Undergraduate Programs

The undergraduate program aims to present the main themes and trends in cultural and social anthropological thought and practice and thereby to nurture critical, intercultural, and reflexive perspectives as part of liberal education.

The objective of the Bachelor of Arts is to develop a broad awareness of Arab-Islamic civilization and to develop in students the ability to examine critically the different aesthetic, intellectual and cultural components of this civilization. Each student is required to fulfill Arabic language requirements and take a common core of courses from Arabic Literature, Islamic Studies, Middle Eastern History and Islamic Art and Architecture.

The minor in Community Development provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge that enhances their understanding and vision of a strong civil society, one that is engaged and participatory.

The minor in Comparative Religion is designed to allow students with an interest in religious studies to pursue their research by choosing from a selection of courses on various aspects of the subject both past and present.

The minor in Coptic Studies provides students with an introduction to the Coptic period as it follows on from the Pharaonic period and into the Islamic period. This interdisciplinary program, drawing primarily from the Egyptology and Arabic Studies, will cover religion, art, literature, social and political history from the early days until the present.

The purpose of the development studies minor is to offer students an introduction to the various social, political, economic, and cultural factors related to the process of development. The approach is interdisciplinary and comparative, with a primary emphasis on development-related issues.

Egyptology is the scientific study of the history and culture of ancient Egypt, from the earliest times to the Arab conquest, a time span of some 4,600 years. The program covers all aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization, from language and religion to art, architecture and social structure, as well as heritage management, and provides first-hand experience of ancient monuments and sites.

The undergraduate program offers a thorough grounding in aesthetic appreciation and critical reading of literary texts and various cultural media. Courses encapsulate the classic works of English and European literature, from ancient times until the present. Courses also provide a strong theoretical background into the history of critical appreciation and production of literary texts, from ecocriticism to postcolonialism, and from gender to postmodernism.

Cinema is simply one of the most dynamic and complex cultural, economic and industrial art forms in the world. Uniquely situated in the “film” city of Cairo, the AUC Film Program integrates formal film production training with the study of the historical, aesthetic and theoretical foundations of the medium.

The Graphic Design program prepares students for a wide range of professional options. Branding, advertising, publication, web, digital, and broadcast design, exhibition, and type design are all possible career paths. The major offers both theory and studio courses that will enable design students to integrate a good command of visual language with conceptual work, theory, and technology.

AUC’s history major covers a range of European, American and Middle Eastern topics, and allows students the flexibility to develop and pursue their own interests. All courses develop in students an appreciation of the richness, complexity, and diversity of past civilizations, allowing them to examine the human experience in its fullest dimensions.

The linguistics minor is administered by the Department of Applied Linguistics. The minor offers courses that help students understand how language is used for effective communication in different fields such as politics, the media, and business. It also aims to help students understand how language relates to community and identity.

The mission of the Music Program is to teach the theory, literature, and performance of music, and the theory and practice of music technology, to the highest attainable standard in the context of a liberal arts environment, with an orientation towards performance and study in both Western and Arab music.

The philosophy major stresses a firm grounding in both the history and the various fields of philosophy. Because of the ways in which the study of philosophy complements other disciplines, it is always good for a student to double-major in another discipline.

Students with a Major in Political Science also have the opportunity to enroll in a dual degree program and qualify for an MA degree in International Human Rights Law, alongside their BA in political science.

Students minoring in Political Science also have the opportunity to choose a specialization in areas such as International Relations, Political Economy, or Middle East Politics.

Political Science's honors program is a crucial part of the department's academic life, and a capstone experience allowing students to conclude their time at AUC by working one-on-one with a department member. Honors students will take small, closed-enrollment classes together in the Fall semester of their senior year.

Psychology is the multifaceted scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. The BA program at AUC emphasizes physical, cognitive, emotional, personal, and social development from conception to death.

Would you like to know more about psychology? The minor in psychology provides a general introduction to different subfields under psychology without the depth of methodological training required of majors. The minor exposes students to individual and contextual perspectives in psychology.

Sociology is the systematic study of society with special attention to social interaction and the social making of humans. It investigates the forces that hold society together and that threaten to pull it apart through the analysis of interaction at every level from micro-group interaction to competition of nation-states.

The Theatre program offers a bachelor’s degree and a minor in theatre. The curriculum balances the solid fundamental study of the literature, history, and theory of theatre with practical theatre experience in performance, directing, design, and technical theatre. The program offers a liberal arts approach to theatre study, an approach that aims at enriching the students’ awareness of the role of theatre arts within society.

The Visual Arts program provides students with an opportunity to develop their independent vision and creative practice as artists in an educational environment emphasizing conceptual research and expression across media. The curriculum balances studio-based coursework with historical and theoretical.