GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
12 COURSES | 36 CREDIT HOURS
A: English, Arabic or other Languages
The student selects 9 credit hours (3 courses) from the list below
The purpose of this course is to facilitate the process of transition into new academic and cultural environment for the new students enrolled in the AUE. Furthermore, it aims to promote their confidence so that they could succeed and meet the academic requirements.
The course assimilates academic content with interactive in class activities to ensure understanding of curricular options and begin to develop a future career plan through self-reflection.
This course focuses on improving students’ basic critical reading and writing skills in English so that they can successfully write free-error varied sentences and paragraphs. The course also focuses on contextualized mechanics instructions and sentence skills.
This course provides students with advanced writing components in English so that they can successfully pursue their studies in various academic specializations. Students practice writing long argumentative and reflective essays, with emphasis on implementing APA format in paper format, in-text citation and references in projects and assignments
The intent of this course is two-fold. First, it introduces students with the basic research terminologies. Second, it familiarizes them with the process of research from choosing a topic to writing the proposal. Students will be immersed in hands on experience where they will be introduced to research concepts that will help them understand, interpret, and critique a scientific research. Contents to be covered include the language of research, types of research, elements of scientific research proposal, writing an academic research proposal using APA style, research ethics, crafting data collection instruments, and interpreting data.
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 course) from the list below
صُمم هذا المساق لتمكين الطالب من تحليل نصوص متعددة في حقول معرفية متنوعة؛ ليصبح قادراً على التمييز بين النصوص على اختلاف مضامينها ومحتوياتها، كما يمكنه بعد ذلك من محاكاة تلك النصوص بطريقة صحيحة، وتحويل المعلومة إلى مهارة وسلوك. وبما أنّ الكتابة عملية بناء متكاملة، وأنّ البناء يتأثر بأجزائه؛ لذا يحتاج إلى نماذج، وقوانين سلامة لغوية، وتخطيط وتماسك وأهداف منها: الإخبار والاستعلام، والطلب، والتأثير بالمتلقي.
صُمم هذا المساق لتمكين الطالب الناطق باللغة العربية من المهارات اللغوية الضرورية، وخاصة التركيز على خطوات كتابة التقارير والرسائل الإدارية والبحوث المنهجية؛ ولتحقيق ذلك جاءت المهارات متنوعة ومتدرجة، لتنمية قدرات الطالب على الفهم الصحيح والأداء المتميز لما يقرأ ويسمع، وليكتسب القدرة على كتابة المقالات والتقارير ومحاضر الاجتماعات وتوصيات المؤتمرات والندوات بصورة سليمة، لذا عُني المساق بتدريب الطالب على المهارات الأساسية للكتابة؛ كقواعد الإملاء المتعددة وعلامات الترقيم ونظام الفقرة وكتابة المقال على نحو متدرج.
B: The Natural sciences
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 course) from the list below
The natural science course incorporates a wide range of subjects of sciences such as astronomy, geology, biology, chemistry, and environmental science. The course will present the scientific facts of astronomy, the Earth and its weather, water, and environment, biology, and nutrition with the chemicals of life. The course emphasizes understanding the core principles of different branches of science and their effects on our lives. Moreover, the course explores the scope of natural phenomena, changing environment conditions, general health rules of nutrition, and the variety of living organisms. The course helps the students to acquire skills in observation, critical thinking, analyzing, interpreting, understanding and discussing scientific terminology and facts.
This course gives a thorough introduction to sustainable energy, conservation, and energy efficiency within the UAE and the world. It will explore the relationship between energy, environment, economy and ecological well-being. It will discuss energy production from the biology, natural science, environmental science and social sciences perspectives.
A variety of topics will be introduced including global warming, climate change, sustainable food production, solid waste management, environmental and natural resources laws. The course includes the growing challenges of climate change and energy crisis and proposes solutions to overcome them.
The ‘Principles of Environmental Science’ course is designed to introduce the fundamental concepts of Environmental Science to undergraduate students. It includes topics from different areas of study such as ecology, biology, soil science and atmospheric science. The course aims at raising environmental awareness among students and providing them with the scientific knowledge and skills to identify, prevent and solve environmental problems. Additionally, it deals with ecological concepts, organism interactions, communities and ecosystems. The course focuses on key areas of population dynamics, biodiversity, human activities and the environment managed ecosystems, air quality, water and solid waste management.
C: The social or behavioral sciences
The student selects 6 credit hours (2 courses) from the list below
An introduction to the science of psychology, its theories and foundations. The course is focused on principles and research methodologies, including the following topics: history of psychology, the biology of mind, memory, learning, child and personality development, psychological disorders and therapy. The aim of the course is to introduce the basis of psychology, provide the foundational knowledge to pursue the subject in more depth in the future, and build an ongoing interest in the application of psychology in everyday life.
This course serves as an introduction into the interdisciplinary and multifaceted social sciences. The content on the course covers the range of different disciplines that social sciences consists of, namely: anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, economics and to a lesser extent also history and geography. The secondary aim of the course is moreover for students to develop their critical thinking skills by engaging actively with material about social issues, social change and social institutions.
This course will examine how women participate and effect political change in a global context. Through a focus on the status of women in society, this course will introduce students to contemporary issues surrounding women’s political participation, representation, and citizenship. Students will develop the ability to think critically about the relationship between sex and gender and the intersections of race, class, religion, law and nation. This course will explore women’s diverse histories, movements, and feminist activism. Students will evaluate whether women’s efforts to achieve equal political rights have worked and what obstacles women still face in accessing political institutions. In addition, students will reflect on a wide-range of policy issues related to violence against women, employment, family values, and reproductive health. This course will also ask what possibilities are available for individuals to take action to improve society and enable women’s full participation as citizens, activists, voters, and politicians.
This course provides an introduction of learning, motivational, and developmental theories with a focus on their application to the field of education across a variety of learning environments. Course content includes the concepts of behavior, cognitive and constructivist learning theories to teaching and managing an effective learning environment. Units of study also include the principles of motivation, classroom management, assessment of student performance, and learning and cognition influences on the learning process (behavioral & cognitive learning, humanistic aspects of learning, and perspectives on motivation). Additionally, the powerful role of the educator and curriculum decision-making are examined. Theory, research-based strategies, and inclusive pedagogy in an educational environment are emphasized.
D: Information Technology or Mathematics
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 courses) from the list below
The General Statistics course is designed to develop good understanding of the basic concepts of statistical theorems, and applications. The course covers topics such as data collection methods, organization of data, analysis and interpretation of results. A software package will be used to analyze the statistical data.
E: The Humanities or Arts
The student selects 6 credit hours (2 courses) from the list below
Innovation is the engine of opportunity and, acting as a catalyst, this course is intended to ignite an interest in innovation and inspire entrepreneurial action. At the core of innovation and entrepreneurship is a commitment to experiential learning that will encourage students to engage in critical thinking, creative problem-solving while also equipping them with the soft skills needed in their pursuit of academic and professional endeavors. Students will discuss the relevance and role of innovation and entrepreneurship in work and life situations; determine opportunities for creative disruption and design a strategy for its implementation; develop a practical understanding of innovation through thoughtful debate and exercises; and demonstrate critical thinking and individual insight with a personal mastery portfolio.
This course is a chronological survey of art and design offering students an in-depth understanding of the role of art throughout history with a strong focus on aesthetic values, socio-cultural influences and technical terminology. Architecture, sculpture, painting, decorative arts, prehistoric art, design of the ancient world, the world beyond Europe, early Christian and Islamic art and the art of the Middle-Ages and Gothic period form the foundation of the course material spanning a period from 40,000 BC to 1300 AD.
This course explores Arab art and aesthetics from the beginning of the twentieth century till date. The students will learn about the contemporary art and design movement in Arab countries, the expression of cultural identity, as well as the factors involved and changes in aesthetics from Islamic to Arabic art. They will also study and analyze the role of pioneer artists from various generations with emphasis on their influence on contemporary Arab art.
This course provides a core introduction to drawing, covering a wide range of basic and intermediate practical and technical skills. Students will explore approaches and concepts to the subject through manual practice using a comprehensive range of media and with reference to great masters in the field. Traditional and objective drawing skills in the use of line, tone, form and perspective provide the foundation for learning in this course. Students are required to develop their ability to observe, perceive and interpret through drawing the world around them, reflecting their understanding of 2D and 3D space.
F: Islamic Studies
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 course) from the list below
This course will offer students’ knowledge to enable them to understand the Islamic culture. The course offers a review of the history of Islam and how it is currently the fastest growing religion in the world.
The course is designed to give an in-depth understanding of the Islamic civilization. It deals with the universal principles that went into the making of the Islamic civilization. It examines the basic ideas of Islamic civilization besides exploring their contemporary relevance and challenges. The course seeks to effectively address the notion of the ‘clash of civilizations.
G: UAE Studies
The student selects 3 credit hours (1 course) from the list below
The course is designed to introduce the UAE and GCC society with its historical background and uniqueness. It is aimed at enabling students to understand the specific features of the society along with its customs, traditions and lifestyle. The course will introduce the processes and the challenges of development as well as the future aspirations of the UAE and GCC Society.
