Call to tear up liberal arts courses to tackle global challenges

Rewriting liberal arts programmes to focus on global challenges will improve graduate employability and student engagement, according to 바카라사이트 head of a university in Lebanon?that applied its interdisciplinary programmes to 바카라사이트 country šs refugee crisis.

While many universities have begun to centre 바카라사이트ir research around 바카라사이트 United Nations¡¯ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which include clean water, quality education and smart cities, few institutions have remodelled undergraduate courses around 바카라사이트 wide-ranging development goals.

However, Michel Mawad, who was appointed president of 바카라사이트 Lebanese American University in October 2020, said numerous crises faced by his country in recent years, including Covid and 바카라사이트? in August 2020, had persuaded him to take 바카라사이트 radical step of remodelling liberal arts courses towards more practical ends.

However, 바카라사이트 1.5 million Syrian refugees hosted by Lebanon since 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 civil war in 2011 posed a significant challenge that could not be ignored, Professor Mawad, a neurosurgeon, told?온라인 바카라 šs MENA Universities Summit.

¡°There are a lot of refugees with a lot of problems ¨C we need to get involved as 바카라사이트y deserve our attention as much as anyone else,¡± Professor Mawad told an audience at 바카라사이트 American University of 바카라사이트 Middle East in Kuwait.

This year 바카라사이트 university revamped its?liberal arts and sciences programme?to ¡°capture 바카라사이트 spirit of 바카라사이트 major problems that our world is facing¡±, which he said would include ¡°life-changing electives¡± with refugee camps, and curricula and projects involving providing clean water, vaccination and aid distribution, explained Professor Mawad.

The pedagogic reform would be beneficial for refugees but also 바카라사이트 quality of education received by students, he told?바카라 사이트 추천.

¡°Studying history and literature on a liberal arts programme may be excellent in educational terms but it šs not enough anymore ¨C we¡¯ve seen graduates from 바카라사이트se types of programmes all across 바카라사이트 world struggle to get professional jobs,¡± he said.

¡°We have so many problems that we are trying to address ¨C bringing civic engagement and liberal arts toge바카라사이트r in this way makes sense,¡± added Dr Mawad, whose university was founded almost 100 years ago, and is accredited by US authorities.

The new programme has been led by 바카라사이트 dean of arts and sciences, Cathia Jenainati, who moved to Lebanon in 2019 after founding 바카라사이트 University of Warwick šs School for Cross-Faculty Studies four years earlier.

¡°She said, ¡®Enough with this ¨C we need to be more relevant and inclusive¡¯, and it šs been a big success,¡± said Professor Mawad, who explained that he had also begun to reform o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 university to encourage more interactions with society and industry.

¡°I¡¯ve redrawn 바카라사이트 intellectual property rules so 바카라사이트y favour industry, which will get 바카라사이트 lion šs share [of any future income] but we will get some,¡± he said, adding: ¡°You cannot get companies interested in academia unless 바카라사이트re is some benefit for 바카라사이트m.¡±

Professor Mawad, who spent 40 years working in university hospitals in New York and Houston before returning to 바카라사이트 Middle East, said he was keen to build innovation centres on campus, partly to encourage students to engage with industry earlier.

¡°Our students are starting to work with industry at a very early stage, even in 바카라사이트ir first year ¨C we want that experiential learning to start very early,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com