The American University in Cairo

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Undergraduate Student Orientation

Dr. Ann M. Lesch, Dean

AUC lies in the heart of Cairo.

Just beyond the campus gates is an amazing world of history and culture,

a city alive with arts, politics and religion.

• The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is all about understanding languages and literatures, traditions and cultures – your own as well as those of others. This, in turn, helps you deepen your sense of social responsibility and participation in the world around you. And liberal education enhances the practical contributions you can make – as an employee and as a citizen – after graduation.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences is all about understanding languages and literatures, traditions and

cultures – your own as well as those of others. This, in turn, helps you deepen your sense of social responsibility

and participation in the world around you. And liberal education enhances the practical contributions you can make

– as an employee and as a citizen – after graduation.

Liberal education stresses critical thinking, creative approaches to problem-solving,

openness to new ways of thinking, and gaining the ability to express your ideas clearly and

convincingly. The practical benefits of liberal education are significant. Employers don’t

want narrow specialists. They want people who can think on their feet, come up with

creative solutions, engage in team work, and look to the future.

• Of course, the Core Curriculum is fundamental to this kind of critical thinking, and all the majors – in all the Schools – foster critical thinking. Your professors will encourage you to participate in discussions and actively question them, rather than just listening passively to lectures. They will encourage you to keep an open mind, be curious, and be flexible.

• During FYE you will have the chance to talk to faculty in the 3 schools about the benefits of each major. There will be several professors from the Humanities and Social Sciences, who will be glad to talk to you about the career opportunities in their fields as well as about their majors and about the possibility of double majoring or minoring – which lets you benefit from more than one degree program.

• Subjects like Anthropology and Sociology help you learn more about peoples, societies, and cultures throughout the world, engage in field work concerning health problems, environmental concerns, and gain hands on experience of the many social and economic issues that confront Egypt, as part of an increasingly globalized world. They offer career opportunities in the fields of social work and development – where you can make a real difference in changing your communities and changing the wider society.

Psychology complements Anthropology and

Sociology, emphasizing the study of human behavior

– how we develop from babies to adults –

emotionally and in our social relations.

There are many career opportunities such

as working in human resources in businesses,

school counseling, and counseling in the health field.

And we will be working hard this year to plan a MA

in Psychology, with the hope that this

will begin on the new campus in Fall 2009.

Through studying Philosophy you also ask questions about the self and its place in the

world, about beauty, about the meaning of religious experience, and the nature of morality.

The clear thinking and careful assessment of evidence necessary for Philosophical study

helps you engage in the process of coming to understand yourself and your place in the

world.

Political Science shifts the focus from looking at peoples, societies, and individuals to better

understanding how policy is made, how rulers rule, and how citizens engage in political life –

whether in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the US or Europe. Political Science courses also

help you analyze vital international security and human rights issues. Whether or not you

enter into a career such as diplomacy, journalism, or work for international organizations, you

will have a stronger ability to analyze political issues and be an informed citizen — an ability

that goes far beyond reading headlines in newspapers or catching the news on TV.

Many programs take you into the past, to explore where you have

come from and gain deeper insight into where you are going.

Egyptology and Coptic studies introduce you to the ancient

history and culture of Egypt. History covers the world: from the

ancient Mediterranean, to medieval Europe, to modern Europe, the

United States, and Asia. There are even opportunities to study

about cultures based on religious systems that are very different

from Islam and Christianity, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

And there are also important programs that cut across disciplines: Arabic Studies helps you

combine analysis of the history of the Middle East with reading Arabic literature, examining

Islamic art and architecture, and studying Islamic law. The Middle East Studies program

relates that history and culture to pressing contemporary political and socio-economic

issues.

• .

Comparative Literature complements the reading of Arabic literature, by opening up the

world of creative writing (in the form of novels, short stories and poetry) that help us

understand ourselves, our societies, and our cultures – in the present and in the past – across

an amazing array of literature, from European writers to African, Asia, and American

writers. There are also exciting programs in Art, Film, Music, and Theatre that provide you

with opportunities to create art (painting, sculpture, printmaking, graphics), learn

photography and film making, gain skills in performing musical instruments and in singing,

and put on high quality plays – which are all tremendously enjoyable experiences-- while

learning these skills in the context of understanding the history and theoretical

underpinnings of those fields.

The courses in all these programs help you to reflect on – and change -- who you are, why you feel and act the

way you do, and your relationship to the larger society and culture. And so I urge you to talk to the FYE

advisors and meet with faculty about the kinds of interests that you can explore through studying in the

humanities and social sciences. And welcome to AUC!