (also ENG372H)
History
- HST231 History of Lebanon, from the Imarah to the 1975-1990 War (3 cr.) (also HST231H)
- HST240 History of the Arab Peoples (3 cr.) (also HST240H)
- HST241 History of Islam in the Middle East (3 cr.) (also HST241H)
- HST242 Europe and the Middle East (1798-1956) (3 cr.) (also HST242H)
- HST305 Contemporary Europe 1945-1989 (3 cr.)
Performing Arts and TV & Film
- PFA211 Survey of Western Music (3 cr.)
- PFA212 Survey of Middle Eastern Music (3 cr.)
- PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
- PFA242 Art of Theater (3 cr.)
- PFA249 Theater in Lebanon and the Arab World (3 cr.)
- PFA314 World Music History (3 cr.)
- TVF221 Art of Film (3 cr.)
Philosophy
- PHL301 Ethics (3 cr.)
- PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)
- PHL306 Existentialism (3 cr.)
- PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
- PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr.)
- PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
Fine Arts
- ART331 History of Art I (3cr.)
- ART332 History of Art II (3cr.)
- ART431 Modern Art (3cr.) (also ART431H)
- PHO231 History and Theory of Photography (3cr.)
- IAA375 Introduction to Islamic Art (650-1650) (3 cr.) (also IAA375H)
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.) (also ENV200H)
- NUT201 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr.) (also NUT201H)
3. Social Sciences
- PJE201 Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr.) (also PJE201H)
- POL201 Introduction to Political Science (3 cr.)
- POL231 Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr.) (also POL231H)
- PSY201 Introduction to Psychology (3 cr.)
- PSY202 Child Psychology (3 cr.)
- SOC201 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.)
- SOC215 Introduction to Gender Studies (3 cr.)
- WOS313 Women in the Arab World: Sociological Perspectives (3 cr.)
- ECO201 Microeconomics (3 cr.)
- ECO202 Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
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.
Program Requirements:
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 36 post-Freshman credits of LAS is required, including the 6 core credits. The remaining 30 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)
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:
Arabic Literature
- ARA323 Abbasid Poetry (Also ARA323H) (3 cr.)
- ARA325 Classical Prose (Also ARA325H) (3 cr.)
- ARA341 Modern Arabic Novel and Short Story (3 cr.)
- ARA342 Arabic Drama (3 cr.)
- ARA343 Modern Arabic Poetry (3 cr.)
- ARA313 Creative Writing (3 cr.)
- ARA328 Arabic Folk Literature (3 cr.)
- ARA344 Trends in Modern Literature (Also ARA344H) (3 cr.)
Communication and Journalism
- JSC480 Global Media Literacy (This course is part of the exchange program with Salzburg University) (3 cr.)
- JSC481 Global Change, Cooperation & News (3 cr.)
Cultural Studies
English Literature
- ENG211 Literature I (3 cr.)
- ENG212 Literature II (3 cr.) (Also ENG212H)
- ENG216 Introduction to Literature (3 cr.) (Also ENG216H)
- ENG282 Language and the Media (3 cr.)
- ENG283 Language and Gender (3 cr.)
- ENG301 Food and Travel Writing (3 cr.)
- ENG342 Modernism and Beyond (3 cr.) (Also ENG342H)
- ENG346 Contemporary Culture (3 cr.) (Also ENG346H)
- ENG366 Creative Writing (3 cr.)
- ENG376 Gender in Literature (3 cr.)
- ENG372 Comparative and World Literature (3 cr.) (Also ENG372H)
History
- HST231 History of Lebanon, from the Imarah to the 1975-1990 War (3 cr.) (also HST231H)
- HST240 History of the Arab Peoples (Also HST240H) (3 cr.)
- HST241 History of Islam in the Middle East (3 cr.)
- HST242 Europe and the Middle East (1798-1956) (3 cr.) (Also HST242H)
- HST305 Contemporary Europe 1945-1989 (3 cr.)
Performing Arts and TV & Film
- PFA211 Survey of Western Music (3 cr.)
- PFA212 Survey of Middle Eastern Music (3 cr.)
- PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
- PFA242 Art of Theater (3 cr.)
- PFA249 Theater in Lebanon and the Arab World (3 cr.)
- PFA314 World Music History (3 cr.)
- TVF221 Art of Film (3 cr.)
Philosophy
- PHL301 Ethics (3 cr.)
- PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)
- PHL306 Existentialism (3 cr.)
- PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
- PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr.) (Also PHL322H)
- PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
Fine Arts
- ART331 History of Art I (3cr.)
- ART332 History of Art II (3cr.)
- ART431 Modern Art (3cr.) Also (ART431 H)
- PHO231 History and Theory of Photography (3cr.)
- IAA375 Introduction to Islamic Art (650-1650) (3 cr.) (Also IAA375 H)
Interdisciplinary Courses
- LAS204 Technology, Ethics, and the Global Society (3 cr.)/ LAS204M Ethics in Biomedical Research and Practice (3 cr.)
- LAS206 Minds & Machines (3 cr.)
- LAS301 Debating Sustainability (3 cr.) (Also LAS301H)
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.) (Also ENV200H)
- NUT201 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr.) (Also NUT201H)
- LAS202 Sustainable Food Systems (3 cr.)
- LAS203 Sustainable Energy (3 cr.)
3. Social Sciences
- PJE201 Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr.) (Also PJE201H)
- POL201 Introduction to Political Science (3 cr.)
- POL231 Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr.) (Also POL231H)
- PSY201 Introduction to Psychology (3 cr.)
- PSY202 Child Psychology (3 cr.)
- SOC201 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.)
- SOC215 Introduction to Gender Studies (3 cr.)
- SOC488D Fundamentals of Gender Discrimination (3 cr.)
- WOS313 Women in the Arab World: Sociological Perspectives (3 cr.)
- ECO201 Microeconomics (3 cr.)
- ECO202 Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
- LAS201 Water Security (3 cr.)
- LAS205 Digital Cultures (3 cr.)
- LAS207 Intro to Migration Studies (3 cr.)
- LAS208 Wellbeing Matters (3 cr.)
- LAS209 Doing Gender: Contextual Approaches (3 cr.)
- LAS302 Inquiry for Innovation (3 cr.)
- LAS601 Writing in the disciplines (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.
A. Required Core Courses (13 credits)
English (6 cr.)
Arabic Language or Literature (3 cr.)
- 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.)
Computer Applications (1 cr.)
- CSC201 Computer Applications (1 cr.)
Ethics (1 cr.)
- ETH201 Moral Reasoning (1 cr.)
Basic Health (1 cr.)
- HLT201 Basic Health (1 cr.)
Physical Education (1 cr.)
- 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.)
B. Elective Courses (21 credits)
1. Cultural Studies, History, Philosophy, Religion
A minimum of three and a maximum of nine credits of Cultural Studies, History or Philosophy
Cultural Studies
History
- HST231 History of Lebanon, from the Imarah to the 1975-1990 War (3 cr.)
- HST240 History of the Arab Peoples (3 cr.) (Also HST240H)
- HST241 History of Islam in the Middle East (3 cr.)
- HST242 Europe and the Middle East (1798-1956) (3 cr.) (Also HST242H)
- HST305 Contemporary Europe 1945-1989 (3 cr.)
Philosophy
- PHL301 Ethics (3 cr.)
- PHL302 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.)
- PHL306 Existentialism (3 cr.)
- PHL311 Philosophy of Religion (3 cr.)
- PHL322 Philosophy in Literature and Film (3 cr.) (Also PHL322H)
- PHL324 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.)
2. Literature
A minimum of three and a maximum of six credits of Literature, taught in the English language.
English Literature
- ENG211 Literature I (3 cr.)
- ENG212 Literature II (3 cr.) (Also ENG212H)
- ENG216 Introduction to Literature (3 cr.) (Also ENG216H)
- ENG282 Language and the Media (3 cr.)
- ENG283 Language and Gender (3 cr.)
- ENG301 Food and Travel Writing (3 cr.)
- ENG342 Modernism and Beyond (3 cr.) (Also ENG342H)
- ENG346 Contemporary Culture (3 cr.) (Also ENG346H)
- ENG366 Creative Writing (3 cr.)
- ENG376 Gender in Literature (3 cr.)
- ENG372 Comparative and World Literature (3 cr.) (Also ENG372H)
3. 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.) (Also ENV200H)
- NUT201 Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (3 cr.) (Also NUT201H)
- LAS202 Sustainable Food Systems (3 cr.)
- LAS203 Sustainable Energy (3 cr.)
4. Arts
Performing Arts and TV & Film
- PFA211 Survey of Western Music (3 cr.)
- PFA212 Survey of Middle Eastern Music (3 cr.)
- PFA222 Art of Dance (3 cr.)
- PFA242 Art of Theater (3 cr.)
- PFA249 Theater in Lebanon and the Arab World (3 cr.)
- PFA314 World Music History (3 cr.)
- TVF221 Art of Film (3 cr.)
Fine Arts
- ART331 History of Art I (3 cr.)
- ART332 History of Art II (3 cr.)
- ART431 Modern Art (3 cr.) Also (ART431H)
- PHO231 History and Theory of Photography (3 cr.)
- IAA375 Introduction to Islamic Art (650-1650) (3 cr.) (Also IAA375H)
5. Social Sciences
- PJE201 Cross-cultural Communication and Conflict (3 cr.) (Also PJE201H)
- POL201 Introduction to Political Science (3 cr.)
- POL231 Introduction to Human Rights (3 cr.) (Also POL231H)
- PSY201 Introduction to Psychology (3 cr.)
- PSY202 Child Psychology (3 cr.)
- SOC201 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.)
- SOC215 Introduction to Gender Studies (3 cr.)
- SOC488D Fundamentals of Gender Discrimination (3 cr.)
- WOS313 Women in the Arab World: Sociological Perspectives (3 cr.)
- ECO201 Microeconomics (3 cr.)
- ECO202 Macroeconomics (3 cr.)
- LAS201 Water Security (3 cr.)
- LAS205 Digital Cultures (3 cr.)
- LAS207 Intro to Migration Studies (3 cr.)
- LAS208 Wellbeing Matters (3 cr.)
- LAS209 Doing Gender: Contextual Approaches (3 cr.)
- LAS302 Inquiry for Innovation (3 cr.)
Notes:
1.
a. Entering Freshman students with scores between 102 and 122 on the Entrance English Exam (EEE), or its equivalent on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the IELTS, the Duolingo English Test (DET), or the SAT Reading and Writing Section, 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 123 and 134 on the EEE, or its equivalent on the TOEFL, the IELTS, the Duolingo English Test (DET), or the SAT Reading and Writing Section, 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 135 and 147 on the EEE, or its equivalent on the TOEFL, the IELTS, the Duolingo English Test (DET), or the SAT Reading and Writing Section, 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.)