Students will…

• Organize and communicate ideas and information in written and oral forms demonstrating analytical and quantitative reasoning;
• Develop abilities effectively to employ widely used computer applications;
• Demonstrate the understanding of the development of knowledge by exploring major domains of thought and methods of inquiry;
• Learn a breadth of knowledge that supports their specializations and contributes to their personal and professional development;
• Develop abilities to identify and explain meaningful connections across disciplinary boundaries.

Students will…

All undergraduate degree programs offered by the university contain Liberal Arts requirements. The following apply to all programs; however, degree candidates in Engineering should consult the Programs section of this Catalog for Liberal Arts requirements specific to their program. Students are offered several elective options in these disciplines, although course prerequisite requirements must be adhered to in course sequencing.

Requirements for Bachelor's Degrees

I. General (3 credits)

IV. Mathematics / Natural Science (6 credits)

VI. Social / Behavioral Sciences (3 credits)

Fulfillment of SSCI and HUMN Requirements

Social / Behavioral Sciences (SSCI)

Humanities / Fine Arts (HUMN)

Students may take any course in the Social/Behavioral Sciences or Humanities/Fine Arts to fulfill VII above . Consult the Course Description section of the 2007-2008 AUD Undergraduate Catalog for a full listing of Social/Behavioral Sciences and Humanities/Fine Arts courses offered.

In order to satisfy the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research r equirement in Islamic Cultural Studies , students must take one of the following MEST courses:

MEST 313 (HUMN)
MEST 318 (SSCI)
M EST 319 (SSCI)
MEST 323 (SSCI)
MEST 324 (SSCI)

This MEST course may be used as either an elective in HUMN or SSCI or as a General Elective.

Middle Eastern Studies Elective

The American University in Dubai offers students the opportunity to select Middle Eastern Studies courses focusing on two primary objectives:

(1) to offer those students currently in residence the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the cultural, historical and political factors that have shaped the Middle East through time and to a large extent, explain the profile and texture of the Middle Eastern landscape as we know it today; and

(2) to provide Study Abroad students the unique chance to develop their interest in and awareness of Middle Eastern culture by living in a Middle Eastern country while earning credit at an American-accredited university in the Gulf. It is assumed that many of these latter students have already had some exposure to the Middle East; but even if this is not so, the time spent in Dubai will provide them with an “on-the-ground” experience through which they will come into face-to-face contact with the thinking and behavior common to many countries in the region. The knowledge and sensitivity acquired are invaluable and add a “real life” dimension to their textbook studies.

Given these objectives, it is only natural that the offerings consist of a variety of courses which seek to cover the wide scope of Middle Eastern history, culture and society. Furthermore, with the exception of the Arabic language sequence (which, naturally, is specifically focused on developing students' linguistic skills), the other courses which comprise the electives are expansive and cover a wide variety of topics which are germane to the course's subject matter as indicated by the course title.

A variety of instructional methods are used in these courses; and while lectures form part of nearly all courses, the faculty is committed to conducting highly interactive class sessions in which students are invited to express their viewpoints and raise issues concerning the material under consideration.

The following courses are rotated on a regular basis throughout the academic year and summer sessions:

Humanities

Language / Fine Arts

Social Sciences

Culture / History

Politics

Religion

Humanities or Social Sciences